# NHL vs Open Wheelers

The clearest difference is ads: Open Wheelers at none against NHL's shown. Open Wheelers also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs fortnightly). NHL's advantage is chart position (#115 vs unranked) and device support (4 vs 2). On price and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. NHL sells 8 one-off in-app purchases and Open Wheelers sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

NHL ships an update fortnightly, Open Wheelers every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | NHL | Open Wheelers |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (135K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nhl/id465092669/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **135K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 34.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#115** | — |
| Size | 158 MB | 22 MB |
| Requires iOS | **18.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [NHL Interactive Cyberenterprises, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/361327131) | [Stalefish Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/304318515) |

## What reviewers say

### NHL

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nhl/id465092669)

**Currently charting:** #115 Top Free · Sports (US App Store)

Stay up-to-date with the latest hockey season. Access advanced stats, live game updates, and comprehensive viewing information. Enjoy personalized notifications, highlights, and team-specific alerts.

**Highlights:** Advanced EDGE Stats and Data Visualizations, Live Activities for real-time game tracking, Comprehensive 'How to Watch' guide, Team and Player Search functionality, Breaking news and up-to-the-minute scores, Game Stories & video highlights, Goal Horn game alerts

**Features:** Apple Wallet, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Rogers NHL Live | $54.99 | one-time |
| Rogers Stanley Cup Playoffs Pass | $69.99 | one-time |
| NHL LIVE™ Half season pass | $69.99 | one-time |
| Rogers NHL Live | $69.99 | one-time |
| Rogers NHL Live | $94.99 | one-time |
| Rogers 2017-18 Annual | $109.99 | one-time |
| Rogers NHL Live | $109.99 | one-time |
| Rogers 2018-19 Early Bird | $129.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Customizable team icons
- 🚀 Provides great game and news updates
- 👍 Allows listening to home or away radio broadcasts

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🔋 Drains battery quickly
- 🐛 Buggy video playback
- 🔒 Inconsistent blackout policies
- 🐛 Glitchy interface and navigation

**Reported bugs**

- Scores not updating properly
- Inability to watch live games due to unknown errors
- Incorrect time zone adjustments
- Inability to edit or delete brackets
- Inconsistent performance across devices

**Requested features**

- Ability to download games for offline viewing
- More statistical and analytical features
- Improved video controls (e.g. period selection, better scrubbing)
- Ability to invite friends to leagues and brackets
- Better account management options


### Open Wheelers

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/open-wheelers/id6759168065)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Open Wheelers Pro | $2.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is NHL free?

NHL is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Open Wheelers free?

Open Wheelers is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do NHL or Open Wheelers have ads?

NHL shows ads; Open Wheelers does not.

### Which is updated more often, NHL or Open Wheelers?

NHL ships an update fortnightly, and Open Wheelers every 3 days. Most recently, NHL was updated on October 24, 2026 and Open Wheelers on October 19, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*