WNYC vs Democracy Now!
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
WNYC
Access live and on-demand news, commentary, culture, storytelling, and music from New York's public radio station. Stay updated with local and national headlines, and enjoy curated music streams.
- Live broadcast listening
- On-demand news and commentary
- Podcast saving for offline playback
- Local and national headline updates
- Curated music streams
- Partner station broadcasts
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Join the New York conversation wherever you are. Our app lets you hear the best live and on-demand news, commentary, culture reporting, storytelling and music. Listen to our live broadcast to get the latest from WNYC, NPR, the BBC and our partners in public media. Save podcasts for offline listening. Get easy access to the latest news updates and the most talked-about local and national headlines from Gothamist and NPR, so you can catch up quickly whenever you want. And listen to great music from the New Sounds and WQXR live streams. WNYC is a listener-supported public radio station. Your financial support helps make possible our programming, broadcasting and digital innovation.
Democracy Now!
Access award-winning independent news with daily global headlines and in-depth interviews. This app offers content in video, audio, and transcript formats, including web exclusives and a live video stream.
- Daily news headlines
- In-depth interviews
- Web exclusives
- Audio and video on-demand
- Live video stream
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Democracy Now! produces a daily, global, independent news hour hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan González. Our reporting includes breaking daily news headlines and in-depth interviews. All content available in video, audio and transcript format. *Daily News Headlines* 10-minute roundup of global news headlines. *In-Depth Interviews* Conversations with people on the front lines of the world’s most pressing issues. On Democracy Now!, you’ll hear a diversity of voices speaking for themselves, providing a unique and sometimes provocative perspective on global events. *Web Exclusives* Extended interviews and exclusive digital-only content. *Audio & Video On-Demand* All content is available in audio and video formats. *Live Video Stream* Tune in LIVE for the news hour weekdays at 8am ET.
Screenshots
Verdict
WNYC and Democracy Now! both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 66% of Democracy Now!'s written reviews are positive against 31% of WNYC's. Democracy Now! also leads on chart position (#188 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (13.4 vs 15.6). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for WNYC against 4.4 for Democracy Now!. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 796 and 416 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 31% of WNYC's written reviews are positive against 66% of Democracy Now!'s.
WNYC ships an update every 2 months, Democracy Now! every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.
| Parameter | WNYC | Democracy Now! |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (796 ratings) — better | 4.4 (416 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 31.2% of reviews | 65.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 796 — better | 416 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | #188 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 13.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 102 MB | 30 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | New York Public Radio | DEMOCRACY NOW PRODUCTIONS INC |
Customer experience
WNYC
Democracy Now!
User reviews
WNYC
From 796 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Great station, great app
- 📻 Excellent content and programming
- 🌐 Access to WNYC anywhere
- 🔍 Helpful discovery features
- 🔊 Reliable live streaming
Room to improve
- 🐛 Glitchy, buggy, and unstable
- 🔇 Frequent audio issues and disconnects
- 🔁 Struggles to resume playback after interruptions
- 🔍 Confusing navigation and UI
- 🔋 Drains battery quickly
Democracy Now!
From 416 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Excellent news coverage
- 🚀 Easy to navigate app
- 💡 Appreciate audio-only option
- 🚀 Streamlined interface
- 👍 Trustworthy news source
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Streaming issues and buffering problems
- 🐛 Sync issues between audio and video
- 🐛 Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions
- 🐛 Glitchy scrolling and article loading
Bugs and requests
WNYC
Reported bugs
5 issues- App crashes on launch
- Audio stream stops unexpectedly
- Playback controls not working
- Saved content disappearing
- Connectivity issues with cellular and WiFi
Requested features
5 requests- Bring back sleep timer
- Improve podcast playback and resume functionality
- Add background audio support
- Optimize UI for newer iPhone models
- Implement better connectivity handling
Democracy Now!
Reported bugs
4 issues- Refresh issues on headlines tab
- App not optimized for larger screens
- Occasional audio/video desync
- Crashes when trying to share content
Requested features
5 requests- Push notification support
- Landscape mode support
- Chromecast/AirPlay integration
- Ability to download episodes for offline viewing
- Improved sharing capabilities
In-app purchases
WNYC
No in-app purchases
Democracy Now!
No in-app purchases
