# WNYC vs Democracy Now!

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 iOS requirement (13.4 vs 15.6). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | WNYC | Democracy Now! |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (796 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wnyc/id470219771/reviews)** | [4.4 (416 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/democracy-now/id959877465/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **796** | 416 |
| Positive reviews | 31.2% of reviews | **65.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #205 | **#188** |
| Size | 102 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **13.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [New York Public Radio](https://appshunter.io/developer/396530754) | [DEMOCRACY NOW PRODUCTIONS INC](https://appshunter.io/developer/633548597) |

## What reviewers say

### WNYC

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wnyc/id470219771)

**Currently charting:** #205 Top Free · News (US App Store)

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.

**Highlights:** Live broadcast listening, On-demand news and commentary, Podcast saving for offline playback, Local and national headline updates, Curated music streams, Partner station broadcasts

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great station, great app
- 📻 Excellent content and programming
- 🌐 Access to WNYC anywhere
- 🔍 Helpful discovery features
- 🔊 Reliable live streaming

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitchy, buggy, and unstable
- 🔇 Frequent audio issues and disconnects
- 🔁 Struggles to resume playback after interruptions
- 🔍 Confusing navigation and UI
- 🔋 Drains battery quickly

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on launch
- Audio stream stops unexpectedly
- Playback controls not working
- Saved content disappearing
- Connectivity issues with cellular and WiFi

**Requested features**

- 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!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/democracy-now/id959877465)

**Currently charting:** #188 Top Free · News (US App Store)

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.

**Highlights:** Daily news headlines, In-depth interviews, Web exclusives, Audio and video on-demand, Live video stream

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Excellent news coverage
- 🚀 Easy to navigate app
- 💡 Appreciate audio-only option
- 🚀 Streamlined interface
- 👍 Trustworthy news source

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- Refresh issues on headlines tab
- App not optimized for larger screens
- Occasional audio/video desync
- Crashes when trying to share content

**Requested features**

- Push notification support
- Landscape mode support
- Chromecast/AirPlay integration
- Ability to download episodes for offline viewing
- Improved sharing capabilities


## Frequently asked questions

### Is WNYC free?

WNYC is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Democracy Now! free?

Democracy Now! is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, WNYC or Democracy Now!?

WNYC is rated higher. WNYC averages 4.5 out of 5 from 796 ratings, while Democracy Now! averages 4.4 from 416 ratings.

### Do WNYC or Democracy Now! have ads?

Neither WNYC nor Democracy Now! shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, WNYC or Democracy Now!?

WNYC ships an update every 2 months, and Democracy Now! every 6 weeks. Most recently, WNYC was updated on November 6, 2026 and Democracy Now! on November 6, 2026.

### Which is more popular, WNYC or Democracy Now!?

WNYC currently peaks at #205 in the App Store charts, and Democracy Now! at #188. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*