SBS Audio vs RFE/RL
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SBS Audio
Access music, news, podcasts, and community updates in your preferred language. Stream live radio stations and explore a diverse range of audio content.
- Music streaming
- Australian news and current affairs
- Podcasts
- Community updates
- Live radio programs
- Multilingual content
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The SBS Audio app (previously known as SBS Radio) connects you to music, Australian news and current affairs, podcasts and community updates in your language. Whether you want to catch up on radio programs in your language, stream SBS Chill, SBS PopAsia, or SBS South Asian and your favourite radio programs live, or explore podcasts, you’ll find it here. Listen anytime, anywhere for free. Download our app today and find a world of difference.
RFE/RL
Access uncensored news and open debate from Europe and Asia. This app provides breaking news, live broadcasts, and on-demand audio/video in 22 languages, covering 36 regions. Customize your feed and download content for offline access.
- News in 22 languages
- Coverage of 36 regions
- Customizable news by topic
- Live broadcasts (audio, video, blogs)
- On-demand audio and video
- Breaking news push notifications
- Offline reading, watching, and listening
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The free, official Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty mobile application – the ultimate news experience for your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. Get your news in 22 languages, covering 36 regions and countries in Europe and Asia, including Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Russia. With over 400 full-time journalists, 750 freelancers, and 19 local bureaus, RFE/RL is one of the most comprehensive news operations in the world. RFE/RL operates in countries where a free press is banned by the government or not fully established. We provide what many people cannot get locally: uncensored news, responsible discussion and open debate. Get the latest, breaking news from RFE/RL and our global network of journalists. Highlights: • News in 22 languages • Covering 36 regions and countries • Customize your news by topic • Enjoy reading, listening and watching • Live broadcasts include audio, video and live blogs • Read stories while listening to on-demand and live audio and video • Breaking news push notifications • Save download time and data costs by using the “Low-Bandwidth Mode” • Bookmark and download for offline reading, watching, and listening • Share your favorite stories via e-mail, Twitter, Facebook and other platforms • Send your photo, video, audio and text reports to RFE/RL Supported languages: • English • South Slavic (Srpskohrvatski) • Macedonian (Македонски) • Kosovo (Shqip) • Romanian (Română) • Belarusian (Беларуская) • Ukrainian (Українська) • Crimean-Tatar (Qırımtatarca) • Russian (Русский) • Tatar-Bashkir (Татар) • Chechen (Нохчийн) • Armenian • Azeri (Azərbaycan) • Georgian • Persian (فارسی) • Kazakh (Қазақ) • Kyrgyz (Кыргызча) • Tajik (Тоҷикӣ) • Turkmen (Türkmençe) • Uzbek (O'zbekcha) • Dari (دری) • Pashto (پښتو) Broadcast services: • RFE/RL • Radio Europa Liberă • Радыё Свабода • Радіо Свобода • Qırım Aqiqat • Крим.Реалії • Крым.Реалии • Radio Slobodna Evropa • Радио Слободна Европа • Radio Evropa e Lirë • Радио Свобода • Азатлык Радиосы • Idel.Реалии • Кавказ.Реалии • Маршо Радио • Azatutyun • Радио Азатутюн • Azadlıq Radiosu • Радио Азадлыг • Radio Tavisupleba • Эхо Кавказа • رادیو فردا (Radio Farda) • Азаттық • Азаттык • Азаттык Υналгысы • Радио Азаттык • Радиои Озодӣ • Радио Озоди • Azatlyk Radiosy • Радио Азатлык • Озодлик радиоси • Радио Озодлик • رادیو آزادی (Radio Free Afghanistan) • ازادی رادیو • Gandhara • مشال رېډیو (Radio Mashaal) Have any questions, suggestions or problems with the app? Please let us know: mobapps.rferl@gmail.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: RFE/RL at 68% against SBS Audio's 24%. RFE/RL also leads on rating (4.2 vs 3.1) and ads (none vs shown). SBS Audio's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, in-app purchases and iOS requirement 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.
RFE/RL holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 18 and 69 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 24% of SBS Audio's written reviews are positive against 68% of RFE/RL's.
SBS Audio ships an update every 3 weeks, RFE/RL every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SBS Audio | RFE/RL |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.1 (18 ratings) | 4.2 (69 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 24.0% of reviews | 68.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 18 | 69 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 46 MB | 68 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Special Broadcasting Service Corporation | RFE/RL, Inc. |
Customer experience
SBS Audio
RFE/RL
User reviews
SBS Audio
From 18 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great music selection (Chill)
- 👍 Free to use
- 👍 Good for language learning
- 👍 Clear audio quality
- 👍 Works well for some users
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes/freezing
- 🐛 Pausing/resuming issues (resets to beginning)
- 🐛 Frequent connection drops/streaming issues
- 🐛 Battery draining quickly
- 🐛 Ads interrupting streams
RFE/RL
From 69 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 📰 Comprehensive international news coverage
- 🌍 Multiple language options available
- 👍 User-friendly interface and navigation
- 📱 Works well on mobile devices
- 🎥 Quality videos and multimedia content
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 🔌 Streaming connectivity issues
- 😕 Inconsistent app performance across updates
- ⚠️ Political bias in some coverage
- 🔄 Live stream functionality unreliable
Bugs and requests
SBS Audio
Reported bugs
31 issues- App stops frequently while broadcasting
- App not compatible with CarPlay
- Cannot pause and play from Home Screen
- Dead support link
- Ads from current location
Show 26 moreShow fewer
- Constant streaming issues
- App often has to be rebooted to play
- Pausing often resets to the beginning
- Problematic over Bluetooth speaker
- Drains phone battery very quickly
- App not launching after update (white blank screen)
- App doesn't work after update
- Latest version not working on iPhone 6S
- Constant cutting out, takes multiple tries to start streaming
- Plays for only approx. 10 minutes before stopping
- Ads on radio streaming
- Music is tired and crappy
- Play button gets stuck
- Radio stops playing after a minute
- Play button stops working after interrupting
- Cannot download podcasts
- App opens one podcast and becomes unresponsive
- Search feature is well hidden
- No full episode for Cantonese radio show
- Playlist issue for Chill
- Hard to navigate and find playlist
- Song playlist not accurate
- Sharing podcasts has never worked
- App freezes after music plays
- New version is terrible
- Sleep timer missing
Requested features
11 requests- CarPlay compatibility
- Dark mode
- Ability to slow down speech for language learning
- Sleep timer
- Search function
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- Tutorial for new users
- Option to view weekly playlists
- Purchase songs from iTunes
- Download full episodes of podcasts
- Improved playlist accuracy
- Translate broadcast times to local time
RFE/RL
Reported bugs
11 issues- App crashes upon opening or launching
- Live streaming doesn't work properly
- Audio files play simultaneously causing overlap
- Content fails to load or displays blank pages
- Text rendering issues with content cutoff
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- App crashes when enabling audio playback
- Live stream option frequently unavailable
- Listen tab not updating
- Landscape mode disabled in new versions
- Connection drops during streaming
- App freezes when loading specific topics
Requested features
9 requests- Widget support for home screen
- Auto-play functionality on app launch
- Landscape mode support
- Font size adjustment options
- Specific program filtering and selection
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Dark mode option
- Advanced regional filtering
- Category customization improvements
- Better category organization on home page
In-app purchases
SBS Audio
No in-app purchases
RFE/RL
No in-app purchases
