Comparison

NWPB vs KUGS

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

NWPB

Access live radio and TV streams from Northwest Public Broadcasting, including NPR and PBS content. Enjoy on-demand shows, news updates, and DVR-like controls for live audio and video. Share content and set alarms with your favorite station.

Highlights
  • Live radio and TV streaming
  • On-demand shows and clips
  • DVR-like controls for live audio/video
  • Program schedules
  • Local and national news
  • Shareable content
  • Sleep timer and alarm clock
Features
Read full description

The Northwest Public Broadcasting App: The Northwest Public Broadcasting App allows you to enjoy the services of Northwest Public Broadcasting - radio and TV (NPR and PBS). Listen and watch your favorite shows/clips anywhere you want to. You can also pause and rewind live audio, and view radio and TV program schedules! You can explore, watch and listen to On Demand stories whenever you want and share stories with your friends! Live Radio Streaming: • DVR-like controls (pause, rewind, and fast forward). You can pause the live stream to have a conversation and pick up right where you left off! Or rewind to catch a comment you just missed! • Listen to live streams from Northwest Public Broadcasting even while traveling! Start the app and your favorite station starts playing. • Integrated program schedules for Northwest Public Broadcasting streams! • One-click stream switching – flip over to the program you noticed on another stream with a single click. • Listen to Northwest Public Broadcasting in the background while browsing the web or catching up on your emails! Stream Video Content: • Watch your favorite PBS shows using our DVR-like controls (pause, rewind, and fast forward). Catch up on your favorite shows or important news programs you count on every day. • Stream your favorite Northwest Public Broadcasting shows including: Jam with Dan, Access NW, Dr. U and more, all in one place! • Northwest Public Broadcasting members can access their NWPB Passport account, allowing you to watch special curated content! News: • Specially curated local news to make sure you know what's happening throughout your day. News that includes: NPR News, Northwest News Network, PBS Newshour, Earthfix and many other public media news outlets. You can even opt in for TEXT MESSAGE ALERTS for breaking news. • Environmental stories from our friends at EarthFix, covering stories that impact our environment • Curated NPR and PBS Newshour hour to give you a national perspective on issues Additional features • Easily share stories and programs with family and friends via the “Share” button. • A built in Sleep Timer and Alarm Clock allows you to go to sleep and wake up to your favorite station. The Northwest Public Broadcasting app is brought to you by the people at Public Radio and Public Media Apps. We work to provide our valued viewers and listeners with great solutions to find what you want, when you want it, on whatever device you have! Please support Northwest Public Broadcasting by becoming a member today! nwpb.org/support

About

KUGS

This app provides a diverse program of music and information for students and the community. It aims to foster understanding of human differences and cultural pluralism through its volunteer-staffed programming.

Highlights
  • Diverse music programming
  • Informative content
  • Student-focused
  • Community bridge
  • Volunteer-staffed
Features
Read full description

The mission of KUGS FM is to serve the students of Western Washington University in Bellingham, Wash., by providing a diverse program of music and information consistent with student interests. The Board of Trustees of Western Washington University holds the license and the Associated Students operates the station. KUGS is staffed by volunteers who are committed to providing programming that encourages a greater understanding of the human differences and cultural pluralism within the university community and the world we live in. Through its programming, KUGS serves as a bridge from the university to the surrounding community.

Screenshots

NWPB4 screens
KUGS2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: NWPB at 66% against KUGS's 0%. NWPB also leads on ratings volume (104 vs 8). KUGS's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 4.2) and iOS requirement (9.3 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

KUGS holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NWPB has 104 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 66% of NWPB's written reviews are positive against 0% of KUGS's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NWPB ships an update every 3 months, KUGS every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
NWPB versus KUGS: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNWPBKUGS
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (104 ratings)4.6 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.2% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings104 — better8
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.09.3 — better
Further details — not scored
Size48 MB32 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperWashington State UniversityWestern Washington University

Customer experience

NWPB

All ratings104 ratings
Positive80.8%
Neutral7.7%
Negative11.5%
Written reviews68 reviews
Positive66.2%
Neutral13.2%
Negative20.6%

KUGS

All ratings8 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Bugs and requests

NWPB

Reported bugs

17 issues
  • Streaming cuts out frequently
  • Sleep timer resets or doesn't change
  • App randomly closes
  • Audio randomly stopping and playing
  • System becomes frozen
Show 12 more
  • Streaming function not working
  • App crashes
  • Cannot find previously listened programs
  • Random volume changes between stories
  • Update fails to connect to network
  • Livestream no longer delivers audio
  • App doesn't respond to iOS control center
  • Native alarm disabled when NWPR is playing
  • No alarm clock feature in newer versions
  • Constantly buffering stream, causing skips and pauses
  • Small buttons and poor menus
  • Display does not dim and lights up room when docked

Requested features

12 requests
  • Fix streaming interruptions
  • Improve sleep timer functionality
  • Allow changing sleep timer without exiting app
  • Make app more intuitive for program scheduling
  • Add offline download/listening feature
Show 7 more
  • Improve compatibility with iOS control center
  • Add dark mode
  • Improve alarm clock functionality
  • Allow background playback for alarm clock
  • Make display completely dark for alarm clock
  • Improve button size and spacing
  • List local news on demand

KUGS

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

NWPB

No in-app purchases

None

KUGS

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NWPB free?
NWPB is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is KUGS free?
KUGS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, NWPB or KUGS?
KUGS is rated higher. NWPB averages 4.2 out of 5 from 104 ratings, while KUGS averages 4.6 from 8 ratings.
Do NWPB or KUGS have ads?
Neither NWPB nor KUGS shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NWPB or KUGS?
NWPB ships an update every 3 months, and KUGS every 4 months. Most recently, NWPB was updated on October 17, 2026 and KUGS on October 12, 2026.

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