# NWPB vs Prairie Public App

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Prairie Public App at 93% against NWPB's 66%. Prairie Public App also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.2). NWPB's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (108 vs 24). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

Prairie Public App holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 108 and 24 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of NWPB's written reviews are positive against 93% of Prairie Public App's.

NWPB ships an update every 3 months, Prairie Public App every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | NWPB | Prairie Public App |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (108 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nwpb/id472024661/reviews) | **[4.5 (24 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/prairie-public-app/id497170897/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **108** | 24 |
| Positive reviews | 66.2% of reviews | **93.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 months** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 48 MB | 35 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Washington State University](https://appshunter.io/developer/886047261) | [Prairie Public Broadcasting, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/497170900) |

## What reviewers say

### NWPB

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nwpb/id472024661)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great content and programming
- 👍 Reliable when it works
- 👍 No ads or pop-ups
- 👍 Good for staying connected while traveling
- 👍 Pleasant interface and design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent streaming interruptions
- 🐛 App crashes often
- 🐛 Sleep timer issues
- 🐛 Audio skips or stops
- 🐛 App freezes

**Reported bugs**

- Streaming cuts out frequently
- Sleep timer resets or doesn't change
- App randomly closes
- Audio randomly stopping and playing
- System becomes frozen

**Requested features**

- 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


### Prairie Public App

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/prairie-public-app/id497170897)

Listen to live radio streams, pause and rewind audio, and browse program schedules. Explore on-demand content, search for stories, and set alarms to wake up to your favorite station. Share content easily with friends and family.

**Highlights:** Live streaming with pause and rewind, Integrated program schedules, On-demand content access, Story and program search, Sleep timer and alarm clock, Share stories and programs

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is NWPB free?

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

### Is Prairie Public App free?

Prairie Public App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, NWPB or Prairie Public App?

Prairie Public App is rated higher. NWPB averages 4.2 out of 5 from 108 ratings, while Prairie Public App averages 4.5 from 24 ratings.

### Do NWPB or Prairie Public App have ads?

Neither NWPB nor Prairie Public App shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, NWPB or Prairie Public App?

NWPB ships an update every 3 months, and Prairie Public App every 6 months. Most recently, NWPB was updated on October 21, 2026 and Prairie Public App on October 23, 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.*