RFE/RL vs Balatarin
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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
Balatarin
This platform serves as a central hub for sharing and discovering Persian content related to Iran and global news. Users can vote on posts, create and manage virtual communities, and engage in discussions based on shared interests. The most popular content rises to the front page, visible to a large audience.
- Content sharing and discovery
- User voting system
- Virtual community creation
- Community management
- Discussion forums
- Interest-based groups
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Balatarin is a hub for Persian links and content sharing about Iran and the world, with hundreds of active sub-communities. با بالاترین اخبار، لینک و محتوای جالب روز را بخوانید، بفرستید و به نوشتههای خود و دیگران رای دهید. با رای شما و بقیه کاربران بهترین نوشتهها و لینکها به صفحه اول بالاترین راه پیدا میکنند و صدها هزار بازدید کننده بالاترین آنها را می بینند. ■ بالاترین صدها جامعه مجازی دارد که به بالاچه معروفند. ■ بالاچه خود را بسازید، مدیریت کنید و عضو یا مدیر دیگر بالاچهها شوید. ■ در بالاچهها بنویسید، لینک بفرستید و به محتوای دیگر اعضا رای دهید. ■ علایق مشترک خود را در بالاچههای مخصوص آنها به اشتراک بگذارید و با دیگران درباره آنها بحث کنید.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Balatarin at 5.0 against RFE/RL's 4.2. Balatarin also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). RFE/RL's advantage is ratings volume (69 vs 2) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.
Balatarin holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RFE/RL has 69 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.
RFE/RL ships an update every 2 months, Balatarin every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | RFE/RL | Balatarin |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (69 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 68.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 69 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 68 MB | 67 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | RFE/RL, Inc. | Balatarin LLC |
Customer experience
RFE/RL
Balatarin
Bugs and requests
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
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- 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
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- Dark mode option
- Advanced regional filtering
- Category customization improvements
- Better category organization on home page
Balatarin
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
RFE/RL
No in-app purchases
Balatarin
No in-app purchases
