# RFE/RL vs Balatarin

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | RFE/RL | Balatarin |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (69 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rferl/id475986784/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/balatarin/id1613792005/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **69** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 68.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 68 MB | 67 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [RFE/RL, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/406810961) | [Balatarin LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1613792007) |

## What reviewers say

### RFE/RL

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rferl/id475986784)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 📰 Comprehensive international news coverage
- 🌍 Multiple language options available
- 👍 User-friendly interface and navigation
- 📱 Works well on mobile devices
- 🎥 Quality videos and multimedia content

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 🔌 Streaming connectivity issues
- 😕 Inconsistent app performance across updates
- ⚠️ Political bias in some coverage
- 🔄 Live stream functionality unreliable

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- Widget support for home screen
- Auto-play functionality on app launch
- Landscape mode support
- Font size adjustment options
- Specific program filtering and selection


### Balatarin

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/balatarin/id1613792005)

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.

**Highlights:** Content sharing and discovery, User voting system, Virtual community creation, Community management, Discussion forums, Interest-based groups

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is RFE/RL free?

RFE/RL is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Balatarin free?

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

### Which has better reviews, RFE/RL or Balatarin?

Balatarin is rated higher. RFE/RL averages 4.2 out of 5 from 69 ratings, while Balatarin averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do RFE/RL or Balatarin have ads?

Neither RFE/RL nor Balatarin shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, RFE/RL or Balatarin?

RFE/RL ships an update every 2 months, and Balatarin every 5 months. Most recently, RFE/RL was updated on September 21, 2026 and Balatarin on September 14, 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.*