Comparison

RFE/RL vs UN News

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

Head to head
About

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.

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
Read full description

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

About

UN News

Stay informed with daily multimedia news from the United Nations. Access text, photos, infographics, audio, and video updates in nine languages. Follow global events, human rights, and UN priorities.

Highlights
  • Multimedia news updates
  • Multilingual support (9 languages)
  • Global peace and security news
  • Sustainable development and human rights coverage
  • Live broadcasts of UN meetings
  • Customizable newsfeed
  • Text to audio function
Features
Read full description

This is your destination for daily multimedia updates on UN’s breaking news and events through text, photos, infographics, audio and video in 9 languages. Use this fully multilingual app in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish, Kiswahili, Portuguese and Hindi. The app’s updated features include: • Global updates on peace and security, sustainable development, human rights, climate change and other UN priorities • News, Videos and Audio Programmes, including Podcasts • In-depth stories, photo features, field reports and interviews with top UN officials and envoys • Live broadcasts of the Security Council and General Assembly meetings • Customizable newsfeed in My News • Bookmarks • Easy search • Text to audio function • Social media feeds on multiple platforms • Access to the UN.org website • Automatic translation and more… UN News app is your gateway to the world of verified information from the United Nations.

Screenshots

RFE/RL4 screens
UN News4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: UN News at 4.5 against RFE/RL's 4.2. On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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

UN News holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 69 and 41 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 68% of RFE/RL's written reviews are positive against 67% of UN News's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RFE/RL ships an update every 2 months, UN News every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
RFE/RL versus UN News: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRFE/RLUN News
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (69 ratings)4.5 (41 ratings) — better
Positive reviews68.4% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings69 — better41
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size68 MB37 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperRFE/RL, Inc.United Nations

Customer experience

RFE/RL

All ratings69 ratings
Positive78.3%
Neutral4.3%
Negative17.4%
Written reviews133 reviews
Positive68.4%
Neutral5.3%
Negative26.3%

UN News

All ratings41 ratings
Positive90.2%
Neutral2.4%
Negative7.3%
Written reviews39 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral17.9%
Negative15.4%

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
Show 6 more
  • 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 more
  • Dark mode option
  • Advanced regional filtering
  • Category customization improvements
  • Better category organization on home page

UN News

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

RFE/RL

No in-app purchases

None

UN News

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is RFE/RL free?
RFE/RL is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is UN News free?
UN News is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, RFE/RL or UN News?
UN News is rated higher. RFE/RL averages 4.2 out of 5 from 69 ratings, while UN News averages 4.5 from 41 ratings.
Do RFE/RL or UN News have ads?
Neither RFE/RL nor UN News shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RFE/RL or UN News?
RFE/RL ships an update every 2 months, and UN News every 3 months. Most recently, RFE/RL was updated on November 6, 2026 and UN News on November 7, 2026.

Other comparisons