NFPA Journal vs OpenMHz
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
NFPA Journal
Access the complete award-winning magazine of the National Fire Protection Association on your mobile device. This app allows for easy navigation, viewing videos, linking to external websites, and sharing articles with colleagues anytime, anywhere.
- Digital magazine access
- Easy navigation
- View embedded videos
- Link to external websites
- Share articles
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NFPA Journal, the award-winning magazine of the National Fire Protection Association, is now available for download on your iPad or iPhone from the App Store. This easy-to-navigate app gives you access to the complete magazine anytime, anywhere. View videos, link to websites, and share articles with colleagues.
OpenMHz
Access live police and fire radio broadcasts from across the United States. Enjoy an ad-free experience with a 30-day archive to review past transmissions. Explore over 225 city, county, and state radio systems.
- Live police and fire radio streams
- 30-day transmission archive
- Over 225 US radio systems
- Ad-free experience
- No in-app purchases
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Listen live to Police and Fire radios from across the US. - Ad Free and no in-app purchases required! - Scroll back in time, with a 30 day archive. - Over 225 city, county and state radio systems! It is recorded using a Software Defined Radio, so unlike a scanner, all of the channels are captured and the each transmission is saved invdividually
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: OpenMHz at 3.9 against NFPA Journal's 2.5. OpenMHz also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (59% vs 33%). NFPA Journal's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.6). 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.
OpenMHz holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: OpenMHz has 175 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of NFPA Journal's written reviews are positive against 59% of OpenMHz's.
NFPA Journal ships an update every 3 months, OpenMHz every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NFPA Journal | OpenMHz |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.5 (8 ratings) | 3.9 (175 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews | 59.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 8 | 175 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | #95 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 35 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | NFPA | Luke Berndt |
Customer experience
NFPA Journal
OpenMHz
Bugs and requests
NFPA Journal
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
OpenMHz
Reported bugs
12 issues- App freezes and requires force restart
- Archive feature doesn't properly reset when disabled
- Blank screen with no content loading
- Data stuck on old timestamps and not updating
- Logs not displaying or showing blank screens
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- App crashes when minimized and reopened
- Specific channels (Charlotte NC, Sacramento) not updating
- Audio plays out of order with incorrect timestamps
- Talk groups disappearing from feeds
- Spotty and breaking audio feeds
- Loading spinner stuck indefinitely
- App won't open or crashes on startup
Requested features
12 requests- Ability to bookmark or favorite systems and talk groups
- Custom group creation and naming
- Search functionality for talk groups instead of scrolling
- Background audio playback when screen is locked
- iPad landscape mode support
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- Save user preferences and last selected channels
- CarPlay support
- Map view with icons and geolocation
- Day/date indicators in archive listings
- Feedback/support contact option within app
- Meridian Mississippi frequencies
- Real-time audio instead of delayed playback
In-app purchases
NFPA Journal
No in-app purchases
OpenMHz
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is NFPA Journal free?
Is OpenMHz free?
Which has better reviews, NFPA Journal or OpenMHz?
Do NFPA Journal or OpenMHz have ads?
Which is updated more often, NFPA Journal or OpenMHz?
Other comparisons
