The JOY FM vs 97.1 The River
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The JOY FM
Listen to positive, uplifting Christian music from your favorite artists. Explore various music channels like JOY Worship, Classic JOY, and LF Radio to find more joy in your day.
- Positive uplifting music
- Favorite Christian artists
- JOY Worship channel
- Classic JOY channel
- LF Radio channel
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The JOY FM - Helping you find JOY wherever you go! Download the app now and hear Positive uplifting music from your favorite Christian music artists. Find more JOY with our JOY Worship, Classic JOY and LF Radio music channels.
97.1 The River
Listen to Atlanta's Classic Hits station featuring rock legends. Interact with the station by picking songs for special blocks and win prizes. Get alerts for your favorite songs.
- Listen to classic hits radio
- Pick songs for Rock Blocks
- Win prizes
- Get song alerts
- Stream on smartphone
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97.1 The River, Atlanta’s Classic Hits plays artists like: Guns N' Roses, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, Bon Jovi & the Eagles. Download the app to: - "Pick Your Block" – Tell us what songs should play during our Rock Blocks -Win prizes - Listen to 97.1 The River on your smartphone - Sign up to get alerted when your favorite River songs are about to play
Screenshots
Verdict
The JOY FM and 97.1 The River are too close to call on the numbers: across 10 compared parameters — price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
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.
The JOY FM holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 158 and 144 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of The JOY FM's written reviews are positive against 65% of 97.1 The River's.
The JOY FM ships an update every 3 months, 97.1 The River every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The JOY FM | 97.1 The River |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (158 ratings) — better | 4.5 (144 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 71.1% of reviews — better | 65.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 158 — better | 144 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 55 MB | 57 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Radio Training Network, Inc. | Cox Media Group |
Customer experience
The JOY FM
97.1 The River
User reviews
The JOY FM
From 158 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎶 Uplifting music and content
- ✅ Allows listening to missed talks
- 👍 Great for spiritual upliftment
- 💖 Helps through hard times
- 🌟 Strengthens faith
Room to improve
- 👎 App disoriented, hard to find info
- 🐛 App not refreshing, frozen in time
- 👎 Florida version doesn't work
- repetitive songs
- 🐛 App crashes frequently
97.1 The River
From 144 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎶 Great music selection
- 👍 Easy to use app
- 📻 Good station overall
- ❤️ Love the station
- 🎵 Classic rock focus
Room to improve
- 🐛 Slow internet error
- 🐛 Spotty service
- 🐛 App not working
- 🐛 Hard to use
- 🐛 Doesn't work often
Bugs and requests
The JOY FM
Reported bugs
23 issues- App is disoriented and hard to find information
- App does not refresh and is frozen in time
- Florida version of the app does not work
- App plays the same songs repeatedly
- App crashes frequently
Show 18 moreShow fewer
- App does not play music after an update
- App turns off after 30 seconds after an update
- Music stops when the app is minimized
- Cannot multitask while listening to the app
- Audio stops when the app is minimized
- App is not compatible with older iPod versions
- App is a battery hog and only plays with the screen on
- Bad UI design and unappealing layout
- App does not allow listening via Wi-Fi
- Alarm feature does not allow sound customization
- App screen does not fill iPhone 5 screen
- App not compatible with 2nd generation iPod after upgrades
- Background streaming stopped working after an update
- App continually crashes and won't play music
- App won't work for more than 30 seconds before turning off after update
- App does not allow music to play while the device is turned off
- Music stops when you go to another app, requiring the app to stay open and at the front
- New update stops audio when app is minimized, preventing multitasking
Requested features
12 requests- Allow state selection in app settings
- Fix battery drain issue
- Improve UI design and layout
- Fix Wi-Fi connection issues
- Allow alarm sound customization
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Update for iPhone 5 screen
- Update for iOS 7
- Support for older iPod versions
- Restore background streaming functionality
- Fix app crashing and music playback issues after update
- Allow background listening when app is minimized
- Enable multitasking while listening
97.1 The River
Reported bugs
14 issues- Submit form broken/disappeared
- Connection issues with app/website
- Slow internet error message
- App not working for days
- Spotty service on iPhone
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- Alerts not working anymore
- App won't work with iPhone USB port
- App starts and crashes
- iPhone music restarts when app plays
- Cannot control app from control center/Apple Watch
- Streaming skips and doesn't play correctly
- App is very slow to vote
- App crashes a lot
- Keeps saying buffering
Requested features
6 requests- Bring back alerts
- Restore control center/watch controls
- Fix Janrain site pop-up issue
- Increase music variety
- Restore volume control on app
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Stop asking for location
In-app purchases
The JOY FM
No in-app purchases
97.1 The River
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is The JOY FM free?
Is 97.1 The River free?
Which has better reviews, The JOY FM or 97.1 The River?
Do The JOY FM or 97.1 The River have ads?
Which is updated more often, The JOY FM or 97.1 The River?
Other comparisons
