The JOY FM vs Magic 949
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
Read full descriptionHide full description
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.
Magic 949
Listen to Tampa Bay's hit music station live, enter contests for exclusive prizes like concert tickets, and get song alerts. You can also set birthday reminders, dedicate songs, and vote for your favorite tracks.
- Live radio stream
- Exclusive prize contests
- Song alert notifications
- Birthday reminders
- Song dedications
- View upcoming songs
- Vote for music
Read full descriptionHide full description
Magic 94.9. Tampa Bay's Hit Music Station. -Enter to win exclusive prizes, including concert tickets -Get an Alert when your song in about to play -Get Birthday Reminders and send Song Dedications -Login with your existing Facebook account -Find out what songs will be played in the next half hour -Vote for the songs you want to hear Download for free today!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: The JOY FM at none against Magic 949's shown. The JOY FM also leads on ratings volume (158 vs 21). Magic 949's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (80% vs 71%). On price, rating, 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.
The JOY FM holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The JOY FM has 158 ratings behind it against 21, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 71% of The JOY FM's written reviews are positive against 80% of Magic 949's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
The JOY FM ships an update every 3 months, Magic 949 every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and July 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The JOY FM | Magic 949 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (158 ratings) — better | 4.5 (21 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 71.1% of reviews | 80.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 158 — better | 21 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No — better | 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 | 55 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Radio Training Network, Inc. | Cox Media Group, Inc |
Customer experience
The JOY FM
Magic 949
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
Magic 949
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
The JOY FM
No in-app purchases
Magic 949
No in-app purchases
