The JOY FM vs Kicks 99
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.
Kicks 99
Listen to your favorite New Country music and connect with artists and shows. Control your listening experience by turning the live stream on or off. Get the music you want directly from the radio.
- Live music streaming
- Connect with artists
- Listen to favorite shows
- Control live stream
- On-demand radio content
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The Kicks 99 app is #1 for New Country! Hear and connect with the artists and songs that you love. With the Kicks 99 app, you can connect with us like never before. Just download and open your Kicks 99 app to listen to your favorite shows and connect with your favorite shows like The Kicks Wake Up Crew. You decide when you want to listen, and when you want to browse by turning the live stream on or off within the app. Get what you want off the radio with the Kicks 99 app.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Kicks 99 at 100% against The JOY FM's 71%. Kicks 99 also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.7). The JOY FM's advantage is iOS requirement (16.6 vs 18.0). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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.
Kicks 99 holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 157 and 94 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of The JOY FM's written reviews are positive against 100% of Kicks 99's.
The JOY FM ships an update every 3 months, Kicks 99 every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The JOY FM | Kicks 99 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (157 ratings) | 4.9 (94 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 71.1% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 157 — better | 94 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 55 MB | 27 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Radio Training Network, Inc. | Beasley Broadcast Group |
Customer experience
The JOY FM
Kicks 99
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
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- 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
Kicks 99
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
The JOY FM
No in-app purchases
Kicks 99
No in-app purchases
