# GoHeels vs Riverside Pirates

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Riverside Pirates at none against GoHeels's 4. Riverside Pirates also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). GoHeels's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 7 months) and ratings volume (1.9K vs 1). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. GoHeels sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Riverside Pirates asks for nothing beyond the download.

Riverside Pirates holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: GoHeels has 1.9K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

GoHeels ships an update every 3 weeks, Riverside Pirates every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | GoHeels | Riverside Pirates |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (1.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/goheels/id551780791/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/riverside-pirates/id6745800516/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.9K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 36.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 272 MB | 53 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Learfield Communications, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/551780794) | [BallFrog.com, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/725357545) |

## What reviewers say

### GoHeels

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/goheels/id551780791)

Stay connected with the North Carolina Tar Heels with this official app. Access live game audio, real-time social media feeds, scores, stats, and custom gameday notifications. It's the ultimate companion for fans on campus or following from anywhere.

**Highlights:** Free live game audio, Interactive social media stream, Live scores and stats, Custom gameday notifications, Team and fan social feeds

**Features:** Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Video/VOD access | $2.99 | one-time |
| Unlimited On Demand / VOD | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Keeps me informed of all things Tar Heel
- 👍 Great way for out-of-market fans to stay connected
- 🚀 Dependable app for keeping up with UNC sports

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes frequently or won't open
- 🐛 Audio issues, such as freezing, dropping out, or not working
- 🔋 App causes phone to overheat and drain battery
- 🔒 Login and account issues, can't reset password

**Reported bugs**

- Broadcast audio stops when screen locks or app is in background
- Featured game section takes up too much screen space
- Notifications for game start times don't work

**Requested features**

- Add pause/sync option to match audio with TV broadcast
- Improve game schedule layout and navigation
- Allow listening to audio even when app is in background


### Riverside Pirates

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/riverside-pirates/id6745800516)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is GoHeels free?

GoHeels is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Riverside Pirates free?

Riverside Pirates is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, GoHeels or Riverside Pirates?

Riverside Pirates is rated higher. GoHeels averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.9K ratings, while Riverside Pirates averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do GoHeels or Riverside Pirates have ads?

Neither GoHeels nor Riverside Pirates shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, GoHeels or Riverside Pirates?

GoHeels ships an update every 3 weeks, and Riverside Pirates every 7 months. Most recently, GoHeels was updated on October 23, 2026 and Riverside Pirates on October 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*