# WBEZ vs Joe for Chicago

The clearest difference is update cadence: Joe for Chicago at every 9 days against WBEZ's every 3 weeks. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

WBEZ ships an update every 3 weeks, Joe for Chicago every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | WBEZ | Joe for Chicago |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (656 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wbez/id587477231/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **656** | — |
| Positive reviews | 71.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | — |
| Size | 31 MB | 107 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Chicago Public Media, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/379174218) | [Joseph Holberg](https://appshunter.io/developer/1895183803) |

## What reviewers say

### WBEZ

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wbez/id587477231)

Listen to Chicago's NPR news station live or on-demand. Access local and national news, podcasts, and investigative journalism from WBEZ and its partners. Catch up on missed shows with rewind functionality.

**Highlights:** Live radio streaming, On-demand audio features, Podcast library, Rewind live shows, Curated daily stories, Investigative journalism

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy access to live and on-demand content
- 👍 Convenient listening experience
- 🌐 Accessible from anywhere
- 🗞️ Comprehensive news coverage
- 🎧 High-quality audio

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔁 Ads interrupting playback
- 🔍 Confusing navigation and UI
- ⏱️ Playback issues (freezing, skipping)
- 🔋 High battery consumption

**Reported bugs**

- App crashing on launch
- Streaming issues on poor internet connections
- Push notifications causing app to freeze
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between audio sources

**Requested features**

- Improved search and content discovery
- Sleep timer functionality
- Ability to resume playback from where left off
- CarPlay and Bluetooth speaker support
- More granular access to local news


### Joe for Chicago

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/joe-for-chicago/id6763146211)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is WBEZ free?

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

### Is Joe for Chicago free?

Joe for Chicago is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do WBEZ or Joe for Chicago have ads?

Both WBEZ and Joe for Chicago show ads.

### Which is updated more often, WBEZ or Joe for Chicago?

WBEZ ships an update every 3 weeks, and Joe for Chicago every 9 days. Most recently, WBEZ was updated on November 6, 2026 and Joe for Chicago on November 5, 2026.

---

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