WAER vs WTRN The Train
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
WAER
Listen to three live audio streams from WAER Syracuse Public Media, including news, jazz, and alternative rock. Access program schedules and connect to the station's website and social media feeds.
- Live audio streaming
- News and information stream
- 24-hour jazz channel
- 24-hour alternative rock channel
- Program schedule viewing
- Website and social media links
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The WAER Syracuse Public Media app allows you to listen to WAER’s three audio streams including the main channel’s news and information stream featuring NPR, PRI and APM programming, 24 hour HD2 jazz channel, and 24 hour HD3 Alternative rock channel. You can also view the program schedule, easily connect to waer.org, and get our social media feeds.
WTRN The Train
Stream live radio content from a full-service station featuring classic hits from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Access news, sports, weather, and community information for the Altoona, PA region. Explore other locally owned stations through the app.
- Live radio streaming
- Greatest hits music (60s, 70s, 80s)
- Local news and weather
- Sports updates
- Community information
- Access to other local stations
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Listen to 96.9 – 100.7 The Train WTRN anywhere you go. WTRN is a full service radio station playing the Greatest Music of All Times, along with News, Sports, Weather, and community information for Altoona PA, Blair County PA, and surrounding areas. The music is the greatest hits, of the 60's 70's and 80's! If you want to hear all the Lightner Radio Stations, download the Lightner Radio App. You can also select \"Other Stations\" to listen to all our other locally owned stations.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: WTRN The Train at 5.0 against WAER's 4.3. WTRN The Train also leads on update cadence (every 7 months vs every 18 months). WAER's advantage is monetization model (free vs ad-supported) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 18.2). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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.
WTRN The Train holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 2 respectively.
WAER ships an update every 18 months, WTRN The Train every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | WAER | WTRN The Train |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (4 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 18 months | Every 7 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 18.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 25 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Syracuse University | Matthew Lightner |
Customer experience
WAER
WTRN The Train
In-app purchases
WAER
No in-app purchases
WTRN The Train
No in-app purchases
