Comparison

Computeractive vs Bedside Radio

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Computeractive

Your friendly guide to PCs, gadgets, and the web. Get regular news updates, project ideas, and expert advice on popular reader queries, anti-virus software, and consumer rights. Learn to get the most out of your computer with clear, plain English explanations.

Highlights
  • News updates
  • Project ideas
  • Help and advice
  • Anti-virus software articles
  • Consumer rights features
  • PC and gadget guides
Features
Read full description

Computeractive is the UK’s best-selling computer magazine and your friendly guide to PCs, gadgets and the web! It includes regular news updates, project ideas, help and advice on popular reader queries, articles on anti-virus software, features on consumer rights, and a whole lot more to help you get the very best out of your computer. Get PC advice in plain English today – get Computeractive! All the subscriptions are auto-renewable subscription directly from the App Store. Payment will be charged to your App Store Account at confirmation of purchase. This subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period, your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. The cost of the renewal will match the initial subscription price. You can manage your subscriptions through your Account Settings after purchase. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. Subscription costs: - 26 issues (1 year) at £29.99 - 13 issues (Every 6 months) at £14.99 - 6 issues (Every 3 months) at £7.99 Please click here to read our Privacy Policy: http://www.dennis.co.uk/privacy and here to read our Terms of Use: http://www.dennis.co.uk/subs/terms

About

Bedside Radio

Transform your iPhone into a stylish alarm clock radio with customizable sounds and flexible alarms. Enjoy a deep dimming display for darkness and access to thousands of global radio stations. Perfect for any schedule, including shift work.

Highlights
  • Customizable alarm sounds
  • 35,000+ global radio stations
  • Deep dimming display
  • Flexible alarm patterns for shift work
  • One-tap sleep and nap timers
  • Gentle wake feature
  • Playlist integration
Features
Read full description

Turn your iPhone into a beautifully simple alarm clock radio. Deep dimming keeps your bedroom dark. Flexible alarms fit any schedule, including shift work. Wake or fall asleep to local or worldwide radio, energizing or soothing sounds, or your own playlists. One purchase, yours forever. • Set a sound for each alarm - Wake to jazz on weekdays, news on weekends, or whatever suits your routine. • 35,000+ radio stations worldwide - Stream local stations from home or explore new ones from around the world. • Dims to near zero - Sleep in darkness without losing sight of the time. • Flexible alarm patterns - Once, daily, specific days, or custom rotations perfect for shift workers. • Skip next alarm - Wake early or sleep in without changing your schedule. • One-tap sleep and nap timers - Drift off or recharge easily. • Gentle wake - Gradually increasing volume helps you start the day smoothly. • Playlists and sounds - Mix music from your library with built-in or imported sounds, or use downloaded playlists from the Music app. Works with songs you've purchased or imported. • Personalize your bedside clock - Adjust snooze, brightness, colors, volumes, and add your own radio URLs. Ideal for your charging stand, turning it into a modern digital clock radio. Bedside Radio is designed to dim and stay visible while you sleep. If it isn’t visible at alarm time, you’ll hear the fallback: a 30-second wake-up sound from a notification. Apple requires apps to be visible to start playing the radio, so for the full experience, please leave the clock visible while you sleep. The app supports multiple languages and variants: English (Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and United States), French, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil and Portugal), and Spanish (Latin America and Spain). Perfect for bedside tables, charging stands, and those who appreciate a modern take on the classic clock radio.

Screenshots

Computeractive4 screens
Bedside Radio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Computeractive at Free against Bedside Radio's $9.99. Computeractive also leads on rating (4.2 vs 3.7). Bedside Radio's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 47) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 16 months). On ratings volume, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Computeractive is free to download; Bedside Radio costs $9.99 up front. Computeractive sells 47 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per 3 months. Bedside Radio asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Computeractive holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 6 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 43% of Computeractive's written reviews are positive against 70% of Bedside Radio's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Computeractive ships an update every 16 months, Bedside Radio every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Computeractive versus Bedside Radio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterComputeractiveBedside Radio
PriceFree — better$9.99
Rating4.2 (9 ratings) — better3.7 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews43.1% of reviews70.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings9 — better6
Update frequencyEvery 16 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionPaid — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.2
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB13 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperFuture plcIan Smith

Customer experience

Computeractive

All ratings9 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews51 reviews
Positive43.1%
Neutral7.8%
Negative49.0%

Bedside Radio

All ratings6 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral33.3%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive70.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative20.0%

In-app purchases

47 purchases

Computeractive

Subscriptions4
  • 3 Month Subscription$9.993 Months
  • 6 Month Subscription$14.996 Months
  • 6 Month Subscription$16.496 Months
Show 1 more
  • 12 Month Subscription$39.991 Year
One-time43
  • Issue 414 of Computeractive Replica App$1.99
  • Issue 405 of Computeractive Replica App$1.99
  • Issue 396 of Computeractive Replica App$1.99
Show 40 more
  • Issue 394 of Computeractive Replica App$1.99
  • Issue 479 of Computeractive Replica App$1.99
  • Issue 477 of Computeractive Replica App$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 670$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 672$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 673$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 674$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 675$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 678$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 679$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 683$1.99
  • Issue 740$1.99
  • Issue 739$1.99
  • Issue 735$1.99
  • Issue 734$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 726$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 722$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 723$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 720$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 718$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 716$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 712$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 710$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 709$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 708$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 707$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 706$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 705$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 704$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 695$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 692$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 693$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 691$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 690$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 689$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 688$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 687$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 684$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 686$1.99
  • Computer Active Issue 685$1.99
None

Bedside Radio

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Computeractive free?
Computeractive is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Bedside Radio free?
Bedside Radio costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Computeractive or Bedside Radio?
Computeractive is rated higher. Computeractive averages 4.2 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Bedside Radio averages 3.7 from 6 ratings.
Do Computeractive or Bedside Radio have ads?
Neither Computeractive nor Bedside Radio shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Computeractive or Bedside Radio?
Computeractive ships an update every 16 months, and Bedside Radio every 2 months. Most recently, Computeractive was updated on September 19, 2026 and Bedside Radio on September 24, 2026.

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