# 98.5 The River vs Rocky 98.5

The clearest difference is rating: Rocky 98.5 at 5.0 against 98.5 The River's 4.7. Rocky 98.5 also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). 98.5 The River's advantage is ratings volume (25 vs 1) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

Rocky 98.5 holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 98.5 The River has 25 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

98.5 The River ships an update every 4 months, Rocky 98.5 every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | 98.5 The River | Rocky 98.5 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (25 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/985-the-river/id640703808/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rocky-985/id6445867803/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **25** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Ad-supported |
| Size | 40 MB | 55 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 16.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Midwest Communications](https://appshunter.io/developer/601382696) | [Forever Media](https://appshunter.io/developer/516512779) |

## What reviewers say

### 98.5 The River

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/985-the-river/id640703808)

Listen to the Valley's Classic Rock Station live. Enjoy iconic hits from legendary artists spanning decades of rock music. Stay connected with your favorite rock anthems anytime, anywhere.

**Highlights:** Live radio streaming, Classic rock music, Artist library (Stones, Beatles, Nirvana, Pearl Jam), Mobile listening

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Rocky 98.5

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rocky-985/id6445867803)

Stream Classic Rock live from Rocky 98.5, vote for songs, and receive alerts. Engage with the station using the Open Mic feature, enter exclusive contests, and get local weather updates.

**Highlights:** Live radio streaming, Song voting, Song alerts, Open Mic feature, App-exclusive contests, Weather updates

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is 98.5 The River free?

98.5 The River is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Rocky 98.5 free?

Rocky 98.5 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, 98.5 The River or Rocky 98.5?

Rocky 98.5 is rated higher. 98.5 The River averages 4.7 out of 5 from 25 ratings, while Rocky 98.5 averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do 98.5 The River or Rocky 98.5 have ads?

Both 98.5 The River and Rocky 98.5 show ads.

### Which is updated more often, 98.5 The River or Rocky 98.5?

98.5 The River ships an update every 4 months, and Rocky 98.5 every 2 months. Most recently, 98.5 The River was updated on October 22, 2026 and Rocky 98.5 on October 17, 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.*