CalMatters vs KALW
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CalMatters
Access in-depth, nonpartisan news and analysis focused on California's quality of life issues. Hold leaders accountable with investigative journalism covering the Golden State and its global economic impact.
- In-depth news analysis
- Focus on quality of life issues
- Investigative journalism
- Accountability reporting
- Covers California and its economy
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CalMatters is a nonpartisan and nonprofit news organization bringing Californians stories that probe, explain and explore solutions to quality of life issues while holding our leaders accountable. We are the only journalism outlet dedicated to covering America’s biggest state, 39 million Californians and the world’s fifth largest economy.
KALW
Access live radio streams and on-demand content from a public media station. Stay informed with local news, music, and culture shows, and enjoy features like DVR-like controls for live broadcasts. The app also offers podcasts and direct communication with the station.
- Live radio streaming
- On-demand listening
- Local news and culture
- Podcast library
- DVR-like controls for live stream
- Alarm clock functionality
- Direct messaging to station
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KALW App: The KALW App brings the full KALW Public Media experience to your phone and car. Play the livestream or listen on-demand to your favorite news, music and culture shows from KALW and NPR. Stay up to date on the latest Bay Area headlines and upcoming events, as well as KALW’s on-air program schedule and the latest playlists from our music programmers. App Features: * DVR-like controls: You can pause the live stream to have a conversation and pick up right where you left off — or rewind to catch something you just missed. * KALW on the go: Listen to KALW’s live stream in your car and while you’re traveling. * Wake the FM up to KALW with the Alarm * Talk to us: Send the station a voicemail or video message via the Talk to KALW feature * Sign up for KALW’s newsletters * Listen to all KALW podcasts, as well as a curated library of NPR, BBC and local indie shows * Read and listen to local news and culture stories from KALW * You make it possible: Donate right from the app KALW Public Media is an NPR-affiliate based in the Bay Area. The KALW App is brought to you by the folks at KALW Public Media Inc. and Public Media Apps. We work to provide our valued listeners with great mobile solutions. https://www.kalw.org/ http://www.publicmediaapps.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: KALW at 78% against CalMatters's 50%. KALW also leads on monetization model (free vs ad-supported) and ratings volume (93 vs 18). CalMatters's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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.
CalMatters holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: KALW has 93 ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of CalMatters's written reviews are positive against 78% of KALW's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
CalMatters ships an update fortnightly, KALW every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | CalMatters | KALW |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (18 ratings) — better | 4.8 (93 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 78.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 18 | 93 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #180 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 53 MB | 47 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | CalMatters | KALW Public Media, Inc. |
Customer experience
CalMatters
KALW
In-app purchases
CalMatters
No in-app purchases
KALW
No in-app purchases
