Apple FM vs Caroline Flashback
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Apple FM
Stream live radio and forward song requests directly from your iOS device. Stay updated with local news headlines refreshed throughout the day via a Twitter feed. Customize your preferences to ensure your requests reach the station.
- Live radio streaming
- Song request forwarding
- Local news headlines
- Twitter feed integration
- Customizable preferences
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Apple FM Radio are delighted to be able to introduce their very own iOS app. With live streaming, and request forwarding included you are sure not to miss out. The App also contains local news headlines which are updated throughout the day via the Apple FM Twitter feed. You are required to complete the preferences page before you can forward your requests to the station.
Caroline Flashback
This app offers a dedicated stream of 60s and 70s pop music, providing a nostalgic listening experience. It features program schedules, currently playing track information, and a replay service for missed shows.
- 60s & 70s music stream
- Program schedule
- Currently playing track info
- Replay service for missed programs
- Low and medium bandwidth streams
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An all 'Oldies' service brought to you by the world famous Radio Caroline – Caroline Flashback. Many people, of a certain age, still associate Radio Caroline with the pop music of the 60s & 70s. Caroline Flashback provides an alternative service to our Album Channel for those who want to hear tracks from this exciting era. The app has a low bandwidth and medium bandwidth stream, shows the programme schedule, the currently playing track and now our 'Replay' service gives you a chance to catch up with programmes you may have missed over the past two weeks. Pure Nostalgia from Caroline Flashback!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Apple FM at Free against Caroline Flashback's $1.99. Apple FM also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 67%) and update cadence (every 11 months vs every 30 months). Caroline Flashback's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.0). On ratings volume, 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
Apple FM is free to download; Caroline Flashback costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Caroline Flashback holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of Apple FM's written reviews are positive against 67% of Caroline Flashback's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Apple FM ships an update every 11 months, Caroline Flashback every 30 months. The most recent releases landed on June 7, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Apple FM | Caroline Flashback |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $1.99 |
| Rating | 4.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 66.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 11 months — better | Every 30 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 24 MB | 36 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Infonote DataSystems Ltd | Patrick Mounteney |
Customer experience
Apple FM
Caroline Flashback
In-app purchases
Apple FM
No in-app purchases
Caroline Flashback
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Apple FM free?
Is Caroline Flashback free?
Which has better reviews, Apple FM or Caroline Flashback?
Do Apple FM or Caroline Flashback have ads?
Which is updated more often, Apple FM or Caroline Flashback?
Other comparisons
