Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

NFHS Network vs ESPN

NFHS Network 4.2★ · Free to download 30
Winner ESPN
ESPN 4.6★ · Free + IAP 75

ESPN is the clear winner for general sports news and streaming, offering a more reliable experience and broader content, while NFHS Network struggles significantly with basic streaming functionality and customer service.

Full reviews: NFHS Network · ESPN

ESPN provides a comprehensive sports experience with reliable scores, news, and streaming, despite some user complaints about app stability and notification preferences. NFHS Network, focused on high school sports, suffers from widespread issues with streaming quality, app glitches, and poor customer service, making it a frustrating and often unreliable option for users.

Head to head

Streaming Reliability & Quality edge: ESPNR4R10R13R15
NFHS Network NFHS Network users consistently report severe issues with streaming, including constant buffering, freezing, black screens, lost feeds, and games not airing as advertised R10R13R15R17. Many users paid for subscriptions only to miss critical games due to these technical problems R4R13R15R17.
ESPN ESPN users generally find the streaming quality to be excellent and reliable . However, some users have experienced buffering and streaming issues, particularly with specific events like Wimbledon R79R94.
App Performance & Stability edge: ESPNR8R21R24R25
NFHS Network NFHS Network is frequently described as glitchy, inconsistent, and prone to crashing R8R21R24R25. Users report issues with the app on TV, login problems, and slow loading times R24.
ESPN ESPN is generally praised for its intuitive interface and overall performance . However, a significant number of users report frequent app crashes, slow loading times, and articles not displaying correctly R69R70R73R78.
Content & Features edge: ESPNR2R3R5R6
NFHS Network NFHS Network focuses on high school sports, which is appreciated by some users R2R5. However, users complain about poor camera angles, inconsistent coverage, incorrect scoreboards, lack of zoom, and limited options for downloading or clipping games R3R6. The app also limits users to a single stream, which is frustrating for those wanting to watch multiple games .
ESPN ESPN offers a vast array of sports content, including live scores, breaking news, highlights, and personalized features for following favorite teams and leagues . Users appreciate the comprehensive coverage but desire better content filtering and notification controls to avoid irrelevant sports . Some users also criticize AI commentary and the lack of specific league updates .
Price & Value edge: ESPNR1R4R13R24
NFHS Network NFHS Network users feel the service is overpriced given its poor quality and unreliability, with some paying $11.99/month or $80/year R1R4R13R24. Many express frustration at paying for content they cannot watch or that is of sub-par quality, especially when compared to other streaming services R13R24.
ESPN ESPN is free to download but offers in-app purchases and subscriptions like ESPN Unlimited. Users who pay for subscriptions, such as $29.99 for Wimbledon, are frustrated by still encountering numerous ads and limited access to replays R79R93R94R112. Some find the multiple paywalls confusing and expensive .
Customer Service & Cancellation edge: ESPNR1R4R7R24
NFHS Network NFHS Network users report extreme difficulty cancelling subscriptions and getting refunds, with some calling it a 'scam' R1R4R7R30. Customer service is described as terrible, unresponsive, or non-existent R4R24.
ESPN ESPN reviews do not heavily focus on customer service or cancellation issues. The complaints are primarily about app functionality and content filtering, rather than support interactions.
Pick NFHS Network if

you absolutely need to watch a specific high school sporting event that is exclusively available on NFHS Network and are willing to risk significant technical issues and potential frustration R5.

Pick ESPN if

you want a comprehensive sports app for news, scores, highlights, and streaming a wide variety of professional sports, and value a generally reliable user experience, even with occasional app glitches or ads in paid tiers .

Evidence note: The evidence for NFHS Network is overwhelmingly negative, with a high concentration of 1-star reviews detailing critical failures in streaming and customer service. ESPN, despite its higher lifetime rating, also has a notable number of recent negative reviews concerning app stability and paid subscription value, but its core functionality for news and scores remains strong.

Frequently asked

Is NFHS Network reliable for watching live games?
No, NFHS Network is widely reported as unreliable for watching live games, with users frequently experiencing constant buffering, freezing, black screens, lost feeds, and games not airing as advertised R10R13R15R17.
Does ESPN have issues with app crashing or slowness?
Yes, many ESPN users report frequent app crashes, slow loading times, and issues with articles not displaying correctly, particularly in recent weeks or months R69R70R73R78.
Can I cancel NFHS Network easily?
No, many users report extreme difficulty cancelling NFHS Network subscriptions, with some describing it as a 'nightmare' or a 'scam' and struggling to get refunds R1R4R7R30.
Do ESPN paid subscriptions remove ads?
No, users who pay for ESPN subscriptions, such as $29.99 for Wimbledon, report still encountering numerous unskippable ads, even in the middle of matches, which is a significant frustration R79R93R94R112.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R4] NFHS Network 1/5 · US Bad quality and terrible customer service: SCAM ALERT SCAM ALERT DO NOT PUT YOUR PAYMENT INFO ON YHIS APP ! They don’t put the right labels on streams and I was told by the “CUSTOMER SERVICE”hat I would receive a refund and never did then they tried charging me again after I cancelled my subscription ! And it was a total nightmare to cancel ! Didn’t ven stream he game I missed my daughters last
  2. [R10] NFHS Network 1/5 · US Colebrook nh game: This sucks. It keeps going to the “NFHS network thank you for your patience”.I haven’t even seen a full inning. I can’t hear the announcers, and most of the time, the voice and picture don’t match. I want my money back.
  3. [R13] NFHS Network 1/5 · US Terrible streaming: Paid $80 for annual and went to watch my kids championship game. Coverage continually cut out. Very disappointing since I paid more for this service than most streaming services. Sub-par
  4. [R15] NFHS Network 1/5 · US Unhappy: Trying to watch the regional final game and been sitting here for the first 54 minutes to a black screen saying no signal and no sound, not happy, we thought a subscription for watching our team in the playoffs and can’t even watch them.
  5. [R8] NFHS Network 5/5 · US Glitching: I like the app but there’s gas to be a better way to fix glitches and black outs when watching games. Long periods of time will pass by and there will be a black screen.
  6. [R21] NFHS Network 1/5 · US Inconsistent: Way too inconsistent to subscribe Motech than a couple of months a year for football playoffs. If you can find other options to watch, take them.
  7. [R24] NFHS Network 3/5 · US Glitchy on tv: I’ve had this for a while now with no problem. All of a sudden it keeps saying email or password is incorrect. So I reset it and it still does the same thing. But on my phone all is correct. Customer service is slim to none. This is not worth 11.99 a month.
  8. [R25] NFHS Network 1/5 · US Meh: Hit or miss if stream works.
  9. [R2] NFHS Network 5/5 · US Good website or app: I could watch my old self and I could watch this over and over my clip
  10. [R3] NFHS Network 3/5 · US Download: Inconsistent live stream availability. High school basketball coach n Michigan began in December. No games were recorded during the month of December 2025. The user interface could be more friendly for creating clips or simply allow users to download their games of choice.
  11. [R5] NFHS Network 5/5 · US Love this app: This is my go to when I want to keep up with high school sports.
  12. [R6] NFHS Network 3/5 · US No zoom.: Phone to tv doesn’t show action well. Might even help a bit to elevate camera in place. We do watch.
  13. [R1] NFHS Network 1/5 · US Cancelling is hard: I’ve used this app twice. You should be able to pay for a single sporting event without buying a monthly subscription. One time fee would be easy. I’d even pay more. I’ve used the app twice and spent more time trying to verify who I am just to cancel the subscription which invariably fails. The model of getting people to sign up hoping they will forget to cancel is disingenuous
  14. [R7] NFHS Network 2/5 · US Why is it so hard to unsubscribe from this app ? I’ve tried several times unsuccessfully. (Help): Unsubscribe issues
  15. [R17] NFHS Network 1/5 · US Stream didn’t work: Paid for a month and the two games I tried to watch never worked.
  16. [R69] ESPN 3/5 · US App Crashing: I like the app, and it’s easy to use. The issue with it though is that it will randomly crash while I’m reading an article. Happens too often and I don’t experience this with my other apps. If it weren’t for this I’d give it 5 stars.
  17. [R70] ESPN 1/5 · US Broken app: Every time I try and read article, or anything else, I get about five sentences in and the app tries to break itself. It will either send me to the home page, switch to some random article, or gray screen. The app has been completely unusable for the last month. I’ve had the app for multiple years and just uninstalled it.
  18. [R73] ESPN 1/5 · US Can’t read stories: Over past few weeks I am not able to read stories details, get a blank screen- my iPhone and iPad.
  19. [R78] ESPN 3/5 · US App Issues: App keeps crashing
  20. [R30] NFHS Network 3/5 · US Terrible: Do not download this app. This is a scam and they do not refund you even when the video is not working.
  21. [R79] ESPN 1/5 · US Do not waste your money on subscriptions: I subscribed to ESPN specifically to watch the Wimbledon 2026 men’s and women’s singles matches in the US. Because of the time difference, the matches are played while I’m at work, so I expected to watch the replays in the evening. Instead, I paid for a subscription that still includes a lot of advertising, and by the time I get home, many of the matches
  22. [R93] ESPN 3/5 · US 29.99 for adds: Purchased the app to watch Wimbledon matches. I think for 29.99$ I don’t have to watch 2 min ads every time I want to fast forward the video. Those ads are so annoying!
  23. [R94] ESPN 1/5 · US The buffering and ads: The buffering, awful, the load time for the app, awful. The ads will work perfectly though, dumb. This app and in its entirety, AWFUL.
  24. [R112] ESPN 1/5 · US Commercials: I pay for espn unlimited I should get no commercials. They throw in commercials in the middle of matches when the announcers are explaining something important. Just let me watch without a damn commercial, I’m not gonna buy whatever is on there because I saw a commercial on here.

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store