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

iHeart vs Amazon Music

iHeart 4.8★ · Free + IAP 45
Winner Amazon Music
Amazon Music 4.7★ · Free + IAP 65

Amazon Music is the better choice for a more reliable streaming experience and a broader music library, despite its own set of technical issues and subscription frustrations, while iHeart Radio struggles with consistent performance and an overwhelming ad experience.

Full reviews: iHeart · Amazon Music

Amazon Music generally offers a wider selection of music and a more stable platform, though users frequently complain about app crashes and the push for paid subscriptions. iHeart Radio, while praised for its variety of stations and podcasts, is plagued by excessive ads, buffering issues, and frequent app crashes, even for paid users.

Head to head

Features & Content Variety edge: Amazon MusicR9R19R21R27
iHeart iHeart Radio is praised for its wide variety of radio stations, podcasts, and genres, allowing users to create playlists and discover similar artists R19R21R27. Some users specifically enjoy the 'DJ' additions to deep tracks for a live radio feel . However, some find the podcast search cluttered and wish for more specific live content R9.
Amazon Music Amazon Music offers a great selection of music across various genres and an unlimited amount of playlists . Users appreciate the ability to set up different profiles for family members . However, some users note that certain albums and songs are still missing and the shuffle feature often plays the same songs .
Ease of Use & User Interface tieR10R11R15R26
iHeart Some iHeart Radio users find the app easy to use and effective R11. However, many complain about a buggy, complicated UI, difficulty signing in due to security checks, and issues with the search bar display R10R26. Notifications can also be persistent and annoying R15.
Amazon Music Amazon Music is described as easy and user-friendly by some . However, many users find the app slow to open and load R96. The navigation is often criticized as harder than competitors like Spotify , and some find the text size too small with no option to enlarge it .
Reliability & Performance edge: Amazon MusicR4R7R12R15
iHeart iHeart Radio suffers from significant reliability issues, with users reporting constant buffering and stalling, even when other apps run smoothly R7R15R37. The app frequently stops playing after every song, crashes, or fails to load entirely R4R12. Some users experience content repeating or skipping and connection problems .
Amazon Music Amazon Music also has notable reliability problems, with the app frequently crashing, freezing, or cutting out R53R63. Users report bugs like weird sounds, songs skipping midway, or playing parts of different songs . Some experience slow web access and intermittent connections .
Price & Value (Free vs. Paid) tieR1R3R6R16
iHeart iHeart Radio's free tier is heavily criticized for an overwhelming number of long commercials, including gun ads and ads in Spanish R1R3R6. Even users who pay for an 'ad-free subscription' report still experiencing ads R16. Many feel that desirable content is paywalled or doesn't work well in the free version R26.
Amazon Music Amazon Music users, including Prime members, express frustration with frequent ads and limitations on the free tier, such as inability to skip or select specific songs R69R72. Many feel they are constantly pushed to upgrade to Music Unlimited, which some find not worth the additional cost compared to competitors R69R72.
Customer Support & Account Management tieR4R10R20R46
iHeart One iHeart Radio user reported a positive experience with developers responding to an issue with VPN usage R46. However, other users express frustration with the app not being fixed for months R4R20 and issues with signing in on iPhones due to security checks R10.
Amazon Music Amazon Music users report significant issues with account access, such as being unable to access an account after a new phone/number without uploading a government ID . There are also complaints about the system requiring payment even after a monthly subscription has been made .
Pick iHeart if

You primarily want access to a wide variety of live radio stations and podcasts, and you are willing to tolerate frequent ads or pay for the ad-free version R19R21R27. You appreciate the 'DJ' additions for a live feel .

Pick Amazon Music if

You are looking for a broad music library and playlist creation, especially if you are already an Amazon Prime member and are considering the Music Unlimited upgrade . You value a built-in explicit mode for kids .

Evidence note: Both apps have a significant number of negative recent reviews, particularly concerning performance and ad experiences. The free-vs-paid asymmetry is strong for both, with free users of both apps expressing frustration over ads and feature limitations, while paid users generally report a better experience.

Frequently asked

Is iHeart Radio truly ad-free if I pay?
No, despite paying for an 'ad-free subscription,' some iHeart Radio users still report experiencing ads, including long podcast ads and station promotions R16.
Why does Amazon Music keep crashing?
Amazon Music users frequently report the app crashing, freezing, or cutting out during playback, with some experiencing it multiple times a day across various devices R53R63R86R96.
Does iHeart Radio have buffering issues?
Yes, many iHeart Radio users experience constant buffering and stalling, even when they have a good signal or other streaming apps work fine R7R15R37.
Is Amazon Music worth it for Prime members?
Many Amazon Prime members express frustration that their existing Prime subscription does not provide a fully ad-free or feature-rich music experience, feeling constantly pushed to pay for an additional Music Unlimited subscription R69R72R95.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 110 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. [R9] iHeart 3/5 · US Easier to find podcast: There needs to be more variety of Live murder cases like not people talking bout it - like hear the episode as it’s happening on tv not in a interview room…n live radio isn’t live??
  2. [R19] iHeart 5/5 · US Various music topics: Great podcast, radio station s, genre
  3. [R21] iHeart 5/5 · US Everything Radio App: This is my everything media app
  4. [R27] iHeart 4/5 · US Outstanding: Outstanding variety of songs for all contemporary /modern musical tastes
  5. [R10] iHeart 1/5 · US Fix it: You can’t even sign into it on an iPhone because of your stupid security thing Asking me what buses and sidewalks are and not giving me a option to finish
  6. [R11] iHeart 5/5 · US Yes: It works good.
  7. [R15] iHeart 3/5 · US Notification and buffering: I like that I can find over my podcast on this app. The only problems I have is if I don’t have a perfect signal it will not play it just buffers. The other apps play my podcast just fine whenever I’m in these areas. It’s not necessarily even a low signal always. It’s very temperamental when it comes to how much service I get. I also don’t like that I constantly have a
  8. [R26] iHeart 1/5 · US Good Luck with “Free” Content: Everything you might want here is either gated behind a paywall or doesn’t work properly with buggy, complicated UI smashed between advertisements, and in general is an indecipherably complicated mess of an application.
  9. [R4] iHeart 1/5 · US Just stops playing: For months now the app has just been stopping after every song that plays. I’ve tried restarting and updating but so far nothing has worked. Update June 2026: I gave up. Even after uninstalling and reinstalling it still doesn’t work. Now it won’t play at all.
  10. [R7] iHeart 1/5 · US Buffers/stalls when others don’t!: Utterly sucks. Buffers/stalls CONSTANTLY! Problem is in the app, not my service. Apps with audio AND VIDEO (YouTube, Amazon) run smooth. Fire your engineers. They should be ashamed
  11. [R12] iHeart 3/5 · US App crash: I really like the app, until it crashes. This happens too much.
  12. [R1] iHeart 1/5 · US Sucks: Got to many adds now I be making it to my destination before I get a chance to listen to music
  13. [R3] iHeart 3/5 · US Gun ads? Really?: I do not want to listen to gun ads
  14. [R6] iHeart 3/5 · US Commercials are way too long!: Commercials are way too long
  15. [R16] iHeart 1/5 · US Paid for add free, but still is not add free.: So I have been trying to put up with this for a while. But after an almost 5 minute long add for a podcast I couldn’t care less about, I am done being nice. I am paying for an “add free subscription” I expect no adds. That means when I open the app (when it doesn’t crash) not to have an add for this station or that artist or this event. When I am list
  16. [R20] iHeart 1/5 · US App repeats: This app has had issues for months and I T refuse to repair or have no clue how to do their job!!!!!
  17. [R46] iHeart 5/5 · US App stopped working, but found the problem: My use of a VPN app caused my iHeart app to stop working. After disconnecting the VPN connection, it started working again. Thanks to app developers for responding to my issue! ❤️
  18. [R53] Amazon Music 3/5 · US No station shuffling: Wish we could shuffle stations. The app keeps shutting down randomly during music play and have to restart it. Other than that, it’s ok.
  19. [R63] Amazon Music 1/5 · US Two-Song Wonder: It’s great if you want to pay a monthly fee to listen to 2, 3 if you’re lucky, songs before it just quits. Then, after trying again a few times, you give up and start using other streaming platforms. Then, you realize you’re paying Amazon a monthly fee to listen to Spotify or Apple Music. Soon, I wonder when, not if, we start being charged for browsing, every click, and for every
  20. [R86] Amazon Music 3/5 · GB App crashes a lot: I haven’t used this App in maybe 5 years. I am doing so now because i have purged Youtube from my life, but i need my music (all free on Youtube, no paid plan). This App has a lot of my purchased Amazon CDs in digital form. I purchased a lot of movie soundtracks such as “A Good Year” and “Bridget Jones Diary.” The App will play a few songs and crash on the 4th. Most likely bec
  21. [R96] Amazon Music 1/5 · US Get Spotify instead: This app is absolutely trash. It’s slow, crashes all the time, and is unresponsive when trying to click buttons. I keep hoping it will improve hit until then, 1 star
  22. [R37] iHeart 4/5 · US Buffering: It would be nice if the app would stop buffering while listening to 94HJY. It does this on my WiFi and on my data.
  23. [R69] Amazon Music 1/5 · US Money Grab: At one time it was my goto music app. It was a minor inconvenience when songs went from free to behind a paywall, but that was alright. Plenty of others available. Now, I can’t download onto my phone for playing free of data usage. My playlists are automatically shuffled, sometimes with other music and no ability to start on the song I want. And now I can only skip a song 2 or3 times.
  24. [R72] Amazon Music 2/5 · US Subscription: I already pay for Amazon prime which is supposed to give me ad free music and an app that I love which up until today has changed. You now have to pay for a second plan on Amazon Music alone to get the music played that you want which is beyond frustrating. I’m not going to pay for something and not get the benefits that I’m supposed too. I’m sick in tired of companies we use all the
  25. [R95] Amazon Music 3/5 · GB Too many adverts: Would be the best platform if it were not for the adverts. I don’t see why we should have to pay to have no adverts when already paying for Amazon prime membership etc etc

Synthesized from 110 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store