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

Audacy vs iHeart

Audacy 4.5★ · Free to download 40
Winner iHeart
iHeart 4.8★ · Free + IAP 70

Choose iHeart for better overall performance and fewer playback issues.

Full reviews: Audacy · iHeart

iHeart offers a more reliable streaming experience with a wider variety of content, while Audacy struggles with consistent playback and user interface issues. Users of both apps report frustrations with ads, but iHeart's overall ratings suggest a more positive reception.

Head to head

Features edge: iHeartR6R26R61R86
Audacy Audacy has local radio stations but struggles with playback features and user interface.
iHeart iHeart provides a broader selection of music and podcasts, with better functionality.
Ease of Use edge: iHeartR1R4R68R78
Audacy Audacy users frequently report issues with playback and navigation, making it frustrating to use.
iHeart iHeart users find it easier to navigate, although some report crashes.
Reliability edge: iHeartR3R27R81R82
Audacy Audacy is often criticized for random skipping and connection issues.
iHeart iHeart generally performs better, though some users experience buffering.
Price/Value tieR10R76R98R76
Audacy Audacy is free with ads, but many users feel the ad load is excessive.
iHeart iHeart also has a free tier but offers paid options to reduce ads, which some users find worthwhile.
Support edge: iHeartR5R68R70R68
Audacy Audacy users report poor customer service and lack of responses to issues.
iHeart iHeart users report mixed experiences but some have had issues resolved quickly.
Pick Audacy if

you prefer local radio stations and are okay with a less reliable app.

Pick iHeart if

you want a more stable app with a wider variety of content and better support.

Evidence note: Audacy has a significant number of negative reviews regarding reliability and user experience, while iHeart's reviews are more balanced despite some complaints about ads.

Frequently asked

Is Audacy free?
Yes, Audacy is free to download and use, but it contains ads that some users find excessive R10R53.

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. [R6] Audacy 3/5 · US Stations are great adds are horrible.: This app has all of the local radio stations I listen to. The problem is they have a lot of Spanish commercials. Why would you have Spanish commercials on an English radio station. The other annoying thing is that it is the same commercials over and over day after day. It annoying as heck. I generally turn off the app and just listen to music after hearin
  2. [R26] Audacy 5/5 · US Clean and good app: Thanks for adding ESPN WHSQ New York, great app and clean interface. Not cluttered with ads I enjoy listening to segments that I missed
  3. [R61] iHeart 1/5 · US Disappointed: Used to use IHeart to listen to all the local morning radio shows… now that you’ve gotten rid of them all I will be deleting the app. Worthless now. If I could give a negative star I would…
  4. [R86] iHeart 5/5 · US Best place for podcasts and music: I can’t emphasize enough how much this app is great! I listen to all my favorite podcasts and music right on this app! Great job iHeart!
  5. [R1] Audacy 1/5 · US Barely works: Constant issues on playback. Pausing causes the time to jump chapters. The UI is absolute garbage. Humans use the app, not robots. A Resume Playback button should be more than 3 pixels.
  6. [R4] Audacy 1/5 · US An absolute joke: I’ve written about 10 reviews now over the course of 2 years for this app. If this app would actually work the way it’s supposed to, it would be decent. The only thing is, the people who work there are completely brain dead morons and can’t figure out how to fix bugs in the app. It’s 2026 and these idiots can’t figure out how to have audio play without it skipping forward and bac
  7. [R68] iHeart 5/5 · US Works Now: Jeremy was able to provide instructions that solved my issue with the app dropping. App works great now!!!
  8. [R78] iHeart 3/5 · US App crash: I really like the app, until it crashes. This happens too much.
  9. [R3] Audacy 3/5 · US App is acting up again...: Stops randomly, repeats itself. No other app behaves like that. June 2026.
  10. [R27] Audacy 3/5 · US Connection drops a lot: I like being able to listen to live radio on my phone but sometimes the app skips back like 30 seconds and replays a segment you just heard. Other times it drops connection (even with perfect wifi connection) and I have to restart the app and listen to another set of ads even though I already did that
  11. [R81] 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
  12. [R82] iHeart 1/5 · US Really bad: You get what you pay for i guess…
  13. [R10] Audacy 1/5 · US Bad ads!: Forcing someone to hear the same commercial when we start using the program each time is no acceptable. Deleted the program today as you already make money from normal commercials and double dipping is not allowed!
  14. [R76] iHeart 1/5 · US All Ads: Unless you buy the subscription , this app is full of adds. You may miss a whole segment of a radio show because of 5 minutes of straight ads just from the app itself. Not the radio ads. Then the options of subscriptions are limited. I do not recommend if you want straight forward radio with reasonable ads.
  15. [R98] iHeart 1/5 · US Not Free ridiculous amount of ads: Do yourself a favor and buy a hand held am FM radio with a speaker for 12$ online to listen to your local talk radio and music. There’s enough commercials on the radio the way it is. This app shows ads and plays commercials by a magnitude amount! If your out of radio range then guess you must endure.
  16. [R5] Audacy 5/5 · US No one can help: I have called three times and left messages but no one ever calls back. When I stop the feed and restart it backs up to beginning of show or 15 to 40 minutes and repeat over and over. It use to be good but if I need to advance or backup it will jump back a lot and repeat what I have heard.
  17. [R70] iHeart 1/5 · US Disappointing: I sure hope this new update helps this app has sucked for the last two years or so I try to use it with CarPlay in order to cut down on distractions and it and it’s the most distracting thing I’ve dealt with in years,inside my car.
  18. [R53] Audacy 1/5 · US Ads Ads Ads: I can’t stand using this app, it’s spams you with ads at every opportunity.

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