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

6abc Philadelphia vs 97.5 The Fanatic

6abc Philadelphia 4.7★ · Free + IAP 65
Winner 6abc Philadelphia
97.5 The Fanatic 4.7★ · Free to download 40

For local news, 6abc Philadelphia is the better choice despite its flaws, offering a broader range of content, while 97.5 The Fanatic is suitable for dedicated Philly sports fans willing to tolerate significant app instability and excessive ads.

Full reviews: 6abc Philadelphia · 97.5 The Fanatic

6abc Philadelphia provides comprehensive local news, weather, and sports, but users frequently report app freezing, excessive ads, and navigation issues. 97.5 The Fanatic focuses on Philadelphia sports talk, suffering from pervasive app crashes, constant disconnections, and an overwhelming number of repetitive commercials.

Head to head

Content & Features edge: 6abc PhiladelphiaR7R14R18R21
6abc Philadelphia 6abc Philadelphia offers a wide array of local news, weather, and sports, with many users appreciating the depth and quality of the reporting R14. However, some users desire more specific content, like a search bar R7, more immediate navigation choices R18, or a list of on-street reporters R21. Recent updates have also been criticized for forcing video playback over articles and for poor formatting of weather information R30.
97.5 The Fanatic 97.5 The Fanatic is dedicated to Philadelphia sports, with many users praising the hosts and content, especially for Eagles and Flyers coverage . A major complaint is the lack of on-demand show availability, a feature present in competitor apps R71R119. Some users also note a decline in content quality or the departure of favorite personalities .
Ease of Use & Interface edge: 6abc PhiladelphiaR1R6R16R19
6abc Philadelphia Users frequently report issues with the 6abc Philadelphia app freezing R1R33 and crashing R23. Navigation can be problematic, with some users unable to access features due to menu bar placement R6 or finding that notifications don't lead to the correct story . Recent updates have been criticized for poor layout and navigation R24 and for multiple videos playing simultaneously R16R19.
97.5 The Fanatic 97.5 The Fanatic's app is plagued by usability issues, with frequent freezing R61, constant disconnections , and the app stopping playback if exited . Many users report that the play button often doesn't work and that the app automatically starts playing at inconvenient times .
Reliability & Performance edge: 6abc PhiladelphiaR1R5R15R23
6abc Philadelphia The 6abc Philadelphia app receives mixed reviews on reliability. While some users state it works flawlessly with no glitches R5, a significant number report persistent freezing R1R33, crashing R23, and issues with audio continuing after the app is closed . Notifications are also reported to sometimes be silent R15.
97.5 The Fanatic 97.5 The Fanatic's app is widely criticized for its poor reliability. Users frequently experience the app shutting down , stopping playback every few minutes , and failing to stream live content . Many describe it as unreliable and full of glitches .
Price & Value tieR5R9R10R13
6abc Philadelphia 6abc Philadelphia is free to download but includes in-app purchases. Users frequently complain about the overwhelming number of ads R5R10R13R16, with some finding them repetitive and intrusive, sometimes playing over content R9.
97.5 The Fanatic 97.5 The Fanatic is free to download. However, the app is heavily criticized for an excessive number of ads, which are often repetitive and play constantly, even cutting off live content R64. Users report having to listen to multiple ads every time they open or restart the app R64.
Support & Updates tieR1R3R24R30
6abc Philadelphia Users express frustration with 6abc Philadelphia over persistent bugs like freezing that are not fixed R1. Some reviews mention issues with recent updates, such as compatibility problems with older OS versions R3 and changes to the interface that are not well-received R24R30.
97.5 The Fanatic Users of 97.5 The Fanatic frequently complain that persistent glitches and performance issues are not addressed by developers . Some reviews from 2017 mention the app crashing on iOS 10.3 beta and hope for updates .
Pick 6abc Philadelphia if

You want a comprehensive local news app for Philadelphia, including weather and general news, and are willing to tolerate occasional freezing and a high volume of ads R14.

Pick 97.5 The Fanatic if

You are a dedicated fan of Philadelphia sports talk radio and are willing to put up with frequent app crashes, disconnections, and an overwhelming number of repetitive commercials to listen to specific shows .

Evidence note: Both apps are free to download, and their negative reviews largely stem from free-tier friction (ads, performance issues). The lifetime ratings are very similar, but recent reviews for 97.5 The Fanatic show a much higher concentration of severe technical issues.

Frequently asked

Do these apps have many ads?
Yes, both 6abc Philadelphia and 97.5 The Fanatic are heavily criticized for having a large number of ads, which users find repetitive and intrusive, sometimes playing over content or requiring multiple listens upon app restart R10R13R64R120.
Are the apps reliable for streaming?
6abc Philadelphia has mixed reliability, with some users reporting flawless operation while others experience frequent freezing and crashing R1R5R33. 97.5 The Fanatic is widely reported as unreliable, with constant disconnections, freezing, and playback issues R61.
Can I listen to shows on demand with 97.5 The Fanatic?
While some users request this feature, reviews indicate that 97.5 The Fanatic's app generally lacks comprehensive on-demand show availability, unlike competitor apps R71R119.

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. [R7] 6abc Philadelphia 1/5 · US Can’t find it: Why not add a search for on the app? There are nice stores but I can’t find them
  2. [R14] 6abc Philadelphia 4/5 · US News: Channel 6 news is the best I think my entire family watches channel 6 news.
  3. [R18] 6abc Philadelphia 3/5 · US I need more immediate choices: When I open your app, I want to see every choice box that can be clicked on to open. Make a tab for World, Phila, Sports, Weather, and at the shore cam so I can see a flag, wind direction and wave heights. Allow me to access a tab immediately without surfing around looking for it. Allow me to choose the order in which I’ll read or view each tab. I love 6ABC.Bran
  4. [R21] 6abc Philadelphia 3/5 · US OnStreet Reporters: I couldn’t find the list of all the on street reporters
  5. [R1] 6abc Philadelphia 1/5 · US FIX IT!!!!! STILL BROKEN: What is the problem that can’t be fixed with the app FREEZING UP? SAME ISSUE OVER AND OVER. THE AP FREEZES EVERY TIME. CAN NOT USE THE APP WITHOUT IT LOCKING UP. FIX IT!!! Your competition doesn’t have an app that doesn’t freeze up.
  6. [R6] 6abc Philadelphia 3/5 · US Can’t change location in weather tab: The 6ABC app seems to work fine except for one thing, in the weather tab, the location button and the arrow to change location is the top center of the screen on the iPad, but it’s behind the menu bar, I can’t get to it. Either the menu bar ( the one that says Home, Weather, News, etc) should be moved to the side or the location button, or both to opposite cor
  7. [R16] 6abc Philadelphia 2/5 · US Multiple videos play at same time: I like the content, especially the weather, but recent updates have made this sound like I am walking into a crowded room. Please stop the Autoplay and fix the bugs so videos aren’t going on and on and on at the same time. Also, too many ads.
  8. [R19] 6abc Philadelphia 1/5 · US Problems: This app is really no good Two voices r playing at one time it’s very annoying and there is no way to turn it off I reset the app and it is still doing it! This isn’t the first time but I gotta tell you it’s very frustrating!
  9. [R5] 6abc Philadelphia 5/5 · US This App work flawlessly.: I’ve had this app on my phone for a few years now I never noticed any real major issues. The only thing that sort of annoyed me were the endless paid ads, but I do understand that’s how the new station makes revenue. it’s interesting how people complain about how the app doesn’t work how it’s frozen and glitchy. They failed to mention how old their devices which matters
  10. [R15] 6abc Philadelphia 3/5 · US Breaking news not sounding, again: Hi there. For the second time in a few months, notifications from the app have been silent. I can see them, but they come in silently without noise or vibration. This is not an issue with my phone being on silent or vibrate because my dads phone is doing it silently as well. Can you change it?
  11. [R23] 6abc Philadelphia 5/5 · US App not working: App failing to load. Blank blue screen with the 6abc logo.
  12. [R9] 6abc Philadelphia 3/5 · US Commercials are horrible: It’s the only way I can watch 6 sec since Xfinity removed it from our channels. So that’s good. The commercials are the same every break and play on a loop, sometimes 3 times. On occasion they play right thru the weather or sports. Still better than nothing.
  13. [R10] 6abc Philadelphia 1/5 · US ADS: Too many ads
  14. [R13] 6abc Philadelphia 1/5 · US AI slop: This app is nonstop ads and fake AI articles. It gives pop ups for breaking news and then it’s nowhere to be found when you open the app. Don’t waste your time with this nonsense, just turn on the TV
  15. [R3] 6abc Philadelphia 3/5 · US Minimum OS: Looks like your recent version has surpassed the maximum OS my iPhone can support. I don’t get a new iPhone every time Apple makes a new one. Please update the backwards compatibility. Thanks!
  16. [R24] 6abc Philadelphia 3/5 · US Update: The updated structure is not an improvement.
  17. [R30] 6abc Philadelphia 3/5 · US Not thrilled with Update for Weather: One of the hallmarks of 6ABC is the weather. And the old board for seeing the 7 day forecast was simple and easy to read. The new weather section is not as easy and the new “daily” forecast is horizontal and hard to read. Some of it is off the screen. Bring back the iconic 6ABC 7 day weather board.
  18. [R64] 97.5 The Fanatic 1/5 · US Ads: An ad to start each time so I can then listen to the ads every 10 minutes on the show and if I don’t want to listen to them and put on music and go back I then have to listen to another ad.
  19. [R120] 97.5 The Fanatic 1/5 · US Ads are non stop: They play ads every 30 secs from Steven singer. It’s really annoying. And I’m talking and while the show is going on, not during an actual commercial break. It’s shameful. How greedy can one company be. The radio host reads ads, then there’s the regulars commercial breaks, then the commercial interruption every 30 sec or so. Do yourself a favor and don’t even install this app!!
  20. [R33] 6abc Philadelphia 3/5 · US Glitching: App is great for news but can you fix the app so my phone does not start glitching and freezing? Other then that good app.
  21. [R61] 97.5 The Fanatic 2/5 · US Bad app: Freezes constantly
  22. [R71] 97.5 The Fanatic 5/5 · US 97.5: I love the shows but wish the app made every show available on demand like Wip does
  23. [R119] 97.5 The Fanatic 4/5 · US Where is the on demand?: Why does the new 93.3 WMMR app have on demand functionality (even download capability on top of that), and the 97.5 app doesn't? Please tell me tell me an update is coming extremely soon that brings this functionality to the 97.5 app. 8/7 update: Looks like this app now has the on demand/download functionality. Thank you.

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