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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

97.5 The Fanatic vs Talk Radio+

97.5 The Fanatic 4.7★ · Free to download 65
Winner Tie
Talk Radio+ 4.6★ · Free + IAP 70

For dedicated fans of Philadelphia sports radio, 97.5 The Fanatic is the clear choice, despite its technical issues and ad frequency, while Talk Radio+ offers a broader, more reliable selection of general talk radio stations.

Full reviews: 97.5 The Fanatic · Talk Radio+

97.5 The Fanatic is a niche app for Philadelphia sports enthusiasts, praised for its local content but criticized for frequent crashes and intrusive ads. Talk Radio+ provides a wide array of talk radio stations, generally offering better stability and variety, though some users report missing specific hosts or occasional playback issues.

Head to head

Content & Variety edge: Talk Radio+R2R3R5R6
97.5 The Fanatic Users of 97.5 The Fanatic are primarily interested in Philadelphia sports, praising specific shows and personalities like Mikey Miss, Ray Dunne, and the afternoon shows R2R5. Many appreciate being able to listen to local Philly sports news and games, especially when away from the area . However, some users express dissatisfaction with changes in personalities, missing former hosts, or a perceived lack of diverse perspectives R3R6. There are also requests for on-demand show availability, a feature that some report was later added R11R59.
Talk Radio+ Talk Radio+ offers a broad selection of talk radio stations across various genres, including news, comedy, and old radio shows . Users appreciate the variety and the ability to listen to different philosophies and international news . Many specifically highlight the availability of Art Bell archives, which is a significant draw for them R65. However, a recurring complaint is the removal of specific popular hosts or stations, such as Alex Jones, Rick and Bubba, or Free Thought Radio, leading to user frustration and uninstalls R67R70R73. Some also note a lack of certain news channels like MSNBC, OAN, or Newsmax, or a perceived bias towards Fox News .
Reliability & Performance edge: Talk Radio+R1R9R10R12
97.5 The Fanatic 97.5 The Fanatic faces significant criticism for its reliability. Users frequently report the app freezing, crashing, stopping playback, or disconnecting constantly R1R9R10. Some mention that the play button often doesn't work or that the app won't stream live content . There are also complaints about the app auto-playing unexpectedly or not working with iOS beta versions R12. While some users report no issues and find it works 100% of the time , the volume of negative feedback on performance is substantial.
Talk Radio+ Talk Radio+ generally receives positive feedback for its functionality, with users calling it "flawless" and saying it "works well" . Stations are reported to come on immediately with clear audio quality . However, a significant number of users report persistent issues with the app stopping playback or disconnecting after short intervals, such as 5-10 minutes, 15 minutes, or 30 minutes R73. Some also experience crashes upon selecting a station .
Ads & User Experience edge: Talk Radio+R4R7R9R12
97.5 The Fanatic A major point of contention for 97.5 The Fanatic users is the overwhelming presence and intrusive nature of ads. Users complain about an ad playing every time the app starts, repeated commercials, ads interrupting live content, and ads playing even when returning to the app after a short break R4R7R9R12. The repetitiveness of certain ads is particularly frustrating . Some users also report issues with volume control causing ads to restart .
Talk Radio+ Talk Radio+ generally has a better ad experience, with one user explicitly stating "No ads to irritate the listeners" . However, there is one report of ads appearing at the bottom of the screen, which a user paid to remove, but they reappeared after an Apple update . Other user experience issues include the inability to delete unwanted stations , the app losing the previous station upon closing R78, and a desire for features like a sleep timer or favorites button R69R71R78R88. Some program titles also overlay each other, making selection difficult R88.
Pick 97.5 The Fanatic if

Pick 97.5 The Fanatic if you are a dedicated fan of Philadelphia sports radio and are willing to tolerate frequent app glitches and intrusive ads to access specific local content and personalities R2R5.

Pick Talk Radio+ if

Pick Talk Radio+ if you want a broad selection of general talk radio stations, including niche content like Art Bell archives, and prioritize an app with generally better reliability and fewer ad interruptions R65.

Evidence note: The lifetime ratings for both apps are very similar, but recent reviews for 97.5 The Fanatic are heavily skewed negative due to persistent technical issues and excessive ads. Talk Radio+ also has some negative reviews regarding reliability and content changes, but the overall sentiment is slightly more positive regarding app functionality.

Frequently asked

Does 97.5 The Fanatic offer on-demand content?
Yes, 97.5 The Fanatic now offers on-demand and download functionality for shows, which was a requested feature from users R11R59.
Can I listen to specific talk show hosts on Talk Radio+?
Talk Radio+ offers a variety of talk show hosts and archives, most notably Art Bell, which is a major draw for many users R65. However, some users report that specific hosts like Alex Jones or Rick and Bubba have been removed, leading to disappointment R67R70R73.
Do these apps have a sleep timer or favorites feature?
97.5 The Fanatic does not have reviews mentioning a sleep timer or favorites. Talk Radio+ users have requested a sleep timer for nighttime listening and a favorites button to easily find preferred stations, indicating these features are either missing or not prominent R69R71R78R88.

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. [R2] 97.5 The Fanatic 5/5 · US Great Philly sports radio show: Ray dunne great producer. Bring back Mike again tho
  2. [R3] 97.5 The Fanatic 3/5 · US Not enough info: The moderators are on for only about 4 hrs per day, yet many don’t seem to be up on current events, and often don’t provide much in the way of insights or specifics. Then, go off half cocked based on a lack of real facts, or technical understanding of the specifics. It’s basically laziness and no interest in becoming fully knowledgeable.
  3. [R5] 97.5 The Fanatic 5/5 · US These folks know sports: Love the afternoon shows. Unfiltered is number 1!
  4. [R6] 97.5 The Fanatic 3/5 · US Country club: This station needs more melanin talking about primarily melanated players. Or at least some people who sound like they’re legitimately from Philadelphia. I’d reach out to TOP BILLIN. No one breaks down football better. The station has become the mens golf lounge at the cricket club. At what point do we break athletes down to shucking and jiving. Get some frigging seasoning on this st
  5. [R1] 97.5 The Fanatic 2/5 · US Bad app: Freezes constantly
  6. [R9] 97.5 The Fanatic 3/5 · US Frustrating app: I love being able to stream 97.5 during work so I don’t miss anything and am not always able to have a radio. My biggest complaint is that that app constantly restarts itself while listening. Repetitively I must hear Mikey Miss repeat his commercial like as if I were first opening the app. Its not a connectivity problem with the phone. It does it on wifi or the phones data. Its th
  7. [R10] 97.5 The Fanatic 1/5 · US Operation: The sound stops playing if you exit the app.
  8. [R12] 97.5 The Fanatic 3/5 · US Good, but not optimal: 1. The iOS app will start playing automatically when the phone wakes, even if it’s not in the foreground. I unlocked my phone this morning and opened Facebook, and I hear Missanelli’s commercial start blaring. Not connected to my car or anything else, and the app hadn’t been used in 12+ hours. 2. It would be great to put a cookie or refresh token in. As it is, the commerci
  9. [R4] 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.
  10. [R7] 97.5 The Fanatic 1/5 · US Long commercials: All of sudden started cutting off from content and playing long commercials and sneaking them in during a commercial break have to stop and restart to get back to live radio
  11. [R11] 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
  12. [R59] 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.
  13. [R65] Talk Radio+ 5/5 · US Art bell: Cant get any better than that. Thanks Like all your stations
  14. [R67] Talk Radio+ 1/5 · US Ultimate Art Bell: The “Ultimate Art Bell” program is down. It’s the reason I keep this app.
  15. [R70] Talk Radio+ 1/5 · US ALEX JONES: Was only using this app to listen to Alex Jones but that's no longer an option here. Am removing this app. Thumbs down👎🏼
  16. [R73] Talk Radio+ 1/5 · US Done: Was a halfway decent app. Used it to listen to Alex jones. Now I see you removed him. So I’m removing the app. The app doesn’t even work correctly in the first place. I have to press play every 5-10 minutes just to continue listening.
  17. [R69] Talk Radio+ 3/5 · US ?: Sleep function?
  18. [R71] Talk Radio+ 5/5 · US Love it!: I like to listen at night to fall asleep
  19. [R78] Talk Radio+ 3/5 · GB Great app, but needs improvement: The App is great and works fine, but please include a favourites button. I am sick of scrolling looking for my preferred radio station as when I close it down it loses it. This would make a great addition to the app.
  20. [R88] Talk Radio+ 5/5 · US Peter m: Good but many program titles overlay each other so much so that you cannot select the one you are interest in. A timer would be useful for nighttime use

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