Best way for a radio station to get its own app (2026)

The best way for most radio stations to get their own mobile app is to keep the stream host you already have and put a branded app on top of it, using a radio app builder that plays any Icecast or Shoutcast stream. If you’re shopping for hosting anyway, a host that bundles apps (Radio.co, Live365) can make sense. Fully custom development only pays off for big groups with a budget for ongoing maintenance.

Below we compare every realistic route for US stations and UK community and internet radio. Every price comes from the provider’s own page, linked so you can check it.

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What should a radio station app actually do?

The must-haves: background audio (the stream keeps playing when the phone locks or the listener opens another app), Now Playing with artist, title and album art, and push notifications so you can tell people a show is starting. After that come song requests and shout-outs, a show schedule, podcasts or catch-up, and CarPlay or Android Auto if a lot of your audience listens in the car.

Then ask 2 questions. Is the app tied to that provider’s hosting? And is it published under your own Apple ($99 a year) and Google Play ($25 once) accounts, so you keep the listing if you leave?

What are the main ways to get a radio station app?

1. An app bundled with your stream host. Radio.co and Live365 sell hosting and include apps on their higher plans (or as an add-on). Everything connects, but the app is tied to that host.

2. A radio app specialist. Nobex Partners and RadioKing build branded radio apps as a product in their own right. They tend to have the deepest radio feature sets, including CarPlay and Android Auto on top tiers.

3. A branded app builder that plays any stream. AppBuild.diy takes your existing stream URL, whoever hosts it, and wraps it in your own app with requests, push and a social wall. You keep your current host.

4. A custom build. You hire an agency or developer. Full control, highest cost, and you own the maintenance forever.

Directory listings (TuneIn, radio.net, Radio Garden, Streema) sit alongside all 4: they help people find you, but they aren’t your app.

How do the radio app options compare on price?

Prices checked on each provider’s site in October 2026. Hosting and app costs are shown separately where the provider splits them.

Option	Published price (source)	Fees / extras	Own branded app?	Best for
AppBuild.diy	Free (up to 10 app users), Business $49/mo or $299/yr, Business Pro $99/mo or $499/yr (pricing)	0% commission on paid plans. Apple $99/yr and Google $25 one-off accounts needed for store apps. Hosting not included	Yes: iOS, Android and web app	Stations that already have a stream and want requests, push and a social wall on a small budget
Radio.co	Lite $35/mo, Standard $59/mo, Plus $139/mo, Premium $199/mo (pricing)	Apps included on Plus and Premium, or +$35/mo on Lite and Standard. Own developer accounts needed	Yes, Radio.co customers only	Stations that want hosting and app from one supplier
Live365	Broadcast 1 $65/mo up to Broadcast 5 $1,099/mo (pricing)	Apps an add-on on Broadcast 1 and 2 (price not shown), included from Broadcast 3 ($219/mo). Overages $0.07 per listening hour	Yes	US internet stations that want music licensing bundled
RadioKing app	Basic $29/mo (Android only), Smart $69/mo, Premium $99/mo (pricing)	Hosting sold separately. $50 publishing fee per app unless on Premium. Own developer accounts needed	Yes	Stations that need CarPlay, Android Auto, TV and Apple Watch
Nobex Partners	Basic, Plus and Pro plans; prices load on the page at checkout and aren’t shown in the page itself (pricing)	Own developer accounts needed. Streaming via Nobex Radio “from $19/month” (Nobex Radio)	Yes	Stations wanting a radio-first app with monetisation and CarPlay on the Pro plan
RadioJar	€10 to €100/mo, Enterprise on request (pricing)	Includes a personalised web player and widgets. No mobile app listed	No	Cloud studio and hosting, paired with a separate app
SAM Broadcaster Cloud (Spacial)	Silver $30/mo, Gold $90/mo (pricing)	Web widgets included. No listener app listed	No	Automation and streaming, paired with a separate app
TuneIn / radio.net listing	TuneIn uses a self-service request portal (TuneIn help)	Your station sits among thousands of others	No	Discovery, as a complement to your own app
Custom build	Quote only	Ongoing updates, store compliance and hosting are on you	Yes	Groups and networks with unusual features and a dev budget

Is a radio app specialist like Nobex or RadioKing worth it?

If car listening is a big slice of your audience, probably yes. CarPlay and Android Auto are where the specialists pull ahead.

RadioKing sells its app separately from its hosting. The Basic plan at $29 a month is Android only. Smart at $69 a month adds iPhone, white label and 50,000 push notifications. Premium at $99 a month adds CarPlay, Android Auto, Apple TV, Android TV, Apple Watch, AdMob ads and 100,000 pushes, and includes the first publication (otherwise it’s $50 per app). Annual prices are $290, $690 and $990, and hosting is extra.

Nobex Partners builds branded iOS and Android apps with 3 tiers. Its pricing page lists Basic (apps and content), Plus (engagement features and real-time reporting) and Pro (monetisation, AI analytics, Android Auto, CarPlay, Chromecast and API access). We couldn’t read actual prices: the page loads them in a checkout widget, so ask for a quote in writing. Nobex also runs streaming through Nobex Radio, which says plans start “from $19/month”, with a branded app listed on its Business tier.

Who these suit: bigger stations where in-car listening matters enough to justify $69 to $99 a month for the app alone.

Should I just use my streaming host’s app?

If you’re already happy with the host, it’s the least hassle. If you’d have to switch hosts to get it, run the numbers first.

Radio.co includes apps on Plus ($139 a month) and Premium ($199 a month). On Lite ($35) and Standard ($59) the app is a $35 a month add-on, so a small station on Standard pays $94 a month for hosting plus app. Its pricing page says the apps support CarPlay and Android Auto. Its apps page lists requests, messaging, schedule and podcasts. There’s a 14-day trial and no contract. But Radio.co’s app FAQ says apps are only available to Radio.co customers, so the app goes if you move hosts.

Live365 is aimed at US webcasters, and its big draw is licensing: plans include music licensing for the US (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, GMR, SoundExchange and others), Canada and Mexico. Apps are an add-on on Broadcast 1 ($65) and Broadcast 2 ($109), with the add-on price not shown, and included from Broadcast 3 at $219 a month. Listening hours are capped per plan, with overages at $0.07 an hour. UK stations won’t get their PRS or PPL covered here.

RadioJar and SAM Broadcaster Cloud are good hosting and automation tools, but neither lists a branded mobile app. RadioJar runs from €10 to €100 a month and gives you a personalised web player. SAM Broadcaster Cloud is $30 (Silver) or $90 (Gold) a month with web widgets. If you use either, you’ll want to pair it with a separate app that plays your stream.

Can I get a branded app without changing my stream host?

Yes, and for most community and internet stations this is the sweet spot. Keep RadioJar, SAM, Shoutcast, Icecast or your own server, and put an app on top.

This is how AppBuild.diy’s radio app builder works. You enter your Icecast, Shoutcast or custom stream URL, add your logo and colours, and the web app (PWA) is live straight away. AppBuild then builds the iOS and Android versions for the stores under your own developer accounts. Here’s what the radio page says you get:

Background audio on the web app, iOS and Android, so listeners can lock the phone and keep listening. Now Playing with artist, track and album art, pulled automatically from Icecast and Shoutcast metadata (custom streams can supply a metadata URL). Song requests, shout-outs and dedications through a Messages feature that lands in your dashboard. Unlimited push notifications for show starts, guests and competitions, with no per-message charge.

Plus a social wall, competition forms, podcast RSS and YouTube. Every plan gets every feature; plans differ only by the number of app users (unique people using the app in a rolling 7 days). Free covers 10, Business covers 1,000 for $49 a month or $299 a year, and Business Pro is unlimited for $99 a month or $499 a year. On the annual Business plan that’s about $25 a month for the app, against $35 for Radio.co’s add-on or $69 for RadioKing Smart. You can see it side by side on the radio app comparison page.

Where AppBuild falls short, honestly: its radio page doesn’t list CarPlay or Android Auto, it doesn’t host your stream, and it doesn’t cover music licensing. If car listening is make-or-break, RadioKing Premium or Nobex Pro are the safer bet.

Run a podcast too? See the podcast app builder and our piece on interactive podcast apps.

When does a custom-built radio app make sense?

When you need something no platform does, like a multi-station network login, a members area tied to your donor CRM, or an ad server.

Custom work is quoted per project, so there’s no list price. Budget for the build and then for every year after it, because Apple and Google change their rules and someone has to update the app. If you go custom, get it in writing that you own the source code, the store listings and the listener data.

Do I still need TuneIn and radio.net if I have my own app?

Yes. Keep them. Directories are how strangers find you; your app is how regulars stay with you.

TuneIn now takes new stations through a self-service request portal. radio.net is strongest in Europe and worth a submission for UK stations. Radio Garden and Streema too.

But there you’re 1 tile among thousands and you can’t send a push. Our post on why podcasters and radio stations really need an app goes into this in more detail.

What about UK community and internet radio?

The app question is the same; the money and the licences differ. A few UK-specific points:

Licensing. Your PRS for Music and PPL licences cover your stream. An app that replays the same stream URL usually doesn’t need a separate licence, but check with PRS and PPL if your licence is limited to a particular website. Live365’s bundled licensing covers the US, Canada and Mexico only.

Currency. RadioJar prices in euros. AppBuild, Radio.co, RadioKing’s app plans, Live365 and SAM Cloud quote US dollars, so your card provider converts at the day’s rate.

Budget. Ofcom-licensed community stations run on grants and volunteers. One annual payment is usually easier to get past a committee than a rolling monthly bill.

Which radio app option should you pick?

Pick Radio.co if you’re choosing a host anyway and want one supplier for stream and app, and you’re fine with the app staying tied to Radio.co.

Pick Live365 if you’re a US webcaster and bundled music licensing matters more to you than price.

Pick RadioKing Premium or Nobex Pro if CarPlay, Android Auto, TV apps or in-app ads are essential.

Pick AppBuild.diy if you’re a community, college, internet or small FM/AM station that already has a stream you’re happy with, and you want your own app with background audio, Now Playing, requests and unlimited push for the lowest cost, starting free.

Pick a custom build only if you’ve got features no platform supports and a yearly budget to maintain them.

Radio station app FAQs

How much does it cost to make a radio station app? From $0 to start on AppBuild’s free plan, to $29 to $99 a month for RadioKing’s app, to $139 a month and up for Radio.co hosting with apps included. For store apps you’ll also pay Apple $99 a year and Google $25 once. Custom builds are quoted per project.

Can I make a radio app for free? You can build and launch one free on AppBuild.diy, with every feature for up to 10 app users, which is enough to test with your presenters. Real audiences need a paid plan, plus Apple and Google developer accounts for the stores.

Will my radio app keep playing when the phone is locked? It should, and you should test it before you sign anything. AppBuild says background audio works on its web app, iOS and Android versions; check the same thing with any provider you’re considering.

Do I need to switch stream hosts to get an app? Not always. Radio.co and Live365 apps require their hosting, but AppBuild.diy plays any Icecast, Shoutcast or custom stream URL, so you can keep your current host.

Which radio apps support CarPlay and Android Auto? RadioKing includes them on its Premium plan, Nobex Partners on its Pro plan, and Radio.co’s pricing page lists them with its apps. AppBuild’s radio page doesn’t list them.

Who owns my radio app if I cancel? If the app is published under your own Apple and Google accounts, you own the store listing. Radio.co, RadioKing, Live365, Nobex and AppBuild all ask you to open your own accounts, but with a hosting-bundled app the app itself may stop working if you leave that host.

Put your station on your listeners’ home screens. Keep your stream host, add background audio, Now Playing, song requests and unlimited push, and start free. Create your radio station app

Last Updated on October 9, 2026 by Ian Naylor