Leave a Review Plexamp
5 Stars - Perfection
PlexAmp is a great piece of software for playing my Music Library (I use a Synology NAS - also awesome). Using Plex, I have created NUMEROUS Smart Playlists out of my 16K+ Track Library. These show in PlexAmp and the seamless play between tracks is amazing (although called “Gapless” play, I do believe the actual setting is “Sweet Fades”). I stream to my receiver via a Logitech Bluetooth receiver, and my wired system plays to multiple wired zones (Basement, Outdoor Deck, Living Room, Library). Unfortunately, I have not been able to have Plex play via Alexa to a Group Speaker setup, which would allow for a whole-house experience since I have Echo Devices in every room of my house.
I also use PlexAmp in my car (iPhone-Bluetooth) and its awesome to be able to take my music (from home server) ANYWHERE.
(Plex for Movies/TV series is a total Lifestyle change - get it).Show lessSlickToo
Giving Me My Music Library Back
With a music library of over 60k tracks I’ve digitized from purchases going back to 1982, Plex/Plexamp has given me my library back in an interface that rivals any streaming service out there. EZ to use, adaptive to my listening habits, suggestions of like-songs, self & auto-generated playlists, plus a fantastic search- its the best, and highly recommended.
My only minimal zing is that the AI features need you to have a Tidal subscription as it cant limit to your local library, the auto-generated playlists can contain repetitive tracks as it can’t distinguish singles from albums, and (more of a Plex issue) that to realize its full potential you must match all releases with MusicBrainz (which is significantly less populated than other online music databases like Discogs).
Again - minimal issues and otherwise my goto music app for 2 years now.Show lessJust.Some.Guy
Genuine godsend of a music player
I have my Plexamp hooked up to my Plex media server with Plex pass with about 13,000 songs all flac atm. My personal favorite Plexamp-only feature has got to be the sonic-adventure. I feel it does a way better job at recommending songs than any of the guest djs. There is also native support for lyrics that aren't anything to rave about but it's more than enough (Apple Music still does it best). Also if you have a tidal subscription and a Plex pass subscription you can integrate it and save a dollar. And with Plexamp you can have your local library be your main source of media and it natively imports music you search for with tidal results and plays it all in Plexamp pretty seamlessly. Although with Plexamp and tidal dj doppelgänger seems to be pretty much useless as it suggest THE most random junk most times. If you have a large local library of songs or are thinking of getting one this app is top-dog.Show lessPeytonKoss
Suggestion: headless mode
I’m aware that there is a Plexamp client you can run and use it like a Chromecast. But what’s even better than buying a raspberry pi and an audio DAC to simply run Plexamp is to take an old iPhone and plug it into your stereo. Apples lightning to 3.5 gets rave reviews.
But the problem is that you have to keep your display on for Plex to remain discoverable on this device. This is especially bad with OLED phones. I set my brightness to the lowest and also the accessibility feature to reduce the white point but it still kind of janky.
PLEASE add this as a first class feature where it turns off the display unless you leave your finger on the display for some amount of time. And then it should time out and blackout the display again or out of toggle to turn on this mode and use the background music API to keep the app running indefinitely.Show lessJmonsterflex
Gets better and better
Plexamp is THE way to enjoy music. I’ve been a plex pass subscriber for a long time and this app is half the reason why. The radio features are unparalleled, the EQ is the perfect blend of form and function, the list of great stuff goes on and on.
There is one thing I think is fundamentally flawed and keeping it from being the definitive iOS music player: download/offline support.
Plexamp allows you to download from your Plex library, you can even save the whole library locally. However, once on the device, if you go offline, you’re unable to browse the library and can only play from the downloads tab. For those of us who keep the files locally, this can be an issue. I work in a place with spotty internet, which means even though my whole library is saved locally on my phone, if I want to play a specific album I’ll need to find it in the downloads list. Please consider overhauling this functionality down the line, I hate having to keep a second app on my device for robust local library access!Show lessjimmgray
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Exceptional User Interface Comparable to Luxury Systems
From the moment you launch Plex, you’re greeted with an intuitive and sleek user interface that stands out in its class. It’s not just a media player; it’s an experience that rivals the professional systems found in the most luxurious yachts and state-of-the-art automated homes. Navigation is a breeze, with every feature and setting organized in a way that feels natural and effortless. Whether you’re a tech novice or an enthusiast, Plex makes you feel like a pro. It’s clear that the designers have put a lot of thought into every detail, ensuring a seamless interaction that enhances your media enjoyment. Highly recommended for anyone looking to elevate their home entertainment system to elite standards.Show lessWowboo!
Great App - CarPlay integration could be better
I have a music library of ~13,000 tracks, a mix of FLAC & MP3 ripped CDs and DRM-free digital purchases, all stored into a cheap mini-PC running the Plex server.
PlexAmp is absolutely great to access ‘my’ music on the go: good, intuitive interface, with the right balance of features to keep it simple to use.
I am dropping one star due to a (car brand) specific issue with CarPlay: some car manufacturers limit CarPlay ‘lists’ to 12 items when the car is on the move…. Understandable, this is for safety purpose, so that the driver does have to scroll through interminable lists. So when driving my Toyota (they’re not the only brand doing this), I can only select Artists from A to L (or K, if some are #), I can only select from the first 12 tracks of an album, etc. If I stop at a red light, I have access to everything…. Very frustrating! Ok, it’s not PlexAmp’s fault… but the App could be smarter and offer an option to wrap these long lists of Artists, tracks, into multi-level (nested) lists of 12-max lists length. As it is, I just revert to using my phone when driving… which is more dangerous in the end!Show lessAvenger30cf
Developer Response
Sorry, but Apple also places restrictions on depth of menu navigation, which makes it quite challenging. Thank you so much for the review!Nice features but …
PlexAmp shows some love for music. The Smart Fades feature alone has kept me here. There is a lot to like and it’s more stable than its big brother.
If I was looking for its streaming functionality I’d say it’s very good. This is what it wants to be.
In my case I can only stream at home so I need to download what I listen to. This is where PlexAmp will frustrate.
The whole download experience feels like a bolt-on. Long press, click download and it will download to a separate tab. A tab that can only be viewed in list mode.
Click an extremely small “…” at the top of the list and I’ll get a menu where I can shuffle play my downloads. It says “play all” where doesn’t seem to suggest it will shuffle.
Eventually, it will have a technical glitch and it won’t play any longer. It manifests in various ways, but the fix is the same. Delete all my downloaded music and reload. I usually have a ton of music on my phone, so that is always a pain.
So I use Prism instead now. It’s download functionality is awesome. Downloads are treated as an integral part of the UX. Music downloads fast in the background, and its super stable. I miss the smart fades feature but I’d rather have stability when on the road.Show lessadventure_tense
Developer Response
Thanks for your review! We’d definitely love to make downloads better integrated.Amazing app for self-hosting folks, get a PlexPass!
All I can say is WOW. I’m a long time Plex user, (since about 2010) and I have also had a Lifetime PlexPass for about as long. I also host a fairly beefy Plex server.
Been using PlexAmp for a long time now, first on PC, then I was super excited to see an iOS version come out. Then Plex shocked me yet again, and added all the sonic features to the PlexAmp app. It was a game changer. I have basically forgone any streaming services, and now just stream my already massive mp3 collection.
PlexAmp does a great job of matching music (with the help of the new sonic features). I have had days where I haven’t had to touch the “next” button at all. It finds similar music, plays it on its own, and you can tweak how similar or dissimilar you want the playlist to be. It’s easy, it’s powerful, and it just works.
Also love the caching and buffering, prior releases made it hard to drive around town, in and out of cell service. The app does a great job of caching and I have little to no issues while driving through dead zones.
The app is polished and well made. Totally worth the investment in a PlexPass if you don’t already have it. Give Plex some love, it’s not that expensive and it’s totally worth it.
As always, thanks Plex and please keep coming out with features for us self-hosters. We are loving it!Show lessJ-boy508
Waited 20 years for something like this!
I’m an avid music listener and part time music producer and can say without a shadow of a doubt that this app makes it tremendously easier and convenient to store, share and play all my music from any of my iOS devices! I am finally back in control of my music library like in the old iPod days. The new era of music steaming services is destroying our ability to chose how we want to purchase and experience music in our terms. This app gives you that control back in your hands. Personally, I still and always will prefer to OWN a copy of the music I want to listen to so I will still buy CDs (sometimes digital downloads as well with no DRM) so that I can listen to it whenever and however I chose. Monthly subscriptions to music just don’t make sense to me the way I like to experience music. All the music I have purchased since high school, which I still have, is in my music library and continues to grow over time as I see fit. Make no mistake, this is the future of music, not streaming . Don’t let corporations tell you how to consume music. You have the final say in that.Show lessiOS 3.0.1
