# SubStreamer vs Fairbuds

The clearest difference is review sentiment: SubStreamer at 72% against Fairbuds's 13%. SubStreamer also leads on rating (4.0 vs 2.7) and ratings volume (141 vs 3). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

SubStreamer holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SubStreamer has 141 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of SubStreamer's written reviews are positive against 13% of Fairbuds's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SubStreamer | Fairbuds |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.0 (141 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/substreamer/id1012991665/reviews)** | [2.7 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fairbuds/id6446320945/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **141** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | **72.2% of reviews** | 13.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 55 MB | 99 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.4** | 16.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | +4 | 4+ |
| Developer | [Gaven Henry](https://appshunter.io/developer/925249622) | [Fairphone B.V.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1677310864) |

## What reviewers say

### SubStreamer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/substreamer/id1012991665)

Access and stream your personal music library from a Subsonic-compatible server on your mobile device. Enjoy offline playback, personalized mixes, and detailed listening analytics without ads or subscriptions.

**Highlights:** Stream and download music library, Offline listening with background processing, Personalized smart mixes, Listening analytics and scrobbling, Playlist and library management, Background playback with lock screen controls, Open source

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Siri integration, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Beautiful and modern UI design
- ⚡ Clean, intuitive interface
- 🎵 Excellent Navidrome server compatibility
- 📱 Works seamlessly with self-hosted music servers
- 🔄 Reliable background playback functionality

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent playback failures and stalling
- 🐛 Random crashes during playback
- 🐛 Scrobbling not working reliably
- 🐛 Large file playback issues (10MB+)
- 🐛 AirPlay/Apple TV streaming broken

**Reported bugs**

- Songs fail to play without double-pressing play button
- Playback stops with 4 seconds remaining in track
- Skipping back crashes the app
- Large files (10MB+) require pause-then-play to start
- Scrobbling fails despite server support

**Requested features**

- CarPlay support for in-car use
- Traditional Chinese language support
- Simplified Chinese language support
- All-songs library view (not just albums/artists)
- Lyrics API integration


### Fairbuds

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fairbuds/id6446320945)

Customize your audio experience with advanced equalizer settings and ensure your device is always up-to-date. Tailor bass, vocals, and more to your preferences for music and podcasts.

**Highlights:** Customizable equalizer presets, Multi-band EQ for granular control, Firmware update notifications, Sound profile creation, Adjust bass and vocals

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SubStreamer free?

SubStreamer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Fairbuds free?

Fairbuds is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, SubStreamer or Fairbuds?

SubStreamer is rated higher. SubStreamer averages 4.0 out of 5 from 141 ratings, while Fairbuds averages 2.7 from 3 ratings.

### Do SubStreamer or Fairbuds have ads?

Neither SubStreamer nor Fairbuds shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SubStreamer or Fairbuds?

SubStreamer ships an update every 2 weeks, and Fairbuds every 2 weeks. Most recently, SubStreamer was updated on October 18, 2026 and Fairbuds on October 13, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*