# SubStreamer vs The F

The clearest difference is ads: SubStreamer at none against The F's shown. SubStreamer also leads on review sentiment (72% vs 40%) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). The F's advantage is rating (4.4 vs 4.0). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

The F holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SubStreamer has 141 ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 72% of SubStreamer's written reviews are positive against 40% of The F's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

SubStreamer ships an update every 2 weeks, The F every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SubStreamer | The F |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (141 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/substreamer/id1012991665/reviews) | **[4.4 (18 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-f-action-app/id6742169521/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **141** | 18 |
| Positive reviews | **72.2% of reviews** | 40.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free** | Ad-supported |
| Size | 55 MB | 22 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | +4 | 12+ |
| Developer | [Gaven Henry](https://appshunter.io/developer/925249622) | [OgXchange LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1797233871) |

## 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


### The F

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-f-action-app/id6742169521)

Listen to a 24/7 stream of slowed down and chopped R&B music. This radio app focuses exclusively on the unique Chopped & Screwed R&B genre.

**Highlights:** 24/7 music stream, Chopped & Screwed R&B genre, F-Action Radio broadcast, iPhone compatible

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SubStreamer free?

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

### Is The F free?

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

### Which has better reviews, SubStreamer or The F?

The F is rated higher. SubStreamer averages 4.0 out of 5 from 141 ratings, while The F averages 4.4 from 18 ratings.

### Do SubStreamer or The F have ads?

The F shows ads; SubStreamer does not.

### Which is updated more often, SubStreamer or The F?

SubStreamer ships an update every 2 weeks, and The F every 3 weeks. Most recently, SubStreamer was updated on October 18, 2026 and The F on October 5, 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.*