Comparison

Roon vs Plexamp

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Roon

This app serves as a controller for a Roon Server, enabling users to browse and play their music library. It offers a rich metadata-driven interface for musical discovery, connecting to over 1,000 compatible audio devices for seamless playback.

Highlights
  • Music library browsing and playback
  • Rich metadata for musical discovery
  • Connects to 1,000+ audio devices
  • Seamless in-home audio connection
  • Access music library remotely via Roon ARC
  • Bit-perfect playback and format support
Features
Read full description

*** The Roon experience requires a Roon Server on your network. *** The Roon App is another controller for your Roon Server. You browse and play your music library on over 1,000 compatible audio devices, and provides a seamless in-home connection. You can install the free Roon App on as many devices as you like. What is Roon? The very best way to experience your music: Roon reshapes the way you browse and explore music. Powered by rich metadata, Roon's interface invites you on a new journey of musical discovery every time you log in. Your music library becomes the starting point on a vast map of performers, composers, influences, and genres. Follow the path emanating from the music you love to discover exciting new sounds and reconnect with long-forgotten favorites. You can delve even deeper through lyrics, artist photos, bios, reviews, and tour dates - then continue the journey with recommendations specifically tailored to your tastes and listening habits. Listen anywhere, on all your gear: Roon lets you play from your collection of music files and TIDAL, Qobuz, and KKBOX libraries on thousands of Roon Ready, Airplay, Chromecast, and USB devices from one app inside your home. Meanwhile, Roon ARC provides access, playback, and precision audio control for your entire Roon music library directly from your phone, wherever you are in the world. Flawless playback. Everywhere, every time: Roon is built to ensure your music sounds perfect every time you hit play, no matter where you are. Roon guarantees the best possible sound quality from every piece of audio gear - our MUSE sound engine delivers bit-perfect playback, exhaustive format support, and precision audio control for a fully customizable and flawless listening experience. From headphones to your home hi-fi, and everything in between.

About

Plexamp

A dedicated music player for your Plex library, offering audiophile-grade playback features, stunning visuals, and personalized radio stations. Enjoy your music collection with advanced customization and offline listening options.

Highlights
  • Audiophile-grade playback (gapless, EQ, loudness leveling)
  • Hypnotic visualizers and UltraBlur backgrounds
  • Personalized radio stations and Mix Builder
  • Offline listening for playlists and stations
  • Powerful search and playback history
  • Customizable themes and artist exploration
Features
Read full description

** You'll need a Plex Media Server and a Plex account to use this app ** Plexamp is the answer to the question "what would happen if you gave a handful of Plex music and pixel nerds a few cocktails and free rein to create the app of their dreams?" Plexamp is a beautiful, dedicated Plex music player with tons of goodies for audiophile purists, music curators, and music fans of all ages looking for their next aural fix. SUPER AUDIO PLAYER Loudness leveling, true gapless playback, Sweet Fades™, soft transitions, a configurable preamp, a 7-band EQ, and more. Perfection for golden ears, buttery smooth touches for the rest of us. Custom pre-caching so your music keeps playing, because sometimes life brings you through tunnels. MUSIC TO YOUR EYES Experience your music collection like you’ve never seen it before, with our UltraBlur backgrounds, over a dozen hypnotic visualizers, and four visual themes to satisfy every taste. FIND YOUR FIX Radios built from your library and your cooler friends' collections. Travel through time, pick a style or mood, or listen album-by-album like the purist you are. Use the Mix Builder to explore and craft your perfect blend. Explore your personal charts and see what you were into last Fall or your top albums from the 60s. OFFLINE BLISS Grab a few hours of your favorite playlist or stations with just a few taps. Download a custom mix or artist radio for the plane. Simple but powerful offline support for when you’re in the woods or run out of cellular data. IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS Powerful search. Playback activity history. Swipe-up play queue peeking. Fun artist explorations. As many settings and tweaks as our resident UXpert let us add. ENTERPRISE CLASS CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT Just kidding. It's a music player. Follow us on Twitter @plexamp or Mastodon https://mstdn.social/@plexamp See the terms of service at https://www.plex.tv/about/privacy-legal/plex-terms-of-service/

Screenshots

Roon4 screens
Plexamp4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Plexamp at 76% against Roon's 33%. Plexamp also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.6) and ratings volume (10K vs 556). Roon's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Plexamp sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Roon asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Plexamp holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Plexamp has 10K ratings behind it against 556, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of Roon's written reviews are positive against 76% of Plexamp's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Roon ships an update every 3 weeks, Plexamp every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Roon versus Plexamp: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRoonPlexamp
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.6 (556 ratings)4.7 (10K ratings) — better
Positive reviews32.6% of reviews75.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings55610K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size616 MB44 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRoon LabsPlex Inc.

Customer experience

Roon

All ratings556 ratings
Positive59.2%
Neutral9.0%
Negative31.8%
Written reviews233 reviews
Positive32.6%
Neutral15.5%
Negative51.9%

Plexamp

All ratings9,958 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral1.9%
Negative4.0%
Written reviews1,585 reviews
Positive75.6%
Neutral6.4%
Negative18.0%

User reviews

Roon

From 556 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great when it works
  • 🎨 Fantastic app
  • 🎧 Best way to experience music
  • 🤖 Powerful music management
  • 🔍 Excellent music discovery

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes frequently
  • 🔌 Unstable connection
  • 🕰️ Slow performance
  • 🤯 Confusing interface
  • 🚫 Lack of accessibility

Plexamp

From 10K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Best player ever
  • 👍 Gorgeous cover flow
  • 👍 Flexible, fun, and friendly
  • 👍 Beautiful app that functions well
  • 👍 Exceptional user interface

Room to improve

  • 🐛 List by folder is an insult
  • 🐛 Offline music experience not great
  • 🐛 Hopeless tagging
  • 🐛 Can't download full playlists
  • 🐛 Slow downloads

Bugs and requests

Roon

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes on search
  • Audio devices disappearing
  • Volume issues after updates
  • Inability to find Roon core

Requested features

5 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Offline music playback
  • Better Tidal/Spotify integration
  • Improved metadata editing
  • Apple Watch support

Plexamp

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Inconsistent behavior when offline
  • Search function broken
  • Slow library loading
  • Unreliable downloads
  • Incompatibility with certain car systems

Requested features

6 requests
  • Repeat functionality
  • Ability to edit metadata
  • Better offline management and browsing
  • Apple Watch app
  • Airplay and casting support
Show 1 more
  • Customizable home screen and layout

In-app purchases

None

Roon

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Plexamp

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Plex Pass$6.991 Month
  • Yearly Plex Pass$69.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Plex Pass$979.00

Questions

Is Roon free?
Roon is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Plexamp free?
Plexamp is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Roon or Plexamp?
Plexamp is rated higher. Roon averages 3.6 out of 5 from 556 ratings, while Plexamp averages 4.7 from 10K ratings.
Do Roon or Plexamp have ads?
Neither Roon nor Plexamp shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Roon or Plexamp?
Roon ships an update every 3 weeks, and Plexamp every 2 weeks. Most recently, Roon was updated on September 24, 2026 and Plexamp on September 24, 2026.

Other comparisons