# HiByMusic vs EffectDeck

The clearest difference is review sentiment: EffectDeck at 96% against HiByMusic's 42%. EffectDeck also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.4) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 months). HiByMusic's advantage is ratings volume (143 vs 12) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 27.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

EffectDeck holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HiByMusic has 143 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 42% of HiByMusic's written reviews are positive against 96% of EffectDeck's.

HiByMusic ships an update every 3 months, EffectDeck every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HiByMusic | EffectDeck |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.4 (143 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hibymusic/id1048838844/reviews) | **[4.8 (12 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/effectdeck/id6812467517/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **143** | 12 |
| Positive reviews | 42.0% of reviews | **95.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 48 MB | 16 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 27.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dongguan Hiby Music Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1048838843) | [Masahiro Sato](https://appshunter.io/developer/1818044954) |

## What reviewers say

### HiByMusic

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hibymusic/id1048838844)

A free, high-fidelity audio player for audiophiles and music lovers. It supports a wide range of lossless and lossy formats, offering high-precision decoding and advanced audio features for a premium listening experience.

**Highlights:** Wide lossless/lossy audio format support, CUE sheets and ISO image support, High precision decoding (32-bit output, 64-bit float), External USB DAC support, Gapless playback, 10 band graphic EQ, MSEB support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎵 Excellent hi-res audio support (DSD, FLAC, WAV, APE)
- 🆓 Free app without ads or hidden fees
- 🎨 Clean and intuitive user interface
- 🔗 HibyLink functionality for controlling compatible devices
- ⚙️ Effective equalizer and DSP effects

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
- 📱 Poor iOS optimization compared to Android version
- 🔌 Unreliable Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity
- 🎯 Clunky and unintuitive user experience
- 🚫 CarPlay support removed in recent updates

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes during music library scanning (around 3,000 files)
- HibyLink connection drops repeatedly
- Music playback stops when app is backgrounded
- Rewind button behavior inconsistent (goes to previous song instead of replaying)
- Album shuffle mixing with existing playlist songs

**Requested features**

- Manual playlist reordering
- ID3 tag editing capability
- Folder-based music library scanning
- Album artist sorting (not just track artist)
- Album favorites/bookmarking


### EffectDeck

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/effectdeck/id6812467517)

Process audio from any app with a customizable chain of effects. Add built-in, AUv3, or custom JSFX plugins. Share your audio chains and scripts easily.

**Highlights:** 100+ built-in audio effects, JSFX script support, AUv3 plugin integration, Custom impulse responses, Audio analysis tools, Preset management, Chain and script sharing

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HiByMusic free?

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

### Is EffectDeck free?

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

### Which has better reviews, HiByMusic or EffectDeck?

EffectDeck is rated higher. HiByMusic averages 3.4 out of 5 from 143 ratings, while EffectDeck averages 4.8 from 12 ratings.

### Do HiByMusic or EffectDeck have ads?

Neither HiByMusic nor EffectDeck shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, HiByMusic or EffectDeck?

HiByMusic ships an update every 3 months, and EffectDeck every 3 days. Most recently, HiByMusic was updated on November 2, 2026 and EffectDeck on October 31, 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.*