PlayingAlbums vs NowPlay Studio
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PlayingAlbums
This app shuffles songs within playlists by album, allowing you to listen to entire albums sequentially. It integrates with Apple Music and iTunes Match, and playlists can be shared across devices. Users can choose to use the standard Music app player or a separate mode.
- Shuffle songs by album
- Integrates with Apple Music/iTunes Match
- Cross-device playlist sharing via iCloud
- Option to use standard Music app player
- Separate player mode available
- Supports multi-disc albums
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If you love music albums, you will listen to an album, then another album, then another...... All your songs or songs in the selected playlist will be shuffled by album. Songs in the selected playlist will play on devices that use iTunes Match or Apple Music, even if they are not downloaded on the device, as long as they are online. Playlists shuffled by albums can be shared with your own devices via iCloud. If you do not use either iTunes Match or Apple Music, the order of songs will be synchronized as long as playlists are synchronized between your devices. If you are a user of PlayingAlbums for macOS, you will share its settings for PlayingAlbums for iPhone. You may not want to listen to songs serially of an album with multiple discs. Disc 2 is sometimes completely different from disc 1. By default, the playing information (playback counts, etc.) will be integrated since PlayingAlbums uses the same player as the standard “Music” app. If you would not like to integrate the information, a new mode has been implemented that does not use the same player as the standard “Music” app. The application does not include any songs or other content; you must first create a playlist, either by importing from a CD or by using a subscription such as Apple Music. The screen shots shows a playlist created by subscribing to an album from Apple Music.
NowPlay Studio
Control your music playback with convenient widgets without needing to open the main application. Display album art, track title, and artist with customizable widget sizes. Enjoy reliable playback controls like play/pause and track skipping.
- Fast playback controls
- Now Playing widget
- Artwork-driven design
- Apple Music support
- Three widget sizes
- Play/pause and skip tracks
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NowPlay Studio gives you fast, beautiful playback controls without opening the app. Add the Now Playing widget in small, medium, or large sizes to see artwork, title, and artist, then tap to play/pause or skip. Apple Music support: reads your existing library; no extra setup. Three widget sizes: optimized layouts for glanceable info and easy controls. Artwork-driven design: colors adapt to your current track for a premium look. Reliable controls: play/pause, next/previous track, and quick refresh.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: NowPlay Studio at Free against PlayingAlbums's $0.99. NowPlay Studio also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 9 months). PlayingAlbums's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
NowPlay Studio is free to download; PlayingAlbums costs $0.99 up front. NowPlay Studio sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. PlayingAlbums asks for nothing beyond the download.
PlayingAlbums ships an update every 9 months, NowPlay Studio every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PlayingAlbums | NowPlay Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Yuki Kuroki | MAROSCH UG (haftungsbeschränkt) |
Customer experience
PlayingAlbums
NowPlay Studio
In-app purchases
PlayingAlbums
No in-app purchases
NowPlay Studio
- Background Styles$1.99
- Widget Controls$1.99
- Quick Play Widget$1.99









