Comparison

MPDPlayer vs JPLAY

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

Head to head
About

MPDPlayer

Control your MPD server with this app, featuring queue management, playlist editing, and server search. Unlock advanced features like widget and watch app control through an optional subscription.

Highlights
  • Control current queue
  • List recently added songs
  • Add and modify playlists
  • Search MPD server
  • Widget control (IAP)
  • Watch app control (IAP)
Features
Read full description

With MPDPlayer you can control your MPD-Server. It includes a Widget and a Watch App to control quickly your Server. The App provides features like: * Control your current queue * List your recently added songs (Last 2 Weeks) * Add and modify your Playlists * Searching through your MPD-Server * Control your MPD-Server easily with your Watch App (only with In-App-Purchase) * Control your MPD-Server easily with a Widget (only with In-App-Purchase) This app is financed by advertising to be offered free of charge. In addition, this app contains a subscription to remove this advertising for one year. In addition to removing the ad, the interaction with the widget and the watch app will be unlocked. Without this subscription, they will each display the necessary information, but any interaction is not possible. This entire "Premium" package can be purchased for one year, which will automatically be renewed after one year, unless automatic renewal is turned off 24 hours before the start of the next period. Here are the terms of use of the app: https://mpdplayer.de/en/terms-of-use.html Here are the privacy policy of the app: https://mpdplayer.de/en/privacy-policy.html By downloading and installing this App, you agree that you have read and accept these Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy.

About

JPLAY

This app is a high-fidelity music player designed for audiophiles. It seamlessly integrates streaming services like Qobuz and Tidal with local music files, offering a unified interface for all your audio content. Experience superior sound quality and discover new music through its intuitive design and advanced features.

Highlights
  • Plays Qobuz, Tidal, and local music files
  • Works with most streamers and network DACs
  • HQPlayer Control API integration
  • Dramatically better sound quality
  • Radio feature for music discovery
  • Extended playlist management
  • Artist bios and album reviews
Features
Read full description

JPLAY is an award winning music playback app for audiophiles. It works instantly with nearly every streamer or network DAC on the market. It combines Qobuz, Tidal and local content in a single interface allowing user to access each library separately. Main features: • Beautiful, clean and easy to use app allowing you to play music on nearly all streamers/network DACs - no core needed! (UPnP AV/DLNA) • Plays from Qobuz, Tidal and files on local libraries • HQPlayer Control API – Seamlessly integrate and remotely control HQPlayer directly from JPLAY • Dramatically better sound quality thanks to minimizing network traffic • Radio feature discovers new music for you • Single library, individual library and folder views • Extended playlists management • Advanced search, sort, focus • Artists bios, album reviews etc • Highlighted audiophile formats • My Activity, My history keep your playback stats • Native iOS controls from locked screen • Sharing your favorite music on social media • And much, much more! JPLAY requires an active subscription to access its content and features. Sign up for a JPLAY subscription in the app. New users can enjoy a 14-day free trial period that will be automatically converted into a yearly subscription. Subscription is automatically renewed and charged on a yearly basis. You can cancel it at any time up until the day before renewal and you can at any time turn off the auto renewal.

Screenshots

MPDPlayer4 screens
JPLAY4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: MPDPlayer at free with in-app purchases against JPLAY's subscription. JPLAY's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (52 vs 6). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases 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. MPDPlayer sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per year and JPLAY sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $49.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for MPDPlayer against 4.3 for JPLAY. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: JPLAY has 52 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 67% of MPDPlayer's written reviews are positive against 59% of JPLAY's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MPDPlayer ships an update every 6 weeks, JPLAY every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on June 9, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
MPDPlayer versus JPLAY: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMPDPlayerJPLAY
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (6 ratings)4.3 (52 ratings)
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews — better58.9% of reviews
Number of ratings652 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB50 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdrian BerishaMarcin Ostapowicz

Customer experience

MPDPlayer

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

JPLAY

All ratings52 ratings
Positive80.8%
Neutral5.8%
Negative13.5%
Written reviews190 reviews
Positive58.9%
Neutral6.3%
Negative34.7%

Bugs and requests

MPDPlayer

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

JPLAY

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • Tracks fail to render or play from Tidal
  • App crashes on startup with older iOS versions
  • Playback stuttering and lag issues
  • Renderer in transition errors
  • Device discovery failures
Show 9 more
  • Missing cover art for local files
  • Playback gets stuck at end of songs
  • Random track order despite settings
  • Skips tracks mid-playback
  • Connection drops with certain streamers
  • Metadata not syncing properly
  • Album art not loading from Synology/Plex servers
  • Qobuz favorites import not working
  • Tidal playlist suggestions missing

Requested features

16 requests
  • Monthly subscription option
  • Cross-device synchronization for playlists and favorites
  • EQ and tone adjustment controls
  • DSD file playback support
  • Multi-room audio capability
Show 11 more
  • Apple Watch control support
  • AirPlay support
  • Android version
  • Gapless playback improvement
  • Family sharing support
  • Apple Music integration
  • Internet radio support
  • Volume control in player screen
  • Automatic iCloud backup between devices
  • WebDAV support
  • Better error messages for troubleshooting

In-app purchases

1 purchases

MPDPlayer

Subscriptions1
  • Premium (1 Year)$1.991 Year
3 purchases

JPLAY

Subscriptions1
  • JPLAY Premium14 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time2
  • Lifetime$149.00
  • JPLAY Lifetime$199.00

Questions

Is MPDPlayer free?
MPDPlayer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is JPLAY free?
JPLAY is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, MPDPlayer or JPLAY?
MPDPlayer and JPLAY are both rated 4.3 out of 5 on the App Store, from 6 and 52 ratings respectively.
Do MPDPlayer or JPLAY have ads?
MPDPlayer shows ads; JPLAY does not.
Which is updated more often, MPDPlayer or JPLAY?
MPDPlayer ships an update every 6 weeks, and JPLAY every 3 weeks. Most recently, MPDPlayer was updated on June 9, 2026 and JPLAY on September 25, 2026.

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