Comparison

iRainwave Player vs Plexamp

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

Head to head
About

iRainwave Player

Listen to video game music from a popular interactive radio website. This app offers a native experience with unique features like automatic voting, Siri integration, and notifications for requests and unrated songs. An account on the website is recommended for full functionality.

Highlights
  • Interactive radio streams
  • Automatic song voting
  • Now Playing artwork/info
  • Request queue notifications
  • Unrated song alerts
  • Siri and Shortcuts integration
  • watchOS companion app
Features
Read full description

Rainwave (rainwave.cc) is an interactive radio website that allows users to request, rate, and vote for songs in real time. The site hosts five separate radio streams and focuses completely on video game music. The iRainwave Player provides a native experience to access and listen to music on rainwave.cc while adding features and functionality that the website cannot provide. Please note, an account at https://rainwave.cc is recommended for full functionality of this app. Unique Features: - watchOS companion app - Automatic voting for a hands off listening experience - Now Playing artwork and information over Bluetooth/CarPlay - Request queue refill notifications - Unrated songs notifications to help curate your profile - Siri integration, try 'Hey Siri, play station OC Remix on rainwave' - Shorcuts and Automation integration [Icons by Icons8]

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

iRainwave Player4 screens
Plexamp4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: iRainwave Player at none against Plexamp's 3. iRainwave Player also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 75%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Plexamp's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (10K vs 19). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

iRainwave Player holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Plexamp has 10K ratings behind it against 19, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of iRainwave Player's written reviews are positive against 75% of Plexamp's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iRainwave Player ships an update every 4 months, Plexamp every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
iRainwave Player versus Plexamp: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriRainwave PlayerPlexamp
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (19 ratings) — better4.7 (10K ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better75.4% of reviews
Number of ratings1910K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.3 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB44 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAndrew WatersonPlex Inc.

Customer experience

iRainwave Player

All ratings19 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Plexamp

All ratings9,958 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral1.9%
Negative4.0%
Written reviews1,613 reviews
Positive75.4%
Neutral6.5%
Negative18.1%

Bugs and requests

iRainwave Player

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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

iRainwave Player

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 iRainwave Player free?
iRainwave Player 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, iRainwave Player or Plexamp?
iRainwave Player is rated higher. iRainwave Player averages 5.0 out of 5 from 19 ratings, while Plexamp averages 4.7 from 10K ratings.
Do iRainwave Player or Plexamp have ads?
Neither iRainwave Player nor Plexamp shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iRainwave Player or Plexamp?
iRainwave Player ships an update every 4 months, and Plexamp every 2 weeks. Most recently, iRainwave Player was updated on October 3, 2026 and Plexamp on October 22, 2026.

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