Comparison

SonoBus vs BONKO Streamer

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

Head to head
About

SonoBus

Stream high-quality, low-latency peer-to-peer audio with multiple users over the internet or a local network. Connect for music creation, remote sessions, or podcasts, with options for recording and playback. Supports standalone use or as a plugin with compatible hosts.

Highlights
  • Low-latency peer-to-peer audio streaming
  • Connect multiple users
  • Record and playback audio
  • Standalone app and plugin support
  • Adjustable audio quality
  • Public and private groups
Features
Read full description

SonoBus is an easy to use application for streaming high-quality, low-latency peer-to-peer audio between devices over the internet or a local network. Simply choose a unique group name (with optional password), and instantly connect multiple people together to make music, remote sessions, podcasts, etc. Easily record the audio from everyone, as well as playback any audio content to the whole group. Public groups are also available, for those interested in connecting to new people. Connects multiple users together across the internet to send and receive audio among all in a group, with fine-grained control over latency, quality and overall mix. Use it on your desktop or in your DAW, or on your mobile device. You can also use it locally on your own LAN to send audio among your devices with low latency. Works as a standalone application. as an AudioUnit v3 plugin with a compatible host app, or via Interapp-Audio. You can connect to others using SonoBus on any of the other platforms it runs on. Easy to setup and use, yet still providing all the details that audio nerds want to see. Audio quality can be instantly adjusted from full uncompressed PCM down through various compressed bitrates using the low-latency Opus codec. SonoBus does NOT use any echo cancellation, or automatic noise reduction in order to maintain the highest audio quality. As a result, if you have a live microphone signal you will need to also use headphones to prevent echos and/or feedback. SonoBus does NOT currently use any encryption for the data communication, so while it is very unlikely that it will be intercepted, please keep that in mind. All audio is sent directly between users peer-to-peer, the connection server is only used so that the users in a group can find each other. For best results, and to achieve the lowest latencies, connect your device with wired ethernet to your router. Little known fact, you can use USB ethernet interfaces with your iOS device using the proper adapter (USB camera connection kit, or natively with USB-C apple devices). It *will* work using WiFi, but the added network jitter and packet loss will require you to use a bigger safety buffer to maintain a quality audio signal, which results in higher latencies, which may or may not be acceptable for your use case.

About

BONKO Streamer

Features
Read full description

Hear your mix where it matters - on your phone. BONKO Streamer sends the master bus of your macOS DAW to your iPhone over the same local Wi-Fi. Check mix changes while the session is playing instead of bouncing, transferring, and opening a new file after every revision. HOW IT WORKS 1. Install the free signed and notarized BONKO Streamer VST3 for macOS 2. Put the plugin on your DAW master bus and open its window 3. Open BONKO on iPhone, allow Camera and Local Network access, and scan the QR code 4. Press play in the DAW and listen on the phone WHY BONKO - Make phone-speaker translation checks while the DAW session stays open - Use the normal local route on the same Wi-Fi - Keep an active stream playing when the screen is locked - Enter the shown IP:port manually if you do not use the scanner - No account, advertising, analytics, or tracking COMPATIBILITY The current desktop release is for macOS DAWs that load VST3, including Ableton Live, Cubase, Studio One, FL Studio, and REAPER. Other VST3 hosts may work but are not all individually certified. Logic Pro and GarageBand do not load VST3 and are not supported by this release. Windows is not supported by the current installer. Network conditions affect playback and delay. BONKO is a phone translation check, not a replacement for reference monitors. Get the free desktop plugin and setup guide at bonko.phil-thebeat.com. Made by producers, for producers - powered by Phil The Beat and David "DAJU" BONK.

Screenshots

SonoBus4 screens
BONKO Streamer4 screens

Verdict

The call

SonoBus and BONKO Streamer are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
SonoBus versus BONKO Streamer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSonoBusBONKO Streamer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (46 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings46 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size51 MB2 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperSonosaurus LLCJan Philipp Joseph Bednorz

In-app purchases

None

SonoBus

No in-app purchases

None

BONKO Streamer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SonoBus free?
SonoBus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BONKO Streamer free?
BONKO Streamer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do SonoBus or BONKO Streamer have ads?
Neither SonoBus nor BONKO Streamer shows ads.

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