Comparison

DeadSpread vs Play Dead

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

Head to head
About

DeadSpread

Access and stream a vast collection of live concert recordings from bands like the Grateful Dead and Widespread Panic. Download your favorite shows to enjoy offline. Discover music from various other jam bands.

Highlights
  • Stream live concert recordings
  • Download shows for offline playback
  • Access archive.org content
  • Discover Widespread Panic shows
  • Explore other jam band artists
Features
Read full description

Stream & download archive.org Grateful Dead Shows and PanicStream.com Widespread Panic shows along with others like Bloodkin, Drivin N Cryin, Jupiter Coyote, Moonshine Still and more.

About

Play Dead

Access a vast library of officially remastered live Grateful Dead concert recordings. Discover previously unreleased shows every week, including rare CD-only releases now available in high-resolution audio. Listen across your devices with seamless playback.

Highlights
  • Official Grateful Dead live recordings
  • Hi-res remastered audio
  • Exclusive 'Dead Drops' weekly
  • CD-only releases now streaming
  • Vault organized by year
  • Cross-device listening
  • Apple CarPlay support
Features
Currently charting
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Play Dead is the official Grateful Dead streaming app, offering unprecedented hi-res access to the Grateful Dead Vault of live recordings. For the first time, the band’s live legacy is brought together in a single official streaming service, with newly transferred and mastered recordings from the original sources. Previously unreleased shows - called Dead Drops - will be available every Tuesday, augmenting the catalog of official live Grateful Dead releases, many of which have never been available on any streaming service. The Vault Unlocked Exclusive Hi-Res Recordings Access new high resolution transfers, mastered for the first time and available exclusively on Play Dead. Dead Drops Every Tuesday Previously unreleased recordings added, every Tuesday, curated by Grateful Dead archivist and legacy manager David Lemieux, mastered for the first time by David Glasser. CD-Only Releases, Now Streaming Shows previously available only on CD from box sets and Dave’s Picks are now streaming for the first time -only on Play Dead- in higher-than-CD-quality. The Vault by Year Live recordings are presented in order of performance date for the first time in the band’s history. Play Dead brings together three decades of live recordings into a single, evolving app designed for both longtime Dead Heads and those who just got on the bus. Listen Anywhere Listen and resume listening across devices, including Apple CarPlay. Subscription Subscriptions available starting at $9.99/month or $99.99/year. Official Access to the Grateful Dead Vault Created for Grateful Dead Productions and Rhino Entertainment, longtime stewards of the Grateful Dead catalog. Built by nugs, the leading platform for live music. For nugs Subscribers Play Dead is also available as an add-on to nugs. PlayDead Payment and Auto-Renewal Terms: Play Dead offers auto-renewing monthly and annual subscriptions to stream music from the Play Dead catalog. Two subscription types are available, monthly (30 days) and annual (365 days). All subscriptions auto-renew. A Play Dead monthly subscription is $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year for new users. Plans auto-renew at $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year after the first year. Payment will be charged to the iTunes Account at the time of your purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Accounts will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the users Account Settings after purchase. Terms of Use at http://nugs.net/terms.aspx Privacy Policy at http://nugs.net/privacy.aspx

Screenshots

DeadSpread4 screens
Play Dead4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: DeadSpread at 4.8 against Play Dead's 4.3. DeadSpread also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and review sentiment (90% vs 64%). Play Dead's advantage is chart position (#102 vs unranked). On price, ratings volume and ads 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. Play Dead sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. DeadSpread asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

DeadSpread holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 103 and 93 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of DeadSpread's written reviews are positive against 64% of Play Dead's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DeadSpread ships an update weekly, Play Dead every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
DeadSpread versus Play Dead: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDeadSpreadPlay Dead
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (103 ratings) — better4.3 (93 ratings)
Positive reviews90.0% of reviews — better64.3% of reviews
Number of ratings103 — better93
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 4 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#102 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB88 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperWalter Sandersnugs.net enterprises, LLC

Customer experience

DeadSpread

All ratings102 ratings
Positive96.1%
Neutral1.0%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews20 reviews
Positive90.0%
Neutral5.0%
Negative5.0%

Play Dead

All ratings92 ratings
Positive80.4%
Neutral8.7%
Negative10.9%
Written reviews42 reviews
Positive64.3%
Neutral14.3%
Negative21.4%

In-app purchases

None

DeadSpread

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Play Dead

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Yearly$99.991 Year

Questions

Is DeadSpread free?
DeadSpread is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Play Dead free?
Play Dead is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, DeadSpread or Play Dead?
DeadSpread is rated higher. DeadSpread averages 4.8 out of 5 from 103 ratings, while Play Dead averages 4.3 from 93 ratings.
Do DeadSpread or Play Dead have ads?
Neither DeadSpread nor Play Dead shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DeadSpread or Play Dead?
DeadSpread ships an update weekly, and Play Dead every 4 weeks. Most recently, DeadSpread was updated on October 24, 2026 and Play Dead on October 25, 2026.

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