# Needle Music vs StudySwap

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: StudySwap at none against Needle Music's 8. On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Needle Music sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. StudySwap asks for nothing beyond the download.

Needle Music ships an update every 2 weeks, StudySwap monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Needle Music | StudySwap |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.2 (360 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/needle-music/id1539883285/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **360** | — |
| Positive reviews | 63.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 43 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Needle Music, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1539883287) | [Nicholas Macher](https://appshunter.io/developer/6777954598) |

## What reviewers say

### Needle Music

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/needle-music/id1539883285)

Connect with other music enthusiasts and discover new tracks. This app analyzes your taste to find a community, allowing you to save, comment on, and share music and playlists from your streaming services.

**Highlights:** Discover new music, Save music to Spotify/Apple Music, Music taste analysis, Community matching, Comment and engage with friends' music, Share songs and playlists

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Needle Premium - Weekly | $0.99 | per 7 days |
| Party Starter | $2.00 | per month |
| Needle Premium - Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Needle Subscription - Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Groove Guru | $8.00 | per month |
| Diamond Certified | $20.00 | per month |
| Needle Subscription - Yearly | $24.00 | per year |
| Needle Premium - Yearly | $24.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎶 Great way to discover and share music
- 🤝 Connects music lovers
- 🎨 Refreshing and unique concept
- 🔍 Excellent for music discovery
- 🎉 Fun and interactive experience

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
- 🕰️ Slow loading times
- 🔒 Forced access to contacts required
- 🔁 Duplicate posts and songs
- 🚫 Lack of delete/edit options for posts

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues and unable to create accounts
- Syncing problems with connected music platforms
- Inconsistent UI behavior and freezing
- Notifications not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Add support for more streaming services (Apple Music, Deezer, etc.)
- Implement dark mode
- Allow users to select song segments to share
- Add follower/following count visibility
- Improve notification system


### StudySwap

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/studyswap/id6788694897)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Needle Music free?

Needle Music is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is StudySwap free?

StudySwap is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Needle Music or StudySwap have ads?

Neither Needle Music nor StudySwap shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Needle Music or StudySwap?

Needle Music ships an update every 2 weeks, and StudySwap monthly. Most recently, Needle Music was updated on October 19, 2026 and StudySwap on October 10, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*