Sonstream vs Ferric
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
Sonstream
Stream music without ads or subscriptions. Search for any track, build your personal jukebox, and create custom compilation albums. Sign in to your account to listen.
- Ad-free music streaming
- No subscription required
- Pay per play model
- Searchable music catalog
- Build personal jukebox
- Create compilation albums
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Music streaming made simple. No Advertising, No Subscription, just Great "Pay per Play" Music Streaming... Search for any track either from our catalog or from third-party sellers, build your own Jukebox album collection, and create your own compilation albums. Sign in with your Sonstream account and listen.
Ferric
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Ferric brings back the cassette tape as a real music player for your iPhone. Not a gimmick, not just a skin over your library. A full cassette experience where you build the tapes, curate the tracks, and watch the reels spin while your music plays. MAKE YOUR TAPES Start by picking a shell. Chrome, midnight black, amber, clear, oxide brown, electric blue, or retro. Each one has its own look and feel. Give your cassette a name, then fill both sides with songs from your music library or Apple Music. Side A and Side B are real. Flip the tape during playback just like you would with a physical cassette. The progress carries over correctly, the reels spin the right direction, and the tape fills up as you listen. DECORATE THEM Every cassette has a drawing surface you can paint on. Use the pen tool to write labels, draw art, or scribble whatever feels right. Swap between colors, adjust the brush size, drop in stickers, or grab the eraser. You can decorate the front, the back, and the top spine. It is your tape. PLAY YOUR MUSIC The player shows your cassette up close with both reels animating in real time. The supply reel shrinks and the takeup reel grows as the tape runs, using the same physics as a physical cassette. The reels spin faster near the end of the tape and slower near the start. Tap forward or back to skip tracks. Hold to seek. The speed ramps up the longer you hold, so scrubbing through a long tape stays quick. Lock screen controls and background playback work the same as any music app. BUILT-IN WEAR Every cassette accumulates wear as you listen. Scratches and surface marks appear gradually, placed deterministically based on each cassette's own wear pattern. No two tapes age the same way. Heavy-use tapes start to show it. YOUR LIBRARY All your cassettes live in a grid view. Tap any one to see its track listing in a style that mirrors the J-cards that used to come inside cassette cases. From there you can flip to the other side, launch the player, or open the drawing editor. WHAT FERRIC IS NOT It is not a streaming service. It does not generate playlists or make recommendations. It is a deliberate, analog-feeling way to organize and play music you already own or have access to through Apple Music. Building a cassette takes a minute. That is the point.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sonstream at none against Ferric's 1. Sonstream also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Ferric sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Sonstream asks for nothing beyond the download.
Sonstream ships an update every 3 weeks, Ferric every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sonstream | Ferric |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | โ |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks โ better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No โ better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | โ |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod โ better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 โ better | 17.0 |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 53 MB | 28 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sonstream Ltd | Faith Branch Software LLC |
In-app purchases
Sonstream
No in-app purchases
Ferric
- Ferric Premium$4.99









