Comparison

Radio Unit vs Sitala

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

Head to head
About

Radio Unit

Stream over 35,000 internet radio stations with this app. Enhance your audio experience by using it as an AUv3 plugin with other compatible music apps. Discover new music and save your favorites.

Highlights
  • Access 35,000+ radio stations
  • Enhance audio with AUv3 plugins
  • Intuitive interface
  • Song discovery and saving
  • Favorites sync across devices
  • MIDI control for AUv3 plugin
Read full description

Discover a world of music with Radio Unit, a sleek and powerful Internet radio player with a built-in Audio Unit (AUv3) plugin.  Elevate your listening experience by enhancing streaming audio in real time using your favorite third-party audio processing plugins (not included) within AUv3-compatible hosts like Drambo or GarageBand. Features: • Intuitive Interface: Enjoy a clean, user-friendly design for effortless navigation. • Song Discovery: Tap to add the currently playing song to your favorites, then open it in the Apple Music app or search for it on Google. • Massive Station Library: Access over 35,000 radio stations—search by name, browse by genre or location, and sort by popularity. • Favorites Sync: Save stations and songs to your favorites list, seamlessly synced across your devices. • AUv3 Integration: Use Radio Unit as a standalone app or as an AUv3 plugin in hosts like Drambo, GarageBand, and more, with support for multiple plugin instances. • MIDI Mapping: Control buttons can be triggered by MIDI Note events (C3 to F3). (AUv3 only) • Battery Efficient: Stream music without draining your device. The app requires internet connection.

About

Sitala

This app is a versatile drum sampler for music creators, allowing you to add percussion sounds to various music software or use it standalone for finger drumming. It features 16 pads, a sample browser, and tools to sculpt your sounds.

Highlights
  • 16 velocity-sensitive drum pads
  • Sample browser with folder swiping
  • Automatic drum loop slicing
  • AudioUnit v3 plugin support
  • Editable sample start/end points
  • Sample shaping and tone controls
  • Multi-output support
Features
Read full description

Sitala is a drum sampler for music creators that can add percussion sounds to Garage Band, Cubasis, AUM or any music software that supports Apple's AudioUnits. It can also be used on its own for finger-drumming or driven by a controller like a keyboard or drum pad. It has 16 slots that start off with our factory kits, but you can load your own sounds using our sample browser or drop in a drum loop and have Sitala slice it automatically. Sitala features: • 16 drum pads, each of which can play a user-assigned sample • Sample browser that lets you quickly swipe through all samples in a folder without importing each individual sample • 3 built-in drum kits: 808, retro and hip-hop • AudioUnit v3 plugin • Beat-slicer that automatically slices loops into individual drum sounds • Velocity sensitive, MIDI mappable pads • Special finger drumming mode with 4 giant pads for often used samples • Editable start and end points for each sample • A separate output for each pad (in multi-out mode) for hosts that support such (e.g. AUM and Cubasis) • Sitala for iOS can load kits created by Sitala for the desktop (macOS, Windows and Linux) and vice versa Six controls to sculpt each sample: • Shape: adjust the attack, length and sustain of your sounds while the overall volume remains constant • Compression: make your sounds punchier with more sustain Automatic gain makeup maintains the overall volume while chainging dynamics • Tuning: pitch sounds up or down by up to one octave while showing you exactly where the current sound falls in the frequency spectrum • Tone: emphasizes the highs or lows in a sound. Accentuate or scoop the midrange to position the sound in the mix. Adapts based on the pitch content of each sound • Volume • Pan

Screenshots

Radio Unit2 screens
Sitala4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Sitala at 4.8 against Radio Unit's 4.6. Radio Unit's advantage is price ($6.99 vs $9.99). On review sentiment, ratings volume, update cadence 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

Radio Unit costs $6.99 and Sitala $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sitala holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 59 and 57 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 81% and 81% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Radio Unit versus Sitala: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRadio UnitSitala
Price$6.99 — better$9.99
Rating4.6 (59 ratings)4.8 (57 ratings) — better
Positive reviews81.5% of reviews — better80.6% of reviews
Number of ratings59 — better57
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.614 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB28 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBeepStreetDecomposer

Customer experience

Radio Unit

All ratings59 ratings
Positive89.8%
Neutral3.4%
Negative6.8%
Written reviews54 reviews
Positive81.5%
Neutral9.3%
Negative9.3%

Sitala

All ratings57 ratings
Positive93.0%
Neutral3.5%
Negative3.5%
Written reviews36 reviews
Positive80.6%
Neutral11.1%
Negative8.3%

Bugs and requests

Radio Unit

Reported bugs

17 issues
  • Cannot remove recognized songs
  • Cannot remove favorite saved songs (Mac)
  • Last update ruined experience with loading times and connection issues
  • Sadé channel frequently disconnects
  • Some stations don’t connect at all
Show 12 more
  • Cannot see song title/artist
  • Seamless integration with GarageBand and Logic Pro doesn't work
  • Cannot change station with MIDI, LFOs etc. after update
  • Cubasis 3 can’t find app
  • BBC streams no longer play
  • Cannot edit user slots after adding of link
  • Links not working
  • Cannot add user slots ('see the developer to unlock slots')
  • Adding stations near impossible
  • Failed URL slot flashes red and is inaccessible
  • Cannot paste other URLs
  • Cannot record and sample the feed into DAW

Requested features

13 requests
  • Option to remove or filter hostile nations
  • Add more stations (Golha radio, IRIB radio)
  • Ability to organize, tag, and edit stream specifications
  • Ability to use with CarPlay
  • Pitch slider within the app to slow down radio in real time
Show 8 more
  • More user presets/slots
  • iCloud sync for recently played stations and discovered pieces
  • Ability to change station with MIDI, LFOs etc. (post-update issue)
  • More exposed parameters for tweaking
  • Greater resources for slots (folders/sections)
  • Import/export presets list
  • Assign MIDI CC to volume knob and channel switch buttons
  • Support for streams in OGG container format

Sitala

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Radio Unit

No in-app purchases

None

Sitala

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Radio Unit free?
Radio Unit costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sitala free?
Sitala costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Radio Unit or Sitala?
Sitala is rated higher. Radio Unit averages 4.6 out of 5 from 59 ratings, while Sitala averages 4.8 from 57 ratings.
Do Radio Unit or Sitala have ads?
Neither Radio Unit nor Sitala shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Radio Unit or Sitala?
Radio Unit ships an update every 2 months, and Sitala every 2 months. Most recently, Radio Unit was updated on October 15, 2026 and Sitala on October 16, 2026.

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