Comparison

Radio Unit vs Relic Waves

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

Relic Waves

Generate unique Lo-Fi sounds, pads, and effects using advanced synthesis algorithms. Explore billions of sonic possibilities with intuitive controls and real-time recording. Perfect for musicians and sound designers seeking experimental audio.

Highlights
  • Billions of unique Lo-Fi sounds
  • Random sound generation with search
  • Multiple keyboard input options
  • Real-time audio recording to WAV
  • Export to WAV, SunVox, and clipboard
  • MIDI control and processing
  • iOS Audio Unit Extension (AUv3)
Features
Read full description

Relic Waves is a generator of Lo-Fi noises, pads and effects based on unique synthesis algorithms from NightRadio. More than 4 billion samples from the depths of the Mathematical Universe! Features: * search for new sounds with three buttons: next random set, edit code, previous set; each set of 12 sounds corresponds to a code of 8 characters; * three types of keyboards for live performing: on-screen buttons, PC keyboard, MIDI input; * several processing parameters + control via MIDI; * real-time audio recording to WAV (32-bit); * export to: WAV (one file or a set), SunVox (samples + effects in one file), text clipboard; * the LCK button freezes individual samples - they will not change during the search for new sets; * iOS Audio Unit Extension (AUv3). Double clicking on a parameter opens a window for setting the exact value. If you enable the Hold option, the notes will play endlessly, without reacting to key release (noteOff) events; turning the note on again works like turning it off; there are two ways to enable this option: 1) using the Hold parameter in the "MIDI Mapping" window; 2) by pressing the HOLD button, which appears in place of LCK while playing the musical keyboard: press HOLD, release the desired notes - then the released notes will continue to play.

Screenshots

Radio Unit2 screens
Relic Waves1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Relic Waves at 5.0 against Radio Unit's 4.6. Relic Waves also leads on price ($1.99 vs $6.99) and review sentiment (100% vs 81%). Radio Unit's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 11 months). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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 Relic Waves $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Relic Waves holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 59 and 42 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of Radio Unit's written reviews are positive against 100% of Relic Waves's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Radio Unit ships an update every 2 months, Relic Waves every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on September 13, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Radio Unit versus Relic Waves: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRadio UnitRelic Waves
Price$6.99$1.99 — better
Rating4.6 (59 ratings)5.0 (42 ratings) — better
Positive reviews81.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings59 — better42
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 11 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.612.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBeepStreetAlexander Zolotov

Customer experience

Radio Unit

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

Relic Waves

All ratings42 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Radio Unit

No in-app purchases

None

Relic Waves

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Radio Unit free?
Radio Unit costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Relic Waves free?
Relic Waves costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Radio Unit or Relic Waves?
Relic Waves is rated higher. Radio Unit averages 4.6 out of 5 from 59 ratings, while Relic Waves averages 5.0 from 42 ratings.
Do Radio Unit or Relic Waves have ads?
Neither Radio Unit nor Relic Waves shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Radio Unit or Relic Waves?
Radio Unit ships an update every 2 months, and Relic Waves every 11 months. Most recently, Radio Unit was updated on September 13, 2026 and Relic Waves on September 22, 2026.

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