Session Studio vs Ancient
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Session Studio
This app helps musicians and producers manage song rights and credits from creation to release. It facilitates collaboration by allowing users to share audio, lyrics, and notes, and ensures accurate royalty payments by injecting creator metadata into the music ecosystem.
- Collaborate with music creators
- Share audio, lyrics, notes, voice memos
- Synchronize song information from DAWs
- Log creator credits via QR check-in
- Manage releases and label copy
- Cross-platform access (mobile, desktop, web)
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Session Studio is the must-have music collaboration tool for music creators, producers and musicians who want to manage their song rights and credits, from the studio right through to release. • Collaborate with music creators by uploading & sharing audio, lyrics, notes and voice memos. • Synchronize song information from major DAWs and recording software to the Session Studio App (desktop only) • Log creator credits and identifiers from all collaborators via QR check-in. • Manage your releases and label copy. • Access to the app across mobile, desktop and web. The Session Studio app collects all creator metadata and ensures it’s injected authoritatively into the music ecosystem (labels, distributors, publishing rights organizations, streaming platforms), facilitating correct creator credits and accurate, timely music royalty payments. Make music, get credit. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Ancient
A personal music player that lets you organize, customize, and enjoy your own audio files and album art. It offers a subscription-free, ad-free, and offline listening experience with extensive customization options for your library and player.
- Import audio files from Files app or USB
- Edit metadata for artists, albums, and songs
- Add custom artwork for artists, albums, and playlists
- Customize library theme (colors, fonts, text size)
- Offline playback without internet connection
- Export library, metadata, playlists, and themes
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Ancient is an audio library and music player for those who want to curate, customize, and connect with their music listening experience using their own files and album art. Experience a simple and more personal way to connect with your music. No subscription, no ads, no internet connection needed, no login, no data collection, no in-app purchases, just you and your favorite tunes. Organize: - Import your files directly from the Files app on your phone or via USB from Finder - Supports MP3, FLAC, M4A, WAV, AAC, AIFF, and AIF audio file formats - Edit metadata for artists, albums, and songs for any file type - Optional automatic compilation grouping Enjoy: - Search or browse by artist, album, song, or playlist - Add custom artwork for artists and playlists - Add custom image collections for albums - Zoom, pan, and swipe through album art collections while listening - Customize the theme of the library and player (colors, fonts, text size, rounding, borders, shadows, artwork display, and which tabs appear) - Non-repeating shuffle aware of your current tab (artists, albums, songs, or playlists) Archive: - Export your library, metadata edits, playlists, settings, and custom artwork - Export playlists with embedded custom artwork and tracklists - Export and import themes Any questions, issues, or feedback, please contact at ancientaudioplayer@gmail.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Session Studio at Free against Ancient's $9.99. Session Studio also leads on ratings volume (199 vs 4). Ancient's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 63%) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Session Studio is free to download; Ancient costs $9.99 up front. Session Studio sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $6.99 per month. Ancient asks for nothing beyond the download.
Ancient holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Session Studio has 199 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of Session Studio's written reviews are positive against 100% of Ancient's.
Session Studio ships an update monthly, Ancient every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Session Studio | Ancient |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $9.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (199 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 63.2% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 199 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 83 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Session.id | Spiral Lab LLC |
Customer experience
Session Studio
Ancient
In-app purchases
Session Studio
- Creator Tier - Monthly$6.991 Month
Ancient
No in-app purchases
