mStream Player vs Sonora
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
mStream Player
Stream your personal music library from a self-hosted server directly to your mobile device. Browse folders, search by artist or album, and create dynamic playlists with Auto DJ. Enjoy fine volume control, shuffle, and loop features for a personalized listening experience.
- Browse music folders
- Search by artist/album/song
- Create dynamic playlists
- Shuffle and loop playback
- HTTP(S) support
- Authenticated login
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This is a mobile app client for personal and self-hosted mStream music servers (https://github.com/IrosTheBeggar/mStream). Current features: - Browse your music folders - Search in folders - Play music in a folder - Search by artist/album/song - Play an album, song, or playlist - Create dynamic playlists with "Auto DJ" - Fine volume control - Shuffle your queue - Loop a queue or single track - HTTP(S) support - Authenticated & password-less login Note, the app does not support the following features yet: - Playing OGG files - Self-signed certificates The app is completely private. No data is collected.
Sonora
This app provides a smooth and native mobile interface for accessing and streaming your self-hosted music library. Browse artists, albums, and playlists with a fast search and enjoy your personal collection anywhere.
- Browse artists, albums, songs, and playlists
- Fast and clean interface
- Search personal music collection
- Stream music on the go
- Native iPhone experience
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Sonora is a polished Navidrome client for iPhone that brings your self-hosted music library anywhere. Browse artists, albums, songs, and playlists with a fast, clean interface built for everyday listening. Search your collection in seconds, stream your personal library on the go, and enjoy a music experience designed to feel simple, smooth, and native on iPhone. Sonora is built for self-hosted music lovers who want their own library without giving up a great mobile experience. Your music. Your server. Your way.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: mStream Player at 4.6 against Sonora's 4.0. mStream Player also leads on ratings volume (25 vs 4) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.6). Sonora's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 64%) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). On price, ads, monetization model 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
Both are free to download. mStream Player sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Sonora asks for nothing beyond the download.
mStream Player holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: mStream Player has 25 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 64% of mStream Player's written reviews are positive against 100% of Sonora's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
mStream Player ships an update every 5 weeks, Sonora every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | mStream Player | Sonora |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (25 ratings) — better | 4.0 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 63.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 25 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 30 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Niera Tech Inc. | GRANT JAMES MADISON |
Customer experience
mStream Player
Sonora
In-app purchases
mStream Player
- Coffee-Sized Tip$6.99
- Snack-Sized Tip$9.99
- Meal-Sized Tip$14.99
Sonora
No in-app purchases
