Comparison

good music machine vs Start Playing

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

Head to head
About

good music machine

Features
Read full description

good music machine is made for people who love a well organized library and wish the column browser was available on iOS. - Play music in your local or cloud library
- Play mp3 or m4a files in a local or iCloud drive folder
- A folder of files uses the files’ metadata to build your library.
- iCloud files can be downloaded to your device for offline play. - Supports CarPlay - Uses logical columns (genre, album, artist) for finding your music - You can search any of the lists - You can turn off the genre column - Optionally you can filter using an additional composer column for classical music (or any genre you prefer) - You can browse your albums by album art or just text If you have questions, comments, feedback or found a bug, feel free to contact me! Note: good music machine is not entirely free. 
The first 25 artists for both the music library or a folder of files are free.
If you want to use a bigger library you can take a subscription for $0,99 per year with a 1 month trial for new users. 
Using a subscription model supports future development. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Start Playing

Streamline your music listening by selecting multiple playlists to play seamlessly. Enjoy intelligent shuffling, original playlist order playback, or artist-avoidance for a smoother audio experience.

Highlights
  • Select multiple playlists
  • Intelligent shuffling
  • Original playlist order playback
  • Avoid back-to-back artists
  • Clean and intentional playback
Read full description

Apple Music is an incredible app - lyrics, discovery, radio, playlists, and more. But when all you want to do is pick a few playlists and press play, things can feel more complicated than they need to be. Start Playing focuses on that one simple idea. Select multiple playlists, then just play them: cleanly and intentionally. Shuffle intelligently, play songs in their original playlist order, or avoid back-to-back artists when possible for a smoother flow. Whether you’re heading to the gym, getting in the car, or letting music run in the background, Start Playing stays out of the way and lets your music take center stage.

Screenshots

good music machine4 screens
Start Playing3 screens

Verdict

The call

good music machine and Start Playing are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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

Both are free to download. good music machine sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per year and Start Playing sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
good music machine versus Start Playing: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parametergood music machineStart Playing
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDaan van de WestelakenBrian Simmons

In-app purchases

1 purchases

good music machine

Subscriptions1
  • Unlock app1 Month trial$0.991 Year
1 purchases

Start Playing

One-time1
  • Unlimited Play$2.99

Questions

Is good music machine free?
good music machine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Start Playing free?
Start Playing is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do good music machine or Start Playing have ads?
Neither good music machine nor Start Playing shows ads.

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