# Records vs Sortwave

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sortwave at none against Records's 3. Sortwave also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 5 weeks) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Records sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Sortwave asks for nothing beyond the download.

Records ships an update every 5 weeks, Sortwave every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Records | Sortwave |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.2 (17 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/records-album-player/id1636029916/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **17** | — |
| Positive reviews | 60.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 23 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [VA Visual Acoustic Technologies GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1636029918) | [Sooraj Sambasivam](https://appshunter.io/developer/6786064000) |

## What reviewers say

### Records

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/records-album-player/id1636029916)

Rediscover music listening with a HiFi streaming player that emphasizes album artwork and visual navigation. Connects with Apple Music to present your library in a new, engaging way, inspired by the tactile experience of vinyl and CDs.

**Highlights:** Album-first visual navigation, Gesture-driven interface, Apple Music integration, HiFi and Hi-Res streaming, CD and Vinyl scanner, Personalized music collections

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Library Superpowers 1 Month | $4.99 | per month |
| Library Superpowers 1 Year | $34.99 | per year |
| Library Superpowers Lifetime | $79.99 | one-time |


### Sortwave

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sortwave/id6789786953)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Records free?

Records is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Sortwave free?

Sortwave is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Records or Sortwave have ads?

Neither Records nor Sortwave shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Records or Sortwave?

Records ships an update every 5 weeks, and Sortwave every 5 days. Most recently, Records was updated on October 24, 2026 and Sortwave on October 28, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*