Comparison

NML vs Tempso

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

Head to head
About

NML

Access a vast library of classical music recordings with extensive metadata. Create personalized playlists and utilize study tools. Ideal for music enthusiasts and students seeking in-depth information.

Highlights
  • 2.73 million+ classical music tracks
  • Rich metadata (composer bios, program notes)
  • Customizable playlists
  • Playlists created by educators
  • Study tools and resources
  • Latest releases from over 1000 labels
Features
Read full description

Naxos Music Library (NML) offers over 2.73 million tracks of fine classical music recordings from more than a thousand labels with their latest releases. What sets NML apart from other streaming platforms comes down to metadata. Each piece of music comes with a rich set of information, from composers’ biographies to programme notes, instrumentation to publisher’s details, all authored by qualified musicologists. Individual subscribers and authorised users of institution subscribers can create their own playlists on top of having access to playlists created by their teachers and professors for their assignments. NML is more than just a huge classical music audio library available for streaming. The Resources section inside the library offers many valuable add-ons and study tools available through accessing the web version. Please send comments to customer.service@naxos.com to help us further improve our app.

About

Tempso

Discover and explore a vast library of classical music, organized by composer, performer, and era. Compare different interpretations of pieces and build your personal music collection. Requires a Spotify Premium or Apple Music subscription for playback.

Highlights
  • Explore classical music by composer, performer, and era
  • Compare multiple interpretations of a single work
  • Discover new compositions and interpretations
  • Follow recent classical album releases
  • Build a personal classical music library
  • Integrates with Spotify and Apple Music for playback
Features
Read full description

Explore classical music for free. Tempso allows you to browse more than 1,500,000 classical tracks, accessible by composers, performers, and music era. Find your favorite piece and let yourself get carried away by all of the different interpretations which shaped the composition throughout history. If you have a Spotify Premium or Apple Music subscription, you can also listen to any interpretation via the Spotify or Apple Music app. Important note: Tempso is not a music player. If you don’t have a Spotify Premium or Apple Music membership and the Spotify or Apple Music app installed, you can use all the other features, but you will not be able to listen to tracks on Tempso. Features: - Easily explore the classical music repertoire using Tempso’s tailor-made search - Navigate the classical music world by eras, composers, performers and much more - Compare multiple interpretations of the same work in one click - Discover new compositions and interpretations through customized daily selections - Follow the most recent classical album releases - Build your classical music library with your favorite interpretations Spotify integration: Tempso can connect to your Spotify account and play music via the Spotify app or any other Spotify Connect device. In other words, once you click a track in Tempso, Spotify will discreetly play the music in the background. Apple Music integration: Tempso can connect to Apple Music and play music via the Apple Music app on your iPhone. In other words, once you click a track in Tempso, the Apple Music app will discreetly play the music in the background.

Screenshots

NML4 screens
Tempso4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Tempso at 89% against NML's 40%. Tempso also leads on rating (5.0 vs 2.9) and monetization model (ad-supported vs subscription). NML's advantage is ratings volume (65 vs 16). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tempso holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 65 and 16 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of NML's written reviews are positive against 89% of Tempso's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NML ships an update every 2 months, Tempso every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
NML versus Tempso: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNMLTempso
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.9 (65 ratings)5.0 (16 ratings) — better
Positive reviews39.5% of reviews88.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings65 — better16
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationSubscriptionAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.315.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size70 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNaxos Digital Services Ltd.Tempso

Customer experience

NML

All ratings66 ratings
Positive43.9%
Neutral12.1%
Negative43.9%
Written reviews129 reviews
Positive39.5%
Neutral14.0%
Negative46.5%

Tempso

All ratings16 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%

Bugs and requests

NML

Reported bugs

16 issues
  • App crashes during playback or when switching apps
  • Audio stops when screen goes to sleep
  • Tracks cut off mid-movement or stop arbitrarily
  • Login session expires too quickly despite 'remember me' option
  • Cannot connect to internet via WiFi (requires VPN workaround)
Show 11 more
  • Playlists disappear or fail to save
  • Back button doesn't return to previous position in list
  • Music pauses when notifications arrive
  • App freezes or becomes unresponsive
  • Search dialog has poor contrast making cursor invisible
  • Saved playlists erased after updates
  • Track information displays incorrectly during playback
  • App cuts out at end of tracks when switching focus
  • Shuffle button fails to function
  • Hiccup at beginning of each track on iPadOS
  • App only plays one track then stops

Requested features

15 requests
  • Dark mode support
  • Interactive widgets
  • Landscape orientation support for tablets/iPads
  • Chromecast and AirPlay support
  • Background music playback while using other apps
Show 10 more
  • Track scrubbing/fast-forward capability
  • Shuffle feature for favorites list
  • Custom playlist and folder organization
  • Ability to organize favorites into named categories
  • Face recognition login
  • Album-level saving instead of track-only playlists
  • Better metadata display (composer, performer information)
  • Retina display support
  • iPad-specific app version
  • Improved search with catalog number support

Tempso

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

NML

No in-app purchases

None

Tempso

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NML free?
NML is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tempso free?
Tempso is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, NML or Tempso?
Tempso is rated higher. NML averages 2.9 out of 5 from 65 ratings, while Tempso averages 5.0 from 16 ratings.
Do NML or Tempso have ads?
Neither NML nor Tempso shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NML or Tempso?
NML ships an update every 2 months, and Tempso every 6 weeks. Most recently, NML was updated on October 21, 2026 and Tempso on October 17, 2026.

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