# Smart Shuffle vs StarTone

The clearest difference is rating: StarTone at 4.1 against Smart Shuffle's 3.8. StarTone also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 2 months) and price ($0.99 vs $1.99). On review sentiment, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Smart Shuffle costs $1.99 and StarTone $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

StarTone holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 36 and 16 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 68% of Smart Shuffle's written reviews are positive against 67% of StarTone's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Smart Shuffle ships an update every 2 months, StarTone every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Smart Shuffle | StarTone |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **$0.99** |
| Rating | [3.8 (36 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smart-shuffle/id342320176/reviews) | **[4.1 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/startone/id1216107501/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **36** | 16 |
| Positive reviews | **67.8% of reviews** | 66.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Size | 16 MB | 24 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.6** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Spudfish Software](https://appshunter.io/developer/342320179) | [乃波 黄](https://appshunter.io/developer/680348637) |

## What reviewers say

### Smart Shuffle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smart-shuffle/id342320176)

This music player brings back the classic album shuffle experience, playing songs in their intended order within randomly selected albums. It offers extensive customization for album selection and playback control, including CarPlay and Apple Watch integration.

**Highlights:** Album shuffle playback, CarPlay integration, Siri Shortcuts, Cloud album access, Enhanced album selection & filtering, Apple Watch interface, Sleep mode timer

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### StarTone

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/startone/id1216107501)

This music player allows you to rate songs with stars and love statuses directly from your device's library or audio files. It offers convenient rating options via widgets and Apple Watch, with iCloud sync for your ratings.

**Highlights:** Rate music with stars and love statuses, iCloud sync for ratings across devices, Rating support on Today Extension and Apple Watch, Play and rate common audio formats including Flac and MIDI, Embed lyrics and support for .lrc files, Smart playlist creation

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Smart Shuffle free?

Smart Shuffle costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is StarTone free?

StarTone costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Smart Shuffle or StarTone?

StarTone is rated higher. Smart Shuffle averages 3.8 out of 5 from 36 ratings, while StarTone averages 4.1 from 16 ratings.

### Do Smart Shuffle or StarTone have ads?

Neither Smart Shuffle nor StarTone shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Smart Shuffle or StarTone?

Smart Shuffle ships an update every 2 months, and StarTone every 5 weeks. Most recently, Smart Shuffle was updated on October 5, 2026 and StarTone on October 2, 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.*