Comparison

n vs JPLAY

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

Head to head
About

n

Control your Naim music server and player from your device. Browse your entire music collection, build playlists, edit metadata, and explore your library with ease. Enjoy a liberated listening experience with comprehensive control.

Highlights
  • Build and edit playlists
  • Explore library by metadata
  • Edit metadata
  • Browse internet radio
  • Fast browsing with cached data
Features
Read full description

Put your entire music collection at your fingertips with the n-Serve remote control app. For use with Naim’s hard disk player/servers, HDX and UnitiServe, and NaimNet music servers NS01, NS02 and NS03, n-Serve liberates your listening experience, allowing you to browse and listen in comfort. GET THE MOST FROM YOUR MUSIC The n-Serve app has been designed from the ground up by Naim’s team of software engineers to be convenient and easy to use whilst offering comprehensive control of Naim server products. Explore and fully appreciate your music with the following controls: •Build and edit playlists •Explore library by following extended metadata links (e.g. tapping on a performer for a given album shows all the music that performer was involved with) •Edit metadata •Browse internet radio stations and save presets •Super fast browsing experience thanks to locally cached music library data Additional Requirements: A Naim HDX, UnitiServe, NS01, NS02 or NS03 running Version 1.5 software or above connected to your home network.

About

JPLAY

This app is a high-fidelity music player designed for audiophiles. It seamlessly integrates streaming services like Qobuz and Tidal with local music files, offering a unified interface for all your audio content. Experience superior sound quality and discover new music through its intuitive design and advanced features.

Highlights
  • Plays Qobuz, Tidal, and local music files
  • Works with most streamers and network DACs
  • HQPlayer Control API integration
  • Dramatically better sound quality
  • Radio feature for music discovery
  • Extended playlist management
  • Artist bios and album reviews
Features
Read full description

JPLAY is an award winning music playback app for audiophiles. It works instantly with nearly every streamer or network DAC on the market. It combines Qobuz, Tidal and local content in a single interface allowing user to access each library separately. Main features: • Beautiful, clean and easy to use app allowing you to play music on nearly all streamers/network DACs - no core needed! (UPnP AV/DLNA) • Plays from Qobuz, Tidal and files on local libraries • HQPlayer Control API – Seamlessly integrate and remotely control HQPlayer directly from JPLAY • Dramatically better sound quality thanks to minimizing network traffic • Radio feature discovers new music for you • Single library, individual library and folder views • Extended playlists management • Advanced search, sort, focus • Artists bios, album reviews etc • Highlighted audiophile formats • My Activity, My history keep your playback stats • Native iOS controls from locked screen • Sharing your favorite music on social media • And much, much more! JPLAY requires an active subscription to access its content and features. Sign up for a JPLAY subscription in the app. New users can enjoy a 14-day free trial period that will be automatically converted into a yearly subscription. Subscription is automatically renewed and charged on a yearly basis. You can cancel it at any time up until the day before renewal and you can at any time turn off the auto renewal.

Screenshots

n4 screens
JPLAY4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: JPLAY at 4.2 against n's 3.4. JPLAY also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (55 vs 5). n's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (7.1 vs 13.0). On price, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. JPLAY sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $49.99 per year. n asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

JPLAY holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: JPLAY has 55 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 48% of n's written reviews are positive against 59% of JPLAY's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

n ships an update every 3 months, JPLAY every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
n versus JPLAY: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameternJPLAY
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.4 (5 ratings)4.2 (55 ratings) — better
Positive reviews47.6% of reviews58.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings555 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS7.1 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB50 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperNaim Audio LtdMarcin Ostapowicz

Customer experience

n

All ratings5 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews42 reviews
Positive47.6%
Neutral21.4%
Negative31.0%

JPLAY

All ratings52 ratings
Positive80.8%
Neutral5.8%
Negative13.5%
Written reviews190 reviews
Positive58.9%
Neutral6.3%
Negative34.7%

Bugs and requests

n

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

JPLAY

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • Tracks fail to render or play from Tidal
  • App crashes on startup with older iOS versions
  • Playback stuttering and lag issues
  • Renderer in transition errors
  • Device discovery failures
Show 9 more
  • Missing cover art for local files
  • Playback gets stuck at end of songs
  • Random track order despite settings
  • Skips tracks mid-playback
  • Connection drops with certain streamers
  • Metadata not syncing properly
  • Album art not loading from Synology/Plex servers
  • Qobuz favorites import not working
  • Tidal playlist suggestions missing

Requested features

16 requests
  • Monthly subscription option
  • Cross-device synchronization for playlists and favorites
  • EQ and tone adjustment controls
  • DSD file playback support
  • Multi-room audio capability
Show 11 more
  • Apple Watch control support
  • AirPlay support
  • Android version
  • Gapless playback improvement
  • Family sharing support
  • Apple Music integration
  • Internet radio support
  • Volume control in player screen
  • Automatic iCloud backup between devices
  • WebDAV support
  • Better error messages for troubleshooting

In-app purchases

None

n

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

JPLAY

Subscriptions1
  • JPLAY Premium14 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time2
  • Lifetime$149.00
  • JPLAY Lifetime$199.00

Questions

Is n free?
n is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is JPLAY free?
JPLAY is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, n or JPLAY?
JPLAY is rated higher. n averages 3.4 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while JPLAY averages 4.2 from 55 ratings.
Do n or JPLAY have ads?
Neither n nor JPLAY shows ads.
Which is updated more often, n or JPLAY?
n ships an update every 3 months, and JPLAY every 3 weeks. Most recently, n was updated on October 20, 2026 and JPLAY on October 21, 2026.

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