Hype Machine vs MusicSmart
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Hype Machine
Discover new music through posts from hundreds of music blogs. Listen to tracks, read articles, and create a personalized feed by following sites and friends. Stay updated with weekly unreleased albums and newsletters.
- Music blog aggregation
- New track discovery
- Customizable music feed
- Follow sites and friends
- Weekly unreleased albums
- Music newsletter
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Every day, thousands of people write about music they love—and it all ends up here. We track posts across hundreds of music sites and bring them all together for an endless stream of new tracks. Listen, read posts, favorite tracks, and follow sites and friends to create your own custom music feed. —————— Hype Machine has been introducing people to breaking new artists since 2005. Questions about our app? Get in touch with us at iphone@hypem.com
MusicSmart
Instantly discover detailed credits for any song, from songwriting and performance to marketing and visuals. This app acts as an IMDb for your music library, offering insights into the creation process and roles involved. Explore information about recordings, backstories, and even visual credits.
- Instant music credit discovery
- Detailed songwriting and composition info
- Performance and recording credits
- Marketing, distribution, and business details
- Visual and location credits
- Instrument breakdowns
- Integration with Apple Music, Spotify, and Shazam
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Ever wonder who wrote that song? MusicSmart reveals every credit instantly. It’s like IMDb for music. Critically acclaimed by MacStories, 9to5Mac, MacMagazine, and more. MusicSmart aggregates music knowledge from various sources into a powerful and easy-to-use app. With features such as Smart Sections and Roles/Instruments Insights, you can gain a deeper understanding of the music creation process and the responsibilities of each role. Navigate the catalog from within the main app or share music from Apple Music or Spotify to read the details about any song. Shazam is also available, so you can access liner notes and learn more about songs playing around you. Here are some of the credits you can find with MusicSmart: • High-resolution album covers, booklets, disc art, inlays, and more. • Description: Information about the recording process, the backstory behind the song, artists, etc. • Songwriting and Composition: Composer, Arranger, Producer, and more. • Performance and Recording: Vocals, Performer, Programmer, Engineers, Editor, and more. • Marketing and Distribution: A&R, Publishers, Distributors, and more. • Business: Labels, Copyright, and more. • Visuals: Director, Cinematographer, Designer, Visualizer, and more. • Locations: Recorded At, Mixed At, Mastered At, and more. • Instruments: Drums, Shakers, Strings, Guitars, Keyboards, and more. Download MusicSmart today for free to unlock a wealth of knowledge about your favorite music, all in one convenient location! Note: No Apple Music or Spotify subscription is required to use MusicSmart. MusicSmart relies on multiple online sources and databases to find liner notes and credits. The number of details available may vary for each song. Privacy Policy: https://marcosatanaka.com/privacy/music-smart.html Terms of Use: https://marcosatanaka.com/terms/music-smart.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hype Machine at none against MusicSmart's 3. Hype Machine also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.3) and review sentiment (74% vs 52%). MusicSmart's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, ratings volume and ads 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
Both are free to download. MusicSmart sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Hype Machine asks for nothing beyond the download.
Hype Machine holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 188 and 274 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of Hype Machine's written reviews are positive against 52% of MusicSmart's.
Hype Machine ships an update every 2 months, MusicSmart fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hype Machine | MusicSmart |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (188 ratings) — better | 4.3 (274 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 73.6% of reviews — better | 52.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 188 | 274 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 26.1 | 17 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 21 MB | 50 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | The Hype Machine, Inc | Loop Apps LTDA |
Customer experience
Hype Machine
MusicSmart
User reviews
Hype Machine
From 188 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Music discovery
- 👍 Fantastic app
- 👍 Amazing music
- 👍 Great for finding new music
- 👍 Awesome app
Room to improve
- 🐛 Playback issues
- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🐛 Streaming issues
- 🔋 Drains battery
- 🔒 Removed offline mode
MusicSmart
From 274 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Great app for music credits lovers
- 👍 Fantastic background information
- 👍 Excellent depth of detail
- 👍 Highly recommended
- 👍 Essential for Apple Music users
Room to improve
- 🐛 Inconsistent information quality
- 🐛 Limited data for classical/jazz albums
- 🐛 Doesn't work with iTunes purchases
- 🐛 Crashes when switching tabs
- 🐛 Lacks search and sorting features
Bugs and requests
Hype Machine
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes on launch after update
- Favorites playlist causes crashes
- Playback issues when switching apps
Requested features
7 requests- Add search functionality
- Allow access to user's favorite songs
- Improve playlist/library management
- Implement shuffle/repeat options
- Optimize for iPad
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Improve Bluetooth streaming
- Add ability to skip/seek through tracks
MusicSmart
Reported bugs
3 issues- Continuous crashes on certain devices
- Incorrect release dates shown
- Fails to recognize many albums in library
Requested features
5 requests- Integrate with YouTube Music
- Add lyrics/Genius integration
- Improve formatting for a more aesthetic look
- Allow access to liner notes without adding to library
- Provide musician credits for each track
In-app purchases
Hype Machine
No in-app purchases
MusicSmart
- MusicSmart Premium$1.991 Month
- MusicSmart Premium$9.991 Year
- MusicSmart Premium (Lifetime)$19.99
