JBL OnBeat vs wristonic
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
JBL OnBeat
This application allows users to browse and play music directly from their iPod, iPad, or iPhone. It also includes a convenient alarm clock feature for added functionality.
- Browse and play music
- Music from iPod, iPad, iPhone
- Alarm clock functionality
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JBL OnBeat App can browse and play music from your iPod, iPad or iPhone, and offers alarm clock functionality.
wristonic
This open-source music player allows you to browse your library, stream internet radio, and download albums directly from your Subsonic-compatible server to your Apple Watch. Enjoy offline playback and full playback controls without needing your iPhone.
- Standalone Apple Watch app
- Browse artists, albums, and tracks
- Stream music from your server
- Download albums for offline playback
- Internet radio support
- Playback controls on watch
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wristonic is a standalone, open source Subsonic client built for Apple Watch. There is no iPhone companion app. Browse your library, play albums, stream internet radio, and download music directly on your watch. Features: • Standalone Apple Watch app • No iPhone companion app required • Browse artists, albums, and tracks • Stream music directly from your server • Download albums for offline playback • Internet radio support • Album repeat and playback controls on watch • Built for personal Subsonic and Navidrome libraries Requires access to your own Subsonic-compatible server.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: wristonic at 100% against JBL OnBeat's 21%. wristonic also leads on rating (4.3 vs 2.8) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). JBL OnBeat's advantage is ratings volume (53 vs 4) and iOS requirement (3.0 vs 13.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
wristonic holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: JBL OnBeat has 53 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 21% of JBL OnBeat's written reviews are positive against 100% of wristonic's.
JBL OnBeat ships an update every 3 months, wristonic fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | JBL OnBeat | wristonic |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.8 (53 ratings) | 4.3 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 20.8% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 53 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 3.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 28 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Harman International Industries | Andy Klimczak |
Customer experience
JBL OnBeat
wristonic
Bugs and requests
JBL OnBeat
Reported bugs
20 issues- App crashes on iPhone 5 iOS 6.1.4
- Wi-Fi connection constantly crashes
- App doesn't wake device from standby
- Alarm doesn't sound when device is in standby
- EQ settings disappeared
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- Cannot select Wi-Fi network in setup
- App freezes when trying to secure settings
- App doesn't work with iPad (2nd gen) iOS 6
- Charging not working on iOS 6.0.1
- App crashes on startup after firmware update attempt
- Cannot connect to Wi-Fi after changing network
- App is not compatible with iOS 11
- App is still 32-bit, not compatible with iOS 11
- Device goes to sleep and doesn't wake up for alarm
- Speaker sleep mode overrides device sound
- App doesn't wake speakers from sleep mode
- App doesn't allow selection of music for alarm
- App overrides iOS autolock settings
- App doesn't wake dock from standby
- App doesn't wake speakers with alarm
Requested features
11 requests- Update app for latest iOS versions
- Add firmware update functionality
- Improve UI/UX
- Add sleep and alarm functions
- Enable manual SSID entry for Wi-Fi
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- Fix alarm clock functionality to wake device
- Add EQ settings
- Support for newer iPhone models
- Improve AirPlay connection speed
- Add podcast support
- Allow selection of music for alarm
wristonic
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
JBL OnBeat
No in-app purchases
wristonic
No in-app purchases
