Comparison

Philharmonie Live vs Beethoven’s 9th Symphony

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

Head to head
About

Philharmonie Live

Access a vast library of over 1,100 free concert videos, with 60 new additions annually. Explore diverse music genres, interviews, documentaries, and thematic dossiers in high-definition audio and video.

Highlights
  • 1,100+ free concert videos
  • 60 new concerts annually
  • HD audio and video quality
  • Thematic dossiers
  • Interviews and podcasts
  • Classical, jazz, pop-rock, world music
Features
Read full description

Download the free Philharmonie Live app for smartphones and tablets, and enjoy over 1,100 free-access concert videos, including a hundred in their entirety! NEW Enjoy 60 new concerts every year, featuring the biggest names in all genres of music. Produced with exceptional technical and artistic resources, our recordings now offer you a rare experience in HD audio and video quality. FOCUS ON Check out our thematic dossiers, a mix of recent and archival recordings, put together in step with the latest news from the Philharmonie de Paris. Discover our selection of classical, jazz, pop-rock, world music and much more! INTERVIEWS, CONFERENCES, PODCASTS In addition to concerts, come and enjoy exclusive interviews, podcasts, documentaries and conferences with leading cultural figures. The Philharmonie Live app is available for downloading on smartphones and tablets.

About

Beethoven’s 9th Symphony

Explore four legendary recordings of Beethoven's 9th Symphony with unparalleled insight. Compare performances, visualize the music with a BeatMap, and follow the score or manuscript synchronized to the audio. Bonus content includes expert insights and historical analysis.

Highlights
  • Compare four legendary recordings
  • Seamless performance switching
  • Groundbreaking BeatMap visualization
  • Synchronized score and manuscript
  • Expert insights and commentary
  • Historical book on the symphony
Features
Read full description

Four of Deutsche Grammophon’s legendary recordings collected in one exceptional app to give you unparalleled insight into an iconic piece. Features include: • Compare the performances: Listen to four recordings of the piece spanning 50 years, and switch seamlessly between them with a touch – at any point in the music – to hear a note start in one decade and finish in another. • Discover the BeatMap: This groundbreaking visualization of the performances shows different sections of the orchestra pulse in time with the music. • Explore the music: Beethoven’s 9th Symphony lets you immerse yourself in Beethoven’s late masterpiece – follow the score or the 1825 manuscript, precisely synchronized to the music. Bonus features available on your iPad: • Join the experts: Watch over 90 minutes of specially filmed insights from musicians, writers and great conductors including John Eliot Gardiner, Gustavo Dudamel and members of the Berliner Philharmoniker. • The story of the symphony: The app also features a book on Beethoven and the Ninth Symphony, plus two levels of real-time analysis and commentary by the pianist, composer and broadcaster David Owen Norris If you enjoy Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, don’t forget to rate it and leave a review – it really helps!

Screenshots

Philharmonie Live4 screens
Beethoven’s 9th Symphony4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Philharmonie Live at none against Beethoven’s 9th Symphony's 4. Beethoven’s 9th Symphony's advantage is ratings volume (940 vs 1) and review sentiment (77% vs 60%). On price, rating, update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Beethoven’s 9th Symphony sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Philharmonie Live asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Philharmonie Live holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Beethoven’s 9th Symphony has 940 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 60% of Philharmonie Live's written reviews are positive against 77% of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Philharmonie Live ships an update every 2 months, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Philharmonie Live versus Beethoven’s 9th Symphony: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhilharmonie LiveBeethoven’s 9th Symphony
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.8 (940 ratings)
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews77.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1940 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.19.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB1.9 GB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCite de la musique - Philharmonie de ParisNatureGuides Ltd.

Customer experience

Philharmonie Live

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative40.0%

Beethoven’s 9th Symphony

All ratings932 ratings
Positive96.9%
Neutral1.0%
Negative2.1%
Written reviews339 reviews
Positive77.3%
Neutral4.4%
Negative18.3%

Bugs and requests

Philharmonie Live

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Beethoven’s 9th Symphony

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Inability to restore previous purchases
  • Crashes when accessing certain features
  • Inconsistent performance on older devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Support for more classical works
  • Integration with music streaming services
  • Improved Airplay and Bluetooth connectivity
  • Customizable user interface
  • More language support

In-app purchases

None

Philharmonie Live

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Beethoven’s 9th Symphony

One-time4
  • 完整体验$2.99
  • Full Experience$4.99
  • Full Experience (iPhone discount)$4.99
Show 1 more
  • The Full Beethoven Experience$4.99

Questions

Is Philharmonie Live free?
Philharmonie Live is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Beethoven’s 9th Symphony free?
Beethoven’s 9th Symphony is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Philharmonie Live or Beethoven’s 9th Symphony?
Philharmonie Live is rated higher. Philharmonie Live averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Beethoven’s 9th Symphony averages 4.8 from 940 ratings.
Do Philharmonie Live or Beethoven’s 9th Symphony have ads?
Neither Philharmonie Live nor Beethoven’s 9th Symphony shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Philharmonie Live or Beethoven’s 9th Symphony?
Philharmonie Live ships an update every 2 months, and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony every 3 months. Most recently, Philharmonie Live was updated on November 6, 2026 and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony on November 10, 2026.

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