PlayFadePause vs CuePlayer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PlayFadePause
Control theatrical audio with complex sound cues from your mobile device. Play multiple sounds simultaneously, crossfade between tracks, and manage show files easily. Ideal for small-scale productions, rehearsals, and conferences.
- Simultaneous multi-sound playback
- Seamless crossfading between cues
- Networked cue firing via OSC
- Adjustable sound effect fades
- Infinite or timed looping
- Import audio from various sources
- Exportable show files
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At last theatrical audio control for situations where you can't afford (or can't fit) a laptop - now free for one show file, and also free to import shared show files. Now fully free! Making full use of all the features of your device, PlayFadePause allows you to run a complete show with complex sound cues, all from the press of a simple GO button. Features include - Play multiple sound cues at the same time, at different (preset) volumes - Easily crossfade between cues without creating multiple fade cues - Fire cues over a network using OSC - Fade running sound effects up or down, automatically stopping the cue when the fade is complete if required - Loop sound effects infinitely, or for a certain number of times. - Easily crossfade between two tracks - Adjust in and out times for play cues - Set and fade the pan and speed of tracks - Set cues to auto follow, with delays if required - Import audio from your iTunes library, from email attachments, from dropbox or from other PlayFadePause show files - Export show files as a bundle (including all audio files) through the standard iOS share interface - Manage show files in an easy to use interface - Set the app to force the device's volume to remain at full while the app is running - Stop the device from sleeping while the app is active - De-bounce guard to avoid double tapping Go Perfect for running small scale shows, for using in rehearsals or for conferences PlayFadePause is free for one show, with an In App Purchase available to unlock unlimited shows and sharing features
CuePlayer
This app enables cue-to-cue playback of audio, video, and picture media for events. It offers features like adding media from your library, multiple cue running modes, and external display output. Customize cue properties such as volume and playback range for seamless event presentations.
- Cue-to-cue media playback
- Add media from photo library or files
- Multiple cue running modes
- External display output
- Customize cue properties (volume, playback range, fade in)
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CuePlayer is an app that allows you to play audio, video and picture media files for events in a cue to cue style. It works for iPhone, iPad and Mac! - Add media from photo library or files - Multiple cue running mode - Display visual output on external window or screen - Change cue properties like volume, playback range, fade in, etc.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CuePlayer at none against PlayFadePause's 1. CuePlayer also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 70%) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). PlayFadePause's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.0). On price, ratings volume, 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
Both are free to download. PlayFadePause sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. CuePlayer asks for nothing beyond the download.
CuePlayer holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of PlayFadePause's written reviews are positive against 100% of CuePlayer's.
PlayFadePause ships an update every 5 weeks, CuePlayer every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PlayFadePause | CuePlayer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (2 ratings) | 4.8 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 70.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 4 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 32 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Richard Williamson | Xiang Cao |
Customer experience
PlayFadePause
CuePlayer
In-app purchases
PlayFadePause
- Save Shows$2.99
CuePlayer
No in-app purchases







