Comparison

PlayFadePause vs CuePlayer

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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)
Read full description

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

PlayFadePause1 screens
CuePlayer3 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PlayFadePause sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. CuePlayer asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
PlayFadePause versus CuePlayer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlayFadePauseCuePlayer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (2 ratings)4.8 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews70.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings24 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS12.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRichard WilliamsonXiang Cao

Customer experience

PlayFadePause

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive70.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative30.0%

CuePlayer

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

PlayFadePause

One-time1
  • Save Shows$2.99
None

CuePlayer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PlayFadePause free?
PlayFadePause is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is CuePlayer free?
CuePlayer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PlayFadePause or CuePlayer?
CuePlayer is rated higher. PlayFadePause averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while CuePlayer averages 4.8 from 4 ratings.
Do PlayFadePause or CuePlayer have ads?
Neither PlayFadePause nor CuePlayer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PlayFadePause or CuePlayer?
PlayFadePause ships an update every 5 weeks, and CuePlayer every 2 weeks. Most recently, PlayFadePause was updated on November 1, 2026 and CuePlayer on November 4, 2026.

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