Comparison

Stereophile vs Sub

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

Head to head
About

Stereophile

This app provides authoritative reviews, informed recommendations, and helpful advice on audio components, judged by their music reproduction quality. It offers monthly issues with expert opinions and insights for audiophiles.

Highlights
  • Authoritative reviews of audio components
  • Informed recommendations
  • Helpful advice for audiophiles
  • Expert opinions on music reproduction
  • Monthly magazine issues
Features
Read full description

Every month Stereophile magazine offers authoritative reviews, informed recommendations, helpful advice, and controversial opinions, all stemming from the revolutionary idea that audio components should be judged on how they reproduce music. ---SUBSCRIPTION AVAILABLE--- 1-year subscription for $9.99 Your subscription will be billed to your iTunes account upon confirmation of purchase. ---SUBSCRIPTION WILL AUTO-RENEW--- The subscription will include the current issue if you do not already own it and subsequently published future issues. Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. This Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period, your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. The cost of the renewal will match the initial subscription price. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. You may turn off auto-renewing subscriptions by going to your user’s Account Settings after purchase. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during your active subscription period. You can view our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use here: http://www.avtechmediausa.com/terms.html http://www.avtechmediausa.com/privacy.html

About

Sub

This app enhances your kitchen experience by guiding you through recipes from websites and a curated collection. It allows remote control and monitoring of Sub-Zero refrigeration, Cove dishwashing, and Wolf appliances, ensuring optimal performance and convenience.

Highlights
  • Guided cooking from online recipes
  • Chef-tested recipes optimized for Wolf appliances
  • Remote dishwasher control and monitoring
  • Refrigerator settings and alerts
  • Filter recipes by cooking mode
  • Bookmark and share recipes
Features
Read full description

Elevate your kitchen experience with the Sub-Zero Group Owner’s App. Connect your Wi-Fi-enabled appliances and enjoy greater control, personalized cooking, and now, integrated wine inventory management. • Build and manage your wine collection • Scan bottles to quickly add wines to your inventory • Track where each bottle is stored across locations • Organize your collection with filters, groups, and tags • View inventory history as wines are enjoyed over time • Enjoy a guided cooking experience with recipes tailored to your appliances • Set timers and view oven status directly from recipe steps • Monitor and control your appliances from anywhere • Receive notifications for appliance status, maintenance, and more The app also gives you powerful control over your Sub-Zero refrigeration and Cove dishwashing appliances. Start your dishwasher remotely, monitor cycles, and manage supplies Wine Inventory transforms a traditionally manual task into a simple, intuitive experience. Manage your collection, understand where your wines are stored, and stay connected to your kitchen in one place. Download now and get more from every Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove appliance.

Screenshots

Stereophile4 screens
Sub4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sub at none against Stereophile's 20. Sub also leads on rating (4.4 vs 4.2) and ratings volume (778 vs 137). Stereophile's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.5). On price, review sentiment, 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. Stereophile sells 20 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Sub asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sub holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sub has 778 ratings behind it against 137, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 17% of Stereophile's written reviews are positive against 15% of Sub's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Stereophile ships an update every 2 months, Sub every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Stereophile versus Sub: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStereophileSub
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (137 ratings)4.4 (778 ratings) — better
Positive reviews17.1% of reviews — better14.7% of reviews
Number of ratings137778 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.5
Further details — not scored
Size85 MB69 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMyTimeMedia LtdSub-Zero and Wolf

Customer experience

Stereophile

All ratings137 ratings
Positive81.8%
Neutral1.5%
Negative16.8%
Written reviews123 reviews
Positive17.1%
Neutral4.9%
Negative78.0%

Sub

All ratings778 ratings
Positive85.1%
Neutral3.0%
Negative12.0%
Written reviews177 reviews
Positive14.7%
Neutral8.5%
Negative76.8%

User reviews

Stereophile

From 137 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 📖 High-quality magazine content and reviews
  • 📱 Works well on iPad devices
  • ✨ Professional layout resembles print edition
  • 🎯 Comprehensive audio equipment coverage

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App frequently crashes and becomes unresponsive
  • 🔐 Subscription recognition failures despite active payments
  • 📥 Issues fail to download or restore properly
  • ⚠️ Inconsistent performance across iOS versions
  • 🔄 Restore purchases function rarely works

Sub

From 778 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Responsive and intuitive app
  • 👍 Helpful notifications and alerts
  • 🔒 Secure connection to appliances

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent connection issues and disconnects
  • 🔍 Lack of actual temperature monitoring
  • 🤔 Confusing setup and pairing process
  • 🔍 Missing key features like remote start

Bugs and requests

Stereophile

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • App crashes every few minutes during use
  • Subscription not recognized despite active payment
  • Issues fail to download or load
  • Restore purchases function non-functional
  • App won't open on latest iOS versions
Show 9 more
  • Lost access to entire library after app updates
  • Login failures with valid credentials
  • Pixelated and fuzzy page rendering
  • Extremely slow page navigation and loading
  • App forgets subscription status on reopening
  • Duplicate charges on subscription renewal
  • Incompatibility with iOS 8 and newer updates
  • Pages partially load then crash
  • Text illegible without zooming on smaller devices

Requested features

10 requests
  • Access to searchable article archive
  • Availability of older back issues with subscription
  • Dynamic formatting for landscape and portrait modes
  • Working hyperlinks to advertisers and external sites
  • Better text resizing and font adjustment options
Show 5 more
  • Reader mode similar to Safari for improved readability
  • Ability to remember reading position between sessions
  • Background download capability
  • Retina display support and higher resolution
  • iPad-optimized interface instead of PDF wrapper

Sub

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes after recent updates
  • Unable to log in or register account
  • Appliances disappear from the app
  • Firmware update failures brick appliances

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add support for Celsius temperature units
  • Provide real-time temperature and energy consumption data
  • Integrate with smart home platforms like Apple HomeKit

In-app purchases

20 purchases

Stereophile

Subscriptions2
  • 1 Month | Stereophile$2.991 Month
  • Stereophile Magazine iPad Edition1 Month trial$9.991 Year
One-time18
  • Annual$0.99
  • 2023 December$4.99
  • 2024 February$4.99
Show 15 more
  • February 2012$6.99
  • April 2012$6.99
  • June 2012$6.99
  • October 2012$6.99
  • December 2012$6.99
  • October 2013$6.99
  • 2016 Buyer's Guide$6.99
  • March 2013$6.99
  • February 2025$7.99
  • April 2023$7.99
  • December 2024$7.99
  • November 2024$7.99
  • October 2024$7.99
  • August 2024$7.99
  • July 2024$7.99
None

Sub

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Stereophile free?
Stereophile is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sub free?
Sub is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Stereophile or Sub?
Sub is rated higher. Stereophile averages 4.2 out of 5 from 137 ratings, while Sub averages 4.4 from 778 ratings.
Do Stereophile or Sub have ads?
Neither Stereophile nor Sub shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Stereophile or Sub?
Stereophile ships an update every 2 months, and Sub every 5 weeks. Most recently, Stereophile was updated on October 22, 2026 and Sub on October 21, 2026.

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