# Stereophile vs Venustas Salon

The clearest difference is rating: Venustas Salon at 4.9 against Stereophile's 4.2. Venustas Salon also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10). Stereophile's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 11 months) and ratings volume (138 vs 18). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Stereophile sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Venustas Salon asks for nothing beyond the download.

Venustas Salon holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Stereophile has 138 ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Stereophile ships an update every 2 months, Venustas Salon every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Stereophile | Venustas Salon |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (138 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stereophile/id494421381/reviews) | **[4.9 (18 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/venustas-salon/id1437643129/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **138** | 18 |
| Positive reviews | 17.1% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 11 months |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free** |
| Size | 85 MB | 49 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [MyTimeMedia Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/543826829) | [Tom Marchant](https://appshunter.io/developer/1299796941) |

## What reviewers say

### Stereophile

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stereophile/id494421381)

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:** Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 Month \| Stereophile | $2.99 | per month |
| Stereophile Magazine iPad Edition | $9.99 | per year |
| Annual | $0.99 | one-time |
| February 2012 | $6.99 | one-time |
| April 2012 | $6.99 | one-time |
| June 2012 | $6.99 | one-time |
| October 2012 | $6.99 | one-time |
| December 2012 | $6.99 | one-time |
| October 2013 | $6.99 | one-time |
| 2016 Buyer's Guide | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


### Venustas Salon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/venustas-salon/id1437643129)

Easily book your next salon appointment anytime, anywhere. View staff profiles, manage your account, and keep track of your past and future bookings. Get ready to feel and look your best with just a few taps.

**Highlights:** Book appointments 24/7, View team profiles, Record appointment history, Manage user account, Easy 24/7 booking

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Stereophile free?

Stereophile is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Venustas Salon free?

Venustas Salon is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Stereophile or Venustas Salon?

Venustas Salon is rated higher. Stereophile averages 4.2 out of 5 from 138 ratings, while Venustas Salon averages 4.9 from 18 ratings.

### Do Stereophile or Venustas Salon have ads?

Neither Stereophile nor Venustas Salon shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Stereophile or Venustas Salon?

Stereophile ships an update every 2 months, and Venustas Salon every 11 months. Most recently, Stereophile was updated on November 6, 2026 and Venustas Salon on November 2, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*