# Stereophile vs CH Controller

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CH Controller at none against Stereophile's 20. Stereophile's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Stereophile sells 20 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. CH Controller asks for nothing beyond the download.

Stereophile ships an update every 2 months, CH Controller every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Stereophile | CH Controller |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.2 (137 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stereophile/id494421381/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **137** | — |
| Positive reviews | 17.1% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Monetization | Subscription | — |
| Size | 85 MB | 49 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [MyTimeMedia Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/543826829) | [CH Precision Sarl](https://appshunter.io/developer/1809139233) |

## 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 (20)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 Month \| Stereophile | $2.99 | per month |
| Stereophile Magazine iPad Edition | $9.99 | per year |
| Annual | $0.99 | one-time |
| 2023 December | $4.99 | one-time |
| 2024 February | $4.99 | 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 |
| March 2013 | $6.99 | one-time |
| February 2025 | $7.99 | one-time |
| April 2023 | $7.99 | one-time |
| December 2024 | $7.99 | one-time |
| November 2024 | $7.99 | one-time |
| October 2024 | $7.99 | one-time |
| August 2024 | $7.99 | one-time |
| July 2024 | $7.99 | 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


### CH Controller

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ch-controller/id6744744401)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Stereophile free?

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

### Is CH Controller free?

CH Controller is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Stereophile or CH Controller have ads?

Neither Stereophile nor CH Controller shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Stereophile or CH Controller?

Stereophile ships an update every 2 months, and CH Controller every 6 weeks. Most recently, Stereophile was updated on September 23, 2026 and CH Controller on September 13, 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.*