Comparison

The Strad vs Berliner Philharmoniker

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

Head to head
About

The Strad

Access the world's leading string music magazine, featuring interviews, in-depth articles on instruments, and masterclass sheet music. Explore the latest news, commentary, and analysis for makers, musicians, and teachers.

Highlights
  • Interviews with star string players
  • In-depth articles on instruments
  • Masterclass sheet music section
  • News, comment, and analysis
  • Exclusive videos and audio clips
  • Interactive links
Features
Read full description

The Strad is the most authoritative and influential string music magazine, read by makers, musicians and teachers since 1890. Every month it brings you the latest news, commentary and analysis, in-depth articles, interviews with star string players and retrospectives on great musicians of the past, masterclass sheet music section and much more. It is essential reading for anyone in the string music world. Subscribe today and get: • Interviews with star string players and retrospectives on the great musicians of the past • In-depth articles examining important and unusual instruments by master makers • Reports on the latest advances in science and technology, by leading contemporary luthiers • Trade Secrets contemporary luthiers share their innovative techniques for parts of the making process • In Focus: articles examining important and unusual instruments by master makes of the past • Making Matters: contemporary makers examine themes relevant to instrument and bow making today • Meet your Maker: players and makers give accounts of the commissioning process and its results • Masterclass sheet music section with commentary and annotations by international concert artists • News, comment and analysis from the string music world • Supplements including Cremona 2017, String Courses 2017, Degrees 2018 and Accessories 2017 Subscribe to the digital issue today: - Try before you buy with our FREE 30-DAY TRIAL available exclusively for Apple users.  - Enjoy exclusive VIDEOS, AUDIO CLIPS and INTERACTIVE LINKS.  - Download your issues INSTANTLY  - Exclusive subscriber only SUPPLEMENTS ---------------------------------------------- This is a free app download. Within the app users can purchase the current issue and back issues. Subscriptions are also available within the application. A subscription will start from the latest regular issue at the time of purchase. -The subscription will renew automatically unless cancelled more than 24 hours before the end of the current period. You will be charged for renewal within 24 hours of the end of the current period, for the same duration and at the current subscription rate for the product. -You may turn off the auto-renewal of subscriptions through your Account Settings, however you are not able to cancel the current subscription during its active period. -Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase and any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when a subscription to that publication is purchased. -If a subscription offers a free trial, at the end of the trial period, you will be charged the full price of the subscription. You may cancel a subscription during its free trial period via the subscription settings on your iTunes account. This must be done 24 hours before the end of the subscription period to avoid being charged. Users can register for/ login to a pocketmags account in-app. This will protect their issues in the case of a lost device and allow browsing of purchases on multiple platforms. Existing pocketmags users can retrieve their purchases by logging into their account. We recommend loading the app for the first time in a wi-fi area so that all issue data is retrieved. If your app will not load past the splash page after a first install or an update, please delete and reinstall the app from the App Store Help and frequently asked questions can be accessed in-app and on pocketmags. If you have any problems at all please do not hesitate to contact us: help@pocketmags.com -------------------- You can find our privacy policy here: http://www.pocketmags.com/privacy.aspx You can find our terms and conditions here: http://www.pocketmags.com/terms.aspx

About

Berliner Philharmoniker

Experience classical music performances from a world-renowned orchestra, live and on demand. Access hundreds of concert videos, interviews, documentaries, and educational content in high-quality audio and video. Enjoy a 7-day free trial to explore the extensive archive.

Highlights
  • Live concert broadcasts
  • On-demand concert archive
  • Interviews and documentaries
  • Educational concerts
  • 4K UHD Video and Hi-Res Audio
  • Chromecast support
Features
Read full description

Treat yourself to a guest performance by the Berliner Philharmoniker – live and on demand Closer to the music: In the Digital Concert Hall, you always have the best seat in the house! Each season, over 40 concerts are broadcast live and then offered in the on-demand archive. There are already hundreds of concert videos featuring all the stars of classical music, plus interviews, films and playlists. Register now and test the Digital Concert Hall for 7 days – free of charge and without obligation! The Digital Concert Hall at a glance: • Over 40 live broadcasts per season with all the stars of classical music • Hundreds of archive concerts from six decades on demand • Free interviews and concert introductions • Fascinating documentaries, portraits and playlists • Free educational concerts for the whole family • Highest Quality: 4K UHD Video, Hi-Res Audio, Immersive Audio (Dolby Atmos) Conductors: Kirill Petrenko, Sir Simon Rattle, Claudio Abbado, Herbert von Karajan, Daniel Barenboim, Herbert Blomstedt, Pierre Boulez, Semyon Bychkov, Sergiu Celibidache, Riccardo Chailly, Gustavo Dudamel, Iván Fischer, Daniele Gatti, Valery Gergiev, Alan Gilbert, Bernard Haitink, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Mariss Jansons, Vladimir Jurowski, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Andris Nelsons, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Seiji Ozawa, Donald Runnicles, Tugan Sokhiev, Christian Thielemann, John Williams and many others Soloists: Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piotr Anderszewski, Martha Argerich, Emanuel Ax, Joyce DiDonato, Isabelle Faust, Sol Gabetta, Christian Gerhaher, Hélène Grimaud, Barbara Hannigan, Janine Jansen, Jonas Kaufmann, Leonidas Kavakos, Evgeny Kissin, Magdalena Kožená, Katia and Marielle Labèque, Yo-Yo Ma, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Murray Perahia, Maria João Pires, Maurizio Pollini, Thomas Quasthoff, András Schiff, Baiba Skride, Christian Tetzlaff, Mitsuko Uchida, Yuja Wang, Frank Peter Zimmermann and many others. For optimal use, the Digital Concert Hall app requires access to the following elements: - Local network: For playing via Chromecast Terms of use: https://www.digitalconcerthall.com/terms

Screenshots

The Strad1 screens
Berliner Philharmoniker4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Berliner Philharmoniker at 4.9 against The Strad's 4.3. Berliner Philharmoniker also leads on review sentiment (85% vs 52%) and update cadence (weekly vs every 7 months). The Strad's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.4). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. The Strad sells 24 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per 3 months and Berliner Philharmoniker sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Berliner Philharmoniker holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Berliner Philharmoniker has 3K ratings behind it against 38, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 52% of The Strad's written reviews are positive against 85% of Berliner Philharmoniker's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Strad ships an update every 7 months, Berliner Philharmoniker weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
The Strad versus Berliner Philharmoniker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe StradBerliner Philharmoniker
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (38 ratings)4.9 (3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews52.0% of reviews85.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings383K — better
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple TV
Requires iOS13.0 — better18.4
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB199 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNewsquest Specialist Media LimitedBerliner Philharmoniker

Customer experience

The Strad

All ratings37 ratings
Positive83.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.2%
Written reviews25 reviews
Positive52.0%
Neutral8.0%
Negative40.0%

Berliner Philharmoniker

All ratings3,024 ratings
Positive96.6%
Neutral1.0%
Negative2.4%
Written reviews785 reviews
Positive85.5%
Neutral3.7%
Negative10.8%

Bugs and requests

The Strad

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Berliner Philharmoniker

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Video playback issues
  • Inconsistent performance across devices
  • Subscription renewal problems
  • Unreliable streaming on some platforms

Requested features

6 requests
  • Personalized playlists
  • Improved search and browsing
  • Surround sound audio
  • Seamless Chromecast/AirPlay integration
  • Offline concert downloads
Show 1 more
  • Subtitles for operas/concerts

In-app purchases

24 purchases

The Strad

Subscriptions2
  • The Strad1 Month trial$14.993 Months
  • The Strad1 Month trial$59.991 Year
One-time22
  • June 2012 (id:736861)$4.99
  • September 2012 (id:736003)$4.99
  • May 2013 and De... (id:738002)$4.99
Show 19 more
  • February 2014 (id:738506)$4.99
  • December 2013 (id:736381)$4.99
  • November 2013 (id:735750)$4.99
  • March 2016 (id:738737)$4.99
  • May 2020 And De... (id:771419)$4.99
  • December 2017 (id:757689)$4.99
  • December 2024 (pp:1024896)$4.99
  • January 2019 an... (id:762634)$4.99
  • April 2016 (id:745918)$4.99
  • July 2017 (id:757679)$4.99
  • November 2017 (id:757687)$4.99
  • February 2019 (id:766008)$4.99
  • September 2020 (id:771411)$4.99
  • October 2018 (id:762640)$4.99
  • July 2024 (pp:1024926)$4.99
  • January 2025 a... (pp:1110854)$5.99
  • The Strad Magazine 2 back issue bundle$7.99
  • Great Instruments (id:810171)$14.99
  • The Strad$179.99
11 purchases

Berliner Philharmoniker

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly subscription1 Month trial$19.991 Month
  • Annual subscription1 Year trial$199.991 Year
One-time9
  • 7 Days$8.90
  • 7 days3 variants$9.99
  • 30 Days$18.90
Show 6 more
  • 30 days3 variants$19.99
  • 12 months$149.99
  • 12 Months$174.99
  • 12 months$179.99
  • 12 months$184.99
  • 12 Months$194.99

Questions

Is The Strad free?
The Strad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Berliner Philharmoniker free?
Berliner Philharmoniker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, The Strad or Berliner Philharmoniker?
Berliner Philharmoniker is rated higher. The Strad averages 4.3 out of 5 from 38 ratings, while Berliner Philharmoniker averages 4.9 from 3K ratings.
Do The Strad or Berliner Philharmoniker have ads?
Neither The Strad nor Berliner Philharmoniker shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Strad or Berliner Philharmoniker?
The Strad ships an update every 7 months, and Berliner Philharmoniker weekly. Most recently, The Strad was updated on October 24, 2026 and Berliner Philharmoniker on October 23, 2026.

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