# iBroadcast vs SubStreamer

The clearest difference is rating: iBroadcast at 4.7 against SubStreamer's 4.0. iBroadcast also leads on review sentiment (81% vs 72%) and device support (4 vs 2). SubStreamer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. iBroadcast sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. SubStreamer asks for nothing beyond the download.

iBroadcast holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 316 and 141 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of iBroadcast's written reviews are positive against 72% of SubStreamer's.

iBroadcast ships an update every 10 days, SubStreamer every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | iBroadcast | SubStreamer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (316 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ibroadcast/id536363915/reviews)** | [4.0 (141 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/substreamer/id1012991665/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **316** | 141 |
| Positive reviews | **81.3% of reviews** | 72.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 22 MB | 55 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **16.4** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | [iBroadcast](https://appshunter.io/developer/536363918) | [Gaven Henry](https://appshunter.io/developer/925249622) |

## What reviewers say

### iBroadcast

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ibroadcast/id536363915)

Upload your personal music collection to a secure, cloud-based library. Access and play your entire music library from any device, anywhere, without fees or ads. Enjoy your music collection without limitations.

**Highlights:** Upload personal music collection, Secure cloud storage, Stream music from anywhere, Access on any device, No fees or ads

**Features:** Siri integration, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Premium Membership | $3.99 | per month |
| Annual Premium Membership | $44.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- ☁️ Unlimited cloud storage for personal music library
- 🎵 Support for high-quality audio formats (FLAC, lossless)
- 💰 Free service with no ads or subscriptions required
- 🔄 Seamless syncing across multiple devices
- 📱 Works across iOS, Android, Mac, and web browsers

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional playback freezes and crashes
- 🔌 Syncing issues between devices
- ⚠️ Confusing jukebox/queue system in newer versions
- 📊 Poor performance with very large libraries (70k+ songs)
- 🔍 Search function struggles with massive collections

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when switching songs
- Login freezes and authentication failures
- Downloaded playlists fail to complete playback
- Tracks disappear from library without explanation
- Syncing doesn't update new uploads automatically

**Requested features**

- Native Mac desktop app (currently browser-only)
- Apple TV remote control support for library navigation
- Volume control separate from system volume
- Album cover thumbnails in playlist view
- Pin/favorite playlists for quick access


### SubStreamer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/substreamer/id1012991665)

Access and stream your personal music library from a Subsonic-compatible server on your mobile device. Enjoy offline playback, personalized mixes, and detailed listening analytics without ads or subscriptions.

**Highlights:** Stream and download music library, Offline listening with background processing, Personalized smart mixes, Listening analytics and scrobbling, Playlist and library management, Background playback with lock screen controls, Open source

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Beautiful and modern UI design
- ⚡ Clean, intuitive interface
- 🎵 Excellent Navidrome server compatibility
- 📱 Works seamlessly with self-hosted music servers
- 🔄 Reliable background playback functionality

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent playback failures and stalling
- 🐛 Random crashes during playback
- 🐛 Scrobbling not working reliably
- 🐛 Large file playback issues (10MB+)
- 🐛 AirPlay/Apple TV streaming broken

**Reported bugs**

- Songs fail to play without double-pressing play button
- Playback stops with 4 seconds remaining in track
- Skipping back crashes the app
- Large files (10MB+) require pause-then-play to start
- Scrobbling fails despite server support

**Requested features**

- CarPlay support for in-car use
- Traditional Chinese language support
- Simplified Chinese language support
- All-songs library view (not just albums/artists)
- Lyrics API integration


## Frequently asked questions

### Is iBroadcast free?

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

### Is SubStreamer free?

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

### Which has better reviews, iBroadcast or SubStreamer?

iBroadcast is rated higher. iBroadcast averages 4.7 out of 5 from 316 ratings, while SubStreamer averages 4.0 from 141 ratings.

### Do iBroadcast or SubStreamer have ads?

Neither iBroadcast nor SubStreamer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, iBroadcast or SubStreamer?

iBroadcast ships an update every 10 days, and SubStreamer every 2 weeks. Most recently, iBroadcast was updated on October 12, 2026 and SubStreamer on October 10, 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.*