Comparison

Decibel Magazine vs Cortex Cloud

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

Head to head
About

Decibel Magazine

Explore extreme music and entertainment with this digital magazine. Discover new artists and dive deep into the world of metal and beyond. Stay updated with the latest in extreme music culture.

Highlights
  • Extreme music coverage
  • Entertainment features
  • Monthly metal magazine
  • Digital subscription
  • Founded in 2004
Features
Read full description

Decibel is an extremely extreme music and entertainment magazine based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 2004 by a well-intentioned, somewhat studious (let’s not forget record-collecting) dude, Decibel’s credo was to examine and expose the best extreme music had to offer. We were the new kid on the block, but we knew our noise was louder and nastier than anything out there. To quote ourselves, Decibel was “the new noise.” Since our debut issue (the Dillinger Escape Plan, October 2004), Decibel went from the quiet longhair with the Entombed "Left Hand Path" T-shirt to the Grand Pontificator of all things metal. Now, when we speak, people listen. Maybe they heckle. But, nearly nine years later, Decibel is America’s only monthly metal magazine. ================================== The magazine offers a yearly (24.99$) and monthly (14.99$) auto-renewable subscription - Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase ================================== This magazine is proudly powered by PressPad. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy: https://presspadapp.com/terms-apps/

About

Cortex Cloud

Manage your Nano Cortex and access cloud-based content with an elegant interface. Browse and download presets, neural captures, and more. Control your device's profile and privacy settings.

Highlights
  • Control Nano Cortex
  • Access Cortex Cloud
  • Browse users and presets
  • Download content
  • Manage profile and privacy
  • Share content
Features
Read full description

Control your Nano Cortex and access Cortex Cloud through an intuitive and elegant interface. Browse users, Presets, Neural Captures, and more. Download items to have them display instantly on your device. You can also manage your profile and change the privacy settings for any files you have uploaded to Cortex Cloud. Benefits: Access deeper customization options for your Nano Cortex. Seamlessly download Presets, Neural Captures, and other items to your Quad Cortex or Nano Cortex. Manage your profile and the items you have uploaded to Cortex Cloud. Discover and follow users. Share Presets and Neural Captures with your friends. Cortex Cloud requires a free Neural DSP account and a registered Quad Cortex or Nano Cortex. Cortex Cloud is not required to use the Quad Cortex or Nano Cortex but provides deeper customization options for the Nano Cortex.

Screenshots

Decibel Magazine4 screens
Cortex Cloud4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Cortex Cloud at 3.4 against Decibel Magazine's 2.1. Cortex Cloud also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ratings volume (73 vs 15). 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. Decibel Magazine sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per 6 months. Cortex Cloud asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Cortex Cloud holds the better App Store score, 3.4 against 2.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 15 and 73 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 36% of Decibel Magazine's written reviews are positive against 29% of Cortex Cloud's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Decibel Magazine ships an update monthly, Cortex Cloud every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Decibel Magazine versus Cortex Cloud: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDecibel MagazineCortex Cloud
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.1 (15 ratings)3.4 (73 ratings) — better
Positive reviews36.0% of reviews — better28.9% of reviews
Number of ratings1573 — better
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS13.013.0
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB100 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperRed Flag Media, Inc.Neural DSP

Customer experience

Decibel Magazine

All ratings15 ratings
Positive26.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative73.3%
Written reviews25 reviews
Positive36.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative64.0%

Cortex Cloud

All ratings72 ratings
Positive56.9%
Neutral8.3%
Negative34.7%
Written reviews97 reviews
Positive28.9%
Neutral11.3%
Negative59.8%

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Decibel Magazine

Subscriptions2
  • Decibel Magazine subscriptions1 Month trial$14.996 Months
  • Decibel Magazine subscriptions1 Month trial$24.991 Year
One-time8
  • Issue 144$4.99
  • Issue 147$4.99
  • Top 100 of the '00s'$5.99
Show 5 more
  • Top 100 Death Metal Albums$5.99
  • The Top 100 Black Metal Albums of All Time$5.99
  • Top 100 Doom Metal Albums of All Time$5.99
  • Thrash Metal Hall of Fame$5.99
  • Top 100 Old-School Metal Albums of All Time Special Issue$5.99
None

Cortex Cloud

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Decibel Magazine free?
Decibel Magazine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cortex Cloud free?
Cortex Cloud is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Decibel Magazine or Cortex Cloud?
Cortex Cloud is rated higher. Decibel Magazine averages 2.1 out of 5 from 15 ratings, while Cortex Cloud averages 3.4 from 73 ratings.
Do Decibel Magazine or Cortex Cloud have ads?
Neither Decibel Magazine nor Cortex Cloud shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Decibel Magazine or Cortex Cloud?
Decibel Magazine ships an update monthly, and Cortex Cloud every 6 weeks. Most recently, Decibel Magazine was updated on November 2, 2026 and Cortex Cloud on November 3, 2026.

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