BlackCandy vs Sonora
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BlackCandy
This application serves as a personal music center, requiring a pre-configured Black Candy server to function. It provides access to your music library through a dedicated iOS interface. More information on server setup is available via the developer's GitHub page.
- Personal music center
- Requires Black Candy server
- iOS interface
- Music library access
- GitHub for setup info
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The official Black Candy iOS app. To use this app, you must have a Black Candy server set up. For more information, please visit https://github.com/blackcandy-org/blackcandy
Sonora
This app provides a smooth and native mobile interface for accessing and streaming your self-hosted music library. Browse artists, albums, and playlists with a fast search and enjoy your personal collection anywhere.
- Browse artists, albums, songs, and playlists
- Fast and clean interface
- Search personal music collection
- Stream music on the go
- Native iPhone experience
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Sonora is a polished Navidrome client for iPhone that brings your self-hosted music library anywhere. Browse artists, albums, songs, and playlists with a fast, clean interface built for everyday listening. Search your collection in seconds, stream your personal library on the go, and enjoy a music experience designed to feel simple, smooth, and native on iPhone. Sonora is built for self-hosted music lovers who want their own library without giving up a great mobile experience. Your music. Your server. Your way.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: BlackCandy at 5.0 against Sonora's 4.0. BlackCandy also leads on device support (3 vs 1). Sonora's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 24 months) and ratings volume (4 vs 1). 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
BlackCandy holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 4 respectively.
BlackCandy ships an update every 24 months, Sonora every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BlackCandy | Sonora |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | 4.0 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 4 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 24 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 文冬 赵 | GRANT JAMES MADISON |
In-app purchases
BlackCandy
No in-app purchases
Sonora
No in-app purchases
