Comparison

Cisum Player vs Crate for Plex

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

Head to head
About

Cisum Player

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Cisum - Clean Ad-Free Audio Player A pure music player without ads, designed for focused listening with local music and audiobook support. Cisum is a player designed for true music lovers. No annoying ads, no shake-to-navigate, no endless popups—just pure music experience. Key Features • Local Music Playback - Supports MP3, M4A, FLAC, WAV and more • Audiobook Management - Separate library for your audiobooks • iCloud Sync - Keep your music library synchronized across all devices • Elegant Interface - Native experience following Apple design guidelines Why Cisum? Most music apps seem to care more about ads and monetization than your listening experience. Cisum is different—we believe a great player should make you forget its existence and focus only on the music. Perfect For • Music lovers tired of ads • Users with large local music collections • Audiobook and podcast enthusiasts • Anyone seeking a clean, efficient experience [Auto-Renewable Subscription] -- Premium Benefits: Unlimited audio files -- Subscription Period: 1 month, 1 year -- Subscription Price: Prices as displayed in-app at purchase, e.g., yearly subscription ¥78/year -- Cancellation: To cancel, go to Apple ID "Media & Purchases" and cancel subscription -- Renewal: Your Apple account will be charged automatically before expiration, extending license for another cycle upon successful payment [License Agreement] https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ [Privacy Policy] https://www.kuaiyizhi.cn/privacy

About

Crate for Plex

A native, unofficial music player for your Plex Media Server, designed for iPhone and Apple Watch. Enjoy your owned music library with features like offline listening, crossfade, and queue management without subscriptions or ads.

Highlights
  • Plex music library browsing
  • Offline listening
  • Apple Watch app
  • Crossfade playback
  • Queue management
  • Smart caching
Features
Currently charting
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Your Plex music library, finally given the iOS music player it deserves. Crate is a native, unofficial music player for your Plex Media Server, built for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and CarPlay. Pay once. No subscription. No ads. No tracking. Just your music, played beautifully. ON IPHONE - Browse your entire library — albums, artists, playlists - Now Playing reimagined with crossfade, queue, and hearts - Discover view to rediscover albums you'd forgotten you loved - Download albums for offline listening - Smart caching keeps recently-played tracks ready offline - Light and dark modes that actually look like iOS ON APPLE WATCH - A real watchOS app — browse, download, and play from your wrist - Doubles as a remote when your iPhone is the one playing - Download albums directly to your watch - Phone-optional playback with AirPods THE FUNDAMENTALS, DONE RIGHT - Crossfade between tracks - Shuffle with no repeats - Hearts to track what you love - Queue management you can actually use - Lossless playback on iPhone (Apple Watch auto-transcodes for compatibility) WHAT'S NOT INSIDE - No subscription - No ads - No tracking - No login wall to a service that isn't yours Crate connects directly to your own Plex Media Server. Your music. Your server. Your player. REQUIREMENTS Crate requires a Plex Media Server with a music library and a free Plex account. Plex Pass is not required. Crate is an unofficial third-party application and is not made by, endorsed by, or affiliated with Plex Inc.

Screenshots

Cisum Player4 screens
Crate for Plex4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Cisum Player at Free against Crate for Plex's $3.99. Cisum Player also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.4). Crate for Plex's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and chart position (#188 vs unranked). On ads and device support 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

Cisum Player is free to download; Crate for Plex costs $3.99 up front. Cisum Player sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Crate for Plex asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cisum Player ships an update every 2 weeks, Crate for Plex every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 11, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Cisum Player versus Crate for Plex: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCisum PlayerCrate for Plex
PriceFree — better$3.99
Rating—5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Paid
Best chart rank—#188 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS18.0 — better26.4
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperQingdao Yueyi Network Technology Co., Ltd.Darren Ebbing

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Cisum Player

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Annual$2.991 Year
None

Crate for Plex

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Cisum Player free?
Cisum Player is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Crate for Plex free?
Crate for Plex costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Cisum Player or Crate for Plex have ads?
Neither Cisum Player nor Crate for Plex shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cisum Player or Crate for Plex?
Cisum Player ships an update every 2 weeks, and Crate for Plex every 2 months. Most recently, Cisum Player was updated on September 11, 2026 and Crate for Plex on September 9, 2026.

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