Classical Archives vs Tempso
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Classical Archives
Explore a vast library of classical music, discover essential works, create custom playlists, and enjoy curated radio streams. Access full tracks or clips based on your account status.
- Extensive music library by composer, performer, or title
- Curated 'Must Know' list of important classical works
- Create and manage custom music playlists
- Personalized classical music radio streams
- Queuing player for seamless listening
- Access to full tracks or clips
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Classical Archives, the largest classical music site in the world, offers several methods to play/explore classical music on its mobile application: The various features are accessed through the four icons at the bottom of the screen. The player is accessed through the 'two-notes' icon at top-right, and the player-queue is accessed by clicking the [Q] icon at the top. (See below from instructions on how to use the player-queue.) 1) Library: (The Greats -or- by Composer, Performer or Title Search) which offers all the works we have by each composer, performer or matching title. Once you select a work, you can select what performance of that work you want to listen to. 2) Must Know: (By Composer -or- by Period & Genre) which is a list selected by our musicologists of the ~800 most important works of classical music you'll want to be familiar with. Selecting a work will always play the performance from the latest release (as opposed to The Library where you can select the performance.) 3) Playlists: (Featured and Mine) allows you to listen to featured playlists or to create, and listen to, your own. Up to 12 hour-long playlists are allowed. Subscriber account at Classical Archives is required. 4) Radio: Our radio will continuously stream either a series of single movements, or complete works (depending on your choice) that will be pulled from the selection of Period(s) and Genre(s) you select, from Early & Renaissance to Modern/Contemporary -- in the following genres, or combination of genres: from Orchestral, Solo/Chamber, Vocal, and/or Stage (incl. Operas). The radio will continuously refill the queue, until you stop the player. Depending on your Classical Archives' status (visitor, member or subscriber), you have complete access to all the complete tracks and works or you may only listen to clips of each track. There is no limit to the number of tracks or works you can play. This app offers a queuing player (click the [Q] icon at the top to view/edit it): you may enter a complete symphony plus a full opera if you wish. You may add several works and tracks to the player only as long as the current queue does not already contain 20 or more tracks. Each time a track is played, it is removed from the queue and the count goes down. The queue can be edited (remove a track by clicking the 'X' next to it) and it allows you to jump to and immediately play any track in it
Tempso
Discover and explore a vast library of classical music, organized by composer, performer, and era. Compare different interpretations of pieces and build your personal music collection. Requires a Spotify Premium or Apple Music subscription for playback.
- Explore classical music by composer, performer, and era
- Compare multiple interpretations of a single work
- Discover new compositions and interpretations
- Follow recent classical album releases
- Build a personal classical music library
- Integrates with Spotify and Apple Music for playback
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Explore classical music for free. Tempso allows you to browse more than 1,500,000 classical tracks, accessible by composers, performers, and music era. Find your favorite piece and let yourself get carried away by all of the different interpretations which shaped the composition throughout history. If you have a Spotify Premium or Apple Music subscription, you can also listen to any interpretation via the Spotify or Apple Music app. Important note: Tempso is not a music player. If you don’t have a Spotify Premium or Apple Music membership and the Spotify or Apple Music app installed, you can use all the other features, but you will not be able to listen to tracks on Tempso. Features: - Easily explore the classical music repertoire using Tempso’s tailor-made search - Navigate the classical music world by eras, composers, performers and much more - Compare multiple interpretations of the same work in one click - Discover new compositions and interpretations through customized daily selections - Follow the most recent classical album releases - Build your classical music library with your favorite interpretations Spotify integration: Tempso can connect to your Spotify account and play music via the Spotify app or any other Spotify Connect device. In other words, once you click a track in Tempso, Spotify will discreetly play the music in the background. Apple Music integration: Tempso can connect to Apple Music and play music via the Apple Music app on your iPhone. In other words, once you click a track in Tempso, the Apple Music app will discreetly play the music in the background.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Tempso at 5.0 against Classical Archives's 3.6. Tempso also leads on review sentiment (89% vs 68%) and monetization model (ad-supported vs free with in-app purchases). Classical Archives's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). On price, ratings volume, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Tempso holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 17 and 16 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of Classical Archives's written reviews are positive against 89% of Tempso's.
Classical Archives ships an update monthly, Tempso every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on October 17, 2026.
| Parameter | Classical Archives | Tempso |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.6 (17 ratings) | 5.0 (16 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 67.6% of reviews | 88.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 17 — better | 16 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 30 MB | 25 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Classical Archives LLC | Tempso |
Customer experience
Classical Archives
Tempso
In-app purchases
Classical Archives
No in-app purchases
Tempso
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Classical Archives free?
Is Tempso free?
Which has better reviews, Classical Archives or Tempso?
Do Classical Archives or Tempso have ads?
Which is updated more often, Classical Archives or Tempso?
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