Comparison

Manet Music 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

Manet Music

Stream music from your Jellyfin server with this iOS app. Enjoy offline playback, Siri voice commands, and CarPlay integration. It offers a native iOS experience with a sleek design and Shortcuts support.

Highlights
  • Offline playback
  • Siri voice commands
  • CarPlay integration
  • Native iOS experience
  • Shortcuts integration
  • Sleek design
Features
Read full description

** You'll need a Jellyfin server and an account to use this app ** Experience seamless music streaming from Jellyfin for free with Manet, your go-to music app for iOS. Offline Playback * Download your favorite music for offline listening, perfect for when you're on the go or conserving data. Siri Support * Command your music effortlessly using Siri. Simply ask Siri to play artists, playlists, albums, or tracks. CarPlay Integration * Safely control playback while driving with our intuitive CarPlay interface, keeping your focus on the road. Native iOS Experience * Built with native iOS technologies, Manet seamlessly integrates with your device for optimal performance. Sleek Design * Purpose-built for iOS, Manet blends seamlessly with the platform's aesthetics, offering a familiar and intuitive user experience. Shortcuts Integration * Easily start playback as part of larger automations using Shortcuts. --- Manet+ is an optional subscription to unlock custom app icons and support development. https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

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
Read full description

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, lyrics, and hearts - Stations built from your own library — Hits, Heart Beats, On Repeat, and more - Discover view to rediscover albums you'd forgotten you loved - Download albums for offline listening - Smart caching keeps recently-played tracks ready offline - Pick up where you left off — Crate restores your last session on launch - Light and dark modes that actually look like iOS IN THE CAR - Full CarPlay app — Home, Library, Discover, Stations, and Search - Top Picks and recent albums the moment you connect - Hands-free with Siri: "Hey Siri, play House in Crate" - Ask Siri for a playlist, an artist, or a station, or say "I like this song" to heart it ON IPAD - A layout built for the big screen, in both orientations - Lyrics alongside the artwork, the way they should be 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 - Gapless playback with crossfade between tracks - Volume matching, so quiet albums and loud ones sit at the same level - Lossless FLAC playback on iPhone (Apple Watch auto-transcodes for compatibility) - Stream quality control, with Data Saver and Low Data Mode respected automatically - Shuffle with no repeats - Hearts to track what you love - Queue management you can actually use 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

Manet Music3 screens
Crate for Plex4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Manet Music at Free against Crate for Plex's $3.99. Manet Music also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (226 vs 7). Crate for Plex's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). On review sentiment, 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

Manet Music is free to download; Crate for Plex costs $3.99 up front. Manet Music sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per year. Crate for Plex asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Crate for Plex holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Manet Music has 226 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 79% of Manet Music's written reviews are positive against 75% of Crate for Plex's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Manet Music ships an update every 2 weeks, Crate for Plex every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Manet Music versus Crate for Plex: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterManet MusicCrate for Plex
PriceFree — better$3.99
Rating4.4 (226 ratings)4.7 (7 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.7% of reviews — better75.0% of reviews
Number of ratings226 — better7
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#191 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS18.0 — better26.4
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB28 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTilo Software ABDarren Ebbing

Customer experience

Manet Music

All ratings226 ratings
Positive84.5%
Neutral5.8%
Negative9.7%
Written reviews329 reviews
Positive78.7%
Neutral7.6%
Negative13.7%

Crate for Plex

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral16.7%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Manet Music

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Playback issues when switching networks
  • Inconsistent behavior when deleting songs
  • Syncing problems with Jellyfin library
  • Freezes and lags with large libraries
  • Unreliable CarPlay integration

Requested features

8 requests
  • Ability to download entire library
  • Support for more audio formats (e.g., FLAC)
  • Lyrics synchronization
  • Customizable library views
  • Offline playback improvements
Show 3 more
  • Playlist editing and reordering
  • Dark mode and other theming options
  • iPad-specific UI optimizations

Crate for Plex

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Manet Music

Subscriptions1
  • Manet+3 Days trial$9.991 Year
None

Crate for Plex

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Manet Music free?
Manet Music 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.
Which has better reviews, Manet Music or Crate for Plex?
Crate for Plex is rated higher. Manet Music averages 4.4 out of 5 from 226 ratings, while Crate for Plex averages 4.7 from 7 ratings.
Do Manet Music or Crate for Plex have ads?
Neither Manet Music nor Crate for Plex shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Manet Music or Crate for Plex?
Manet Music ships an update every 2 weeks, and Crate for Plex every 2 months. Most recently, Manet Music was updated on November 12, 2026 and Crate for Plex on November 9, 2026.

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