Radio vs MD_Buddy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Radio
Build personalized radio stations by adding any audio stream. View song details and album art on your lock screen. Enjoy reliable background playback with instant station switching and a sleep timer.
- Create stations from any stream URL
- View song and album art on lock screen
- Background playback with lock screen controls
- Instant station switching
- Sleep timer and alarm clock functionality
- Tag and search station library
- iCloud sync and backup
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Radio: Create Stations Build your own radio playlist. Add streams from around the world, create custom stations, save favorite songs, and enjoy a personalized listening experience. Create stations with your own names, logos, genres, and descriptions. Listen with smooth playback, view current song information, discover album artwork, and control playback directly from the Lock Screen and CarPlay. Supported Stream Formats • MP3 • AAC • AAC+ • M4A • HLS (.m3u8) • PLS • M3U • ASX • WAX • WVX • RAM • RPM • SMIL • HE-AAC Features • Create unlimited custom radio stations • Add station names, logos, genres, and descriptions • View current song information when available • Display album artwork and Lock Screen metadata • CarPlay Now Playing support • Save favorite songs with artwork, station name, date, and time • Quick iTunes / Apple Music search for currently playing songs • Background audio playback • Lock Screen playback controls • Sleep Timer and Wake Up radio • Fast station switching • Search and organize your station library • Copy and paste support throughout the app • iCloud backup and synchronization • Playlist and stream URL support • No subscriptions • No in-app purchases How It Works 1. Add a stream URL. 2. Give your station a name and logo. 3. Start listening instantly. 4. Save favorite songs as they play. 5. Build your personal radio collection. Privacy No account required. Your stations, favorites, and settings remain on your device and within your personal iCloud account when synchronization is enabled. Radio: Create Stations puts you in control of your radio experience.
MD_Buddy
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--- MD Buddy - Ableton Setlist Controller MD Buddy puts your entire Ableton Live set in the palm of your hand. See every song, every section, and exactly where the playhead is - all in real time from your iPad. And now, your whole team can follow along too. Designed for worship teams, live performers, and anyone running Ableton backing tracks, MD Buddy lets the music director stay in control without touching the computer. Jump to any section on the beat, mute individual tracks per song, and keep the service moving without missing a note. REAL-TIME PLAYBACK TRACKING MD Buddy mirrors Ableton's playhead live - current song, current section, tempo, and bar number update as the music plays. A progress bar shows exactly where you are inside each section so you always know what's coming. JUMP TO ANY SECTION Tap any section button to cue Ableton to jump there. Jumps respect Ableton's Launch Quantization so they always land on the beat - no awkward cuts, no off-time transitions. OBSERVER MODE - YOUR WHOLE TEAM, IN SYNC Every other musician can now open MD Buddy on their own iPad or iPhone and follow the set live - current section, progress, tempo - without touching anything. No vocal cues, no guessing when the bridge repeats or the outro's coming. A green border shows at a glance which device is actually in control, and Settings lists everyone currently connected by name. TRACK MIXER Toggle individual Ableton tracks on or off directly from the iPad. Want to drop the drums for a quieter moment or bring in extra instrumentation? Tap once. Mute presets save automatically per song and restore every time you navigate back to that song. AUTOMATIC SETUP MD Buddy finds the bridge app on your Mac automatically - no IP address, no manual configuration. Connect via Wi-Fi or plug in a USB-C cable for a rock-solid stage connection independent of the venue's network. Save named Trusted Connections in Settings for an instant one-tap reconnect anywhere Bonjour discovery is blocked. SETLIST CONTROL Drag songs to reorder your setlist for the night. Your order is remembered between sessions. One device is always the primary controller; every other device connects read-only as an Observer, so accidental taps can never disrupt playback. FLEXIBLE MARKER NAMING Works with your existing Ableton project. Name songs using the == Song Name == convention or simply drop a marker called "Start" - MD Buddy recognizes common words in English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, and Italian. DEMO MODE No bridge? No problem. Explore the full interface with sample songs before your first live use. ---MD Buddy requires the free MD Buddy Bridge companion app running on the Mac connected to Ableton Live. Compatible with Ableton Live 10, 11, and 12 (Standard or Suite). Not compatible with Intro or Lite editions. ---
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: MD_Buddy at Free against Radio's $4.99. MD_Buddy also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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
MD_Buddy is free to download; Radio costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Radio ships an update every 3 months, MD_Buddy every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Radio | MD_Buddy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.6 (5 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.1 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Laurand Osmeni | William Almond |
In-app purchases
Radio
No in-app purchases
MD_Buddy
No in-app purchases









