plappa vs CLAUDIO
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
plappa
This app is an audiobook player that connects to self-hosted media servers like Jellyfin and AudioBookShelf. It supports various audio formats, reads metadata, and allows for offline listening through optional in-app purchases. Users can sync playback states across devices or their server.
- Connects to Jellyfin, Emby, AudioBookShelf
- Supports common audio formats
- Purpose-built for audiobooks
- Sync playback states
- Reads audiobook metadata
- Offline listening (via IAP)
- Podcast and series support
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Disclaimer: plappa only works in connection with a Jellyfin or AudioBookShelf media server! plappa is an audiobook player/client for Jellyfin, Emby and AudioBookShelf, the popular self-hosted media server. Features: - Support for most common audio formats - Purpose built for audiobooks - Save and sync playback states via iCloud or your AudioBookShelf server - Reads metadata like author, narrator and others - Download audiobooks and podcast episodes for offline listening* - Support for podcasts, collections and series with AudioBookShelf * plappa allows you to unlock additional features like downloads and customization options through optional in-app purchases: You can choose between a one-time purchase or an auto-renewing subscription (1 month free trial included). The one-time purchase unlocks all current and future updates. With the subscription, all features are available for the duration of your subscription. Both the subscription and one-time purchase can be shared with your family. plappa is licensed under the Apple standard EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
CLAUDIO
This app is a versatile audio player for personal audiobooks, podcasts, and music. It supports various sources like local files, cloud storage, and servers, offering advanced playback features and offline access. Prioritizing data protection, it provides a customizable listening experience without ads or analytics.
- Plays local files, iCloud Drive, NAS, Jellyfin, Subsonic, etc.
- Advanced audiobook features: chapter support, sleep timer, speed control
- Podcast subscriptions and episode management
- Music playback with EQ, visualizers, and synced lyrics
- Offline caching and CarPlay support
- Privacy-focused with no ads or analytics
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CLAUDIO is an audio player for your own audiobooks, podcasts and music that takes data protection seriously. It plays from the sources you already use: local files, iCloud Drive, NAS/SMB, Jellyfin, Audiobookshelf, Subsonic and Navidrome, DLNA, WebDAV and SFTP. AUDIOBOOKS • Chapters from M4B and tagged MP3 • Sleep timer to the end of the chapter or book, with Knock to Resume if it stopped too soon • Playback speed with pitch correction and silence trimming • Resumes a few seconds earlier after a pause, so you don't land mid-sentence • Read along with downloaded audiobooks and podcasts: on-device transcription in supported languages, with the text following the audio • Ten background sounds such as rain, sea or fireplace PODCASTS • Subscribe and stream by URL or Apple Podcasts search • Episode downloads, intro and outro skipping • OPML import and export, chapters and sleep timer MUSIC • Album Wall and LP Mode • 10-band EQ with matching curves for more than 6,000 headphones from AutoEq measurement data • ReplayGain, gapless playback, crossfade, stereo widening and volume normalization • Animated visualizers and synced lyrics • Scrobbling to ListenBrainz and Last.fm YOUR LIBRARY, ANYWHERE • Offline cache and pinning for titles from your server • CarPlay for downloaded and local titles • Cast local and downloaded titles to Google Cast, DLNA/UPnP and Sonos • Favorites that sync with Navidrome, Jellyfin and Audiobookshelf • Smart Lists, Smart Shuffle and listening statistics • Widgets for Home Screen and Lock Screen, controls for Control Center PRIVACY No CLAUDIO account, no ads, no analytics SDKs, no telemetry. Your library, history and subscriptions stay on your device, and in your private iCloud if you use iCloud Sync. Apart from the sources you choose, CLAUDIO only contacts LRCLIB for lyrics and Apple for podcast search and app recommendations. WHAT'S FREE Local files, iCloud Drive, 2 podcast subscriptions, Smart Lists, Smart Shuffle and all themes are free. Server sources, offline cache, CarPlay, casting and statistics need CLAUDIO Ultra, a monthly or yearly subscription that includes Pro. All other features need CLAUDIO Pro, a one-time purchase. CLAUDIO Pro+ unlocks both permanently with a single purchase and can be shared through Family Sharing. The yearly Ultra plan starts with a 14-day free trial for new subscribers, then the yearly price applies. Ultra renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Payment is charged to your Apple ID. Cancel anytime in App Store Settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: CLAUDIO at every 4 days against plappa's every 5 weeks. CLAUDIO also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7). plappa's advantage is ratings volume (343 vs 1) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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. plappa sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per year and CLAUDIO sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
CLAUDIO holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: plappa has 343 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 87% and 86% positive.
plappa ships an update every 5 weeks, CLAUDIO every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | plappa | CLAUDIO |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (343 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 86.5% of reviews — better | 85.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 343 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 47 MB | 91 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Leo Wehrfritz | Tobias Reithmeier |
Customer experience
plappa
CLAUDIO
Bugs and requests
plappa
Reported bugs
2 issues- Can't login Audiobookshelf
- Podcasts library not listing all podcasts
Requested features
9 requests- Auto download when start playing book
- Auto delete when finished book
- Option to add multiple servers
- More sorting and filtering options in the library section
- Refresh button for libraries
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Easy way to change server address without logging out
- Sync the unplayed/unlistened flags with AudiobookShelf
- Shortcut to bookmarks from within the player
- Slider for fine-tuned control of playback speed
CLAUDIO
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
plappa
- Subscription (1 Year)1 Month trial$1.991 Year
- Full Version (Lifetime)$4.99
CLAUDIO
- CLAUDIO Ultra Monthly$3.991 Month
- CLAUDIO Ultra Annual14 Days trial$15.901 Year
- CLAUDIO Pro$3.99
- CLAUDIO Pro+$34.99







