Comparison

Strathmore vs Deadwax

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

Head to head
About

Strathmore

Experience location-aware music compositions mapped to a specific campus. Users must be on-site with headphones to play the music, which unfolds as they explore.

Highlights
  • Location-aware music compositions
  • Campus-specific mapping
  • Geo-tagged musical works
  • Interactive exploration
  • Headphone-required experience
Read full description

Strathmore: Sonic Trails is a collection of Location Aware Music compositions mapped for the campus in North Bethesda, Maryland. In order to experience the works within you must be on the Strathmore campus and a pair of headphones is required. The first geo-tagged composition is “The Imagined Forest” from composer Grace-Evangeline Mason. Due to the amount of music contained within the experience we recommend downloading this app before you arrive. When you arrive at Strathmore  • Open the app • Put on headphones • Press play Begin exploring the park and the music will unfold depending on your chosen path.

About

Deadwax

This app helps vinyl collectors identify the best pressings of albums in their Discogs collection. It provides detailed insights into mastering engineers, audiophile labels, and forum-recommended versions to help you find and keep the highest-quality records.

Highlights
  • Discogs collection integration
  • Pressing Intelligence for audiophile versions
  • Mastering engineer and label insights
  • Forum and shootout video references
  • Curated discovery surface
  • Wantlist with pressing focus
Features
Read full description

Most record apps tell you what albums you own. Connect to your Discogs collection, and Deadwax shows you which pressings you own, and whether they’re the ones worth keeping. Deadwax brings the pressing research collectors already do: audiophile versions, notable mastering engineers, forum favorites, and shootout results into one app. Deadwax. I have bought the same album three times, not on purpose. The first was a deal that did not sound right. The second came from a record fair - a dealer I trusted, a sleeve that looked right, a runout I could not quite read. It was not the one either. The third time, I had done the research. Read the threads. Cross-referenced the matrix markings. I paid more than I wanted to. The needle dropped, and I finally understood what all the fuss was about. The pressing makes the record. The same master, cut by a different engineer at a different plant, sounds like a different record. Most of us have been flying blind, or searching through forums and watching shootout videos to find the best pressing. A familiar scenario for any record collector. Deadwax changes that by doing the heavy lifting and research for you and bringing those insights to your fingertips with Pressing Intelligence. No marketplace noise - just the data that separates one copy from another to help you find the pressing to own. PRESSING INTELLIGENCE Every release in your collection gets a pressing-level breakdown: notable mastering engineers, audiophile and audiophile adjacent labels, best pressings from popular forums, and shootout video winners from creators we trust. PI badges flag full pressing Intelligence. AP badges surface the audiophile pressings you may not have known you owned. With a tap, you are directed to review forums and launched into a shootout video reference. YOUR COLLECTION A clean visual grid of your Discogs collection. PI and AP badges surface what matters. Tap any release for full pressing detail. No more cross-referencing different pressings across your browser tabs and reading decade-old forum threads. WANTLIST WITH PURPOSE Add a release directly from Deadwax. Syncs with Discogs. No double-entry, no marketplace upsell - just the pressings you are still hunting. Built around the specific pressing, not just the title. DISCOVER, CURATED A discovery surface organized around mastering engineers, audiophile labels, and the people who actually own these records - curated lists, not algorithmic filler. In the record shop, quickly type in the matrix from the deadwax and know instantly you’re holding a great-sounding pressing. If you have ever bought the same album twice chasing a better pressing -  Deadwax was built for you. If you have ever squinted at a runout etching, trying to decode whether it says A2 or B2, Deadwax was built for you. If you have ever wondered whether the copy on your shelf is the one to keep, you already know the answer. Deadwax shows it to you.

Screenshots

Strathmore3 screens
Deadwax4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Deadwax at 4.7 against Strathmore's 3.0. Deadwax also leads on ratings volume (15 vs 1). Strathmore's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Deadwax holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Deadwax has 15 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Strathmore ships an update every 10 days, Deadwax every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Strathmore versus Deadwax: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStrathmoreDeadwax
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (1 ratings)4.7 (15 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings115 — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size630 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBLUEBRAINJason Means

Customer experience

Strathmore

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

Deadwax

All ratings15 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.7%

In-app purchases

None

Strathmore

No in-app purchases

None

Deadwax

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Strathmore free?
Strathmore is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Deadwax free?
Deadwax is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Strathmore or Deadwax?
Deadwax is rated higher. Strathmore averages 3.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Deadwax averages 4.7 from 15 ratings.
Do Strathmore or Deadwax have ads?
Neither Strathmore nor Deadwax shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Strathmore or Deadwax?
Strathmore ships an update every 10 days, and Deadwax every 6 days. Most recently, Strathmore was updated on November 4, 2026 and Deadwax on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons