Comparison

Navidrome Player vs Sound Room

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

Head to head
About

Navidrome Player

Access your self-hosted music library from various servers like Jellyfin and Navidrome. Stream your music, enjoy offline playback, and integrate with CarPlay and Apple Watch. Offers advanced features like smart playlists and an equalizer with a Pro upgrade.

Highlights
  • Offline library access
  • CarPlay integration
  • Apple Watch remote/standalone
  • Synced lyrics
  • Smart playlists
  • Equalizer
  • Internet radio support
Features
Read full description

SubSonify is a native iOS client for self-hosted music servers: Jellyfin, Navidrome, Airsonic, Ampache, gonic, LMS and anything else that speaks the Subsonic API. Your library, offline, in CarPlay, on Apple Watch, and one "Hey Siri" away. No tracking, and the only server the app talks to is yours. Free to stream, with CarPlay. Pro for offline, discovery and your Watch. WHAT IT DOES • Full offline library. The app keeps a local copy of your library, so browsing and search are instant and work with no signal. It syncs in the background. • Home. Continue Listening, suggestions, For You mixes and Start a Radio from any song, built from your listening. • Downloads (Pro). Keep albums, playlists, songs or the whole library on the device; they keep playing when your server is down. • Auto-download (Pro). Starred songs, any playlist or smart playlist: new additions download on their own. • Synced lyrics. On the player, from your server or LRCLIB. • Smart playlists (Pro). Rules over your library, kept fresh and downloaded on their own. • Equalizer (Pro). Ten bands, presets and AutoEq headphone profiles. • Mix transitions (Pro). Beat-aligned blends from one song into the next. • Chromecast (Pro). Play on your TV or speaker. • CarPlay. Browse, search and play from the car screen, with artwork, queue, Up Next, shuffle and repeat. • Apple Watch. A free remote for the phone; Pro makes it standalone, streaming or synced, with the phone at home. • Siri. "Hey Siri, play [artist] on SubSonify" plays from your server. Artists, albums, songs, playlists, or "play something" to shuffle the library. • Internet radio. Add your own stations in the app; where the server allows it they are saved there, otherwise they stay on the device. Your server's stations appear too, on the Watch as well. • Home and away. Two addresses for one server; the app takes the home one when it answers, the other everywhere else. • Crossfade and quality. Adjustable crossfade, and separate stream quality for Wi-Fi and cellular. • Five languages: English, German, Spanish, French, Ukrainian. SERVERS AND LOGIN Tested against Navidrome, LMS, Ampache, gonic and Jellyfin 10.11 and 12. On Jellyfin, sign in with a password or Quick Connect; the app keeps a session token, so your password is never stored on the device. Subsonic servers with OpenSubsonic API keys get a key instead of a password; the rest use the salted-token login every Subsonic server has supported for years. Credentials live in the iOS Keychain and go to your server and nowhere else. WHAT IT COLLECTS Nothing. There is no account to create, and the app ships without an analytics SDK or a crash reporter. Listening history, playlists, downloads and settings stay on your device and your server. It talks to your server, to Apple for purchases and, for internet radio, to the broadcaster, who can see your IP address. FREE AND PRO Free means streaming with no daily limit: your whole library, search, playlists, lyrics, Siri, internet radio and CarPlay. Pro adds downloads and offline playback, discovery (For You, Song Radio, Play something), the standalone Apple Watch app, the equalizer, mix transitions, smart playlists and Chromecast. Pro is available monthly, yearly, or as a one-time lifetime purchase. The yearly plan starts with a free week. Prices are shown in the app in your local currency. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours of the end of that period. Manage your subscription and turn off auto-renew in your Apple Account settings after purchase. Privacy policy: https://subsonify.app/privacy Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Screenshot music: Creative Commons tracks by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) and Broke For Free, CC BY. More at https://subsonify.app

About

Sound Room

Stream your music library from a Subsonic-compatible server with synced playback for shared listening experiences. Customize themes, layouts, and audio settings for a personalized music journey. Download tracks for offline access and enjoy a fast, responsive interface.

Highlights
  • Synced playback (Jam)
  • Shared listening queue
  • Multi-account support
  • Theme and layout customization
  • Offline downloads
  • CarPlay support
  • Lyrics display
Features
Read full description

Modern Subsonic client with shared listening, multi-account support, and deep customization. with CarPlay support Features include Jam(synced playback), shared queue, theme and layout customization, multiple server support, and a fast, responsive music experience. Now optimised for iPhone, iPad and MacOS. Multi Account: now use app with multi account and multi server. JAM: LISTEN TOGETHER (OUR SIGNATURE EXPERIENCE) Start a Jam, share a jam link, and keep everyone on the same queue with synced playback. Built for listening parties, road trips, and “you have to hear this” moments. PRIVACY BY DESIGN Your music does not pass through the Jam service. Audio files and your server credentials stay between your iPhone and your Subsonic-compatible server (such as Navidrome). The Jam server does not receive your library, passwords, or audio. WHAT JAM SHARES The Jam service only coordinates the session, room membership, who is in the session, and playback state. YOUR LIBRARY. YOUR SERVER. Sign in once and browse your collection. Sound Room does not include music or hosting. You need a Subsonic-compatible server you own or use (for example Navidrome or another), and valid credentials. Features depend on your server’s capabilities and configuration. LISTEN WITH INTENTION Stream with queue, shuffle, repeat, a full Now Playing experience, and lyrics when your server provides them. When streaming quality is set to original, Sound Room is built so lossless and high resolution playback from your library can flow smoothly; full, detailed sound without the app getting in your way. What you hear still depends on your tracks, server, and network. Optional transcoding is there when you want to save bandwidth. When metadata is available, Now Playing can show codec or format details. SHARE Share: long-press a song or tap the share button on any album, artist, or playlist to copy a link. Share: links open the app directly and play or navigate to that content. Share: songs and albums also support a Subsonic server link anyone can open in a browser. YOUR MUSIC, ORGANIZED Explore Home, Library, and Search: songs, albums, artists, genres, years, playlists, favorites, and shortcuts like recently played, most played, and recently added. OFFLINE WHEN YOU NEED IT Download tracks for offline playback. Manual downloads and auto-cache are clearly separated, with storage limits, progress, and batch actions so Downloads and Cache stay under control. TUNED TO YOU Adjust audio (including optional transcoding), library behavior, appearance, and Jam settings so the app fits how you listen. Sound Room Pro adds subscription management in Settings, a clearer paywall and “What’s included” style overview, and storefront-accurate pricing for subscription products where the store provides it. MAKE THE LAYOUT YOURS Pick an accent color for a consistent look across the app. Customize Home and Library (which sections you see and their order). Reorder main tabs and choose which tab opens on launch. Settings are grouped for account, appearance, playback, and library and storage so everyday changes are easier to find. ARTISTS AND SEARCH Richer artist browsing, optional song lists on artist screens, sharper artwork where your server allows it, and better behavior when the server merges multiple artists (including choosing which artist page to open). Open artists from tracks with smoother navigation. Search prioritizes songs, then albums and artists, when you are hunting a specific track. IMPORTANT Sound Room does not include music or hosting. You need a Subsonic-compatible server and valid credentials. Features depend on your server’s capabilities and configuration. Privacy Policy https://soundroom.valaki.in/privacy-policy Terms of Use (Apple Standard EULA for apps) https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Navidrome Player4 screens
Sound Room4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Sound Room at 5.0 against Navidrome Player's 3.0. Sound Room also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 71%) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 8 days). On price, ratings volume, 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. Navidrome Player sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Sound Room sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sound Room holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 2 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of Navidrome Player's written reviews are positive against 100% of Sound Room's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Navidrome Player ships an update every 8 days, Sound Room every 2 days. Both last shipped on November 12, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Navidrome Player versus Sound Room: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNavidrome PlayerSound Room
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews71.4% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings22
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.118.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size69 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDoubleFauAlpesh Valaki

Customer experience

Navidrome Player

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive71.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative28.6%

Sound Room

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Navidrome Player

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Yearly7 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$34.99
5 purchases

Sound Room

Subscriptions1
  • Sound Room Premium3 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time4
  • Thanks$2.99
  • Thanks so much$5.99
  • Generous thanks$9.99
Show 1 more
  • Huge thanks$14.99

Questions

Is Navidrome Player free?
Navidrome Player is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sound Room free?
Sound Room is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Navidrome Player or Sound Room?
Sound Room is rated higher. Navidrome Player averages 3.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Sound Room averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Navidrome Player or Sound Room have ads?
Neither Navidrome Player nor Sound Room shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Navidrome Player or Sound Room?
Navidrome Player ships an update every 8 days, and Sound Room every 2 days. Most recently, Navidrome Player was updated on November 12, 2026 and Sound Room on November 12, 2026.

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