Comparison

Pentaton vs WaveSafe

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

Head to head
About

Pentaton

This app provides a high-fidelity offline music listening experience for your personal digital collection. It supports a wide range of lossless audio formats and offers advanced playback features for audiophiles. Enjoy your music without distractions or algorithmic interference.

Highlights
  • High-resolution FLAC and DSD playback
  • Lossless AirPlay and external DAC support
  • Parametric Equalizer (EQ)
  • Gapless playback
  • Support for various lossless formats (MQA passthrough, DSD, Ogg, etc.)
  • Folder-based music organization
  • Low CPU usage for extended listening
Features
Read full description

Pentaton lets you enjoy your digital music collection, just like your favorite artists intended. Listen to your full albums, front to back, without distractions or social media noise. Enjoy the moment without being let down by your streaming provider. Be in total control of your listening experience, do not let any algorithm or licensing deal decide for you ever again. Bit-perfect output with DSP: • Parametric equalizer with 12.000+ build-in headphone presets • USB DACs with automatic sample-rate matching when supported • Lossless ALAC streaming via AirPlay 1 and 2 • Bit-perfect streaming to Roon endpoints • Gapless playback when sample-rates allow Supported sources: • Local files on device • Local media library (excluding DRM-protected tracks) • SMB shares Supported formats: • Lossless PCM: FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF, WavPack, Monkey’s Audio (APE) and TheTrueAudio (TTA) • Lossy PCM: MP3, Ogg Vorbis, Opus, Speex and Musepack • DSD: Native, DSD-over-PCM and DSD-to-PCM • Comprehensive signal analysis tools for catching fake-lossless and fake-high-res files Note: Pentaton does not come with any music, it is designed to play your own media files. You can try Pentaton with all of it's features for free for 7 days, after which you will need to unlock it via a one-time in-app purchase or a subscription. Terms of Use (EULA): https://appstoreconnect.apple.com/apps/6711346182/distribution/info Privacy Policy: http://pentaton.app/privacy

About

WaveSafe

Read full description

WaveSafe is a free, private, offline player for the music you actually own. Import your audio files and get a fast, clean library on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and CarPlay — no account, no ads, no internet required. • Plays your own files — MP3, M4A/AAC, ALAC, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, OGG • 100% offline — your music never leaves your device; no tracking, no ads • Gapless album playback with a sample-accurate engine • Loudness normalization via ReplayGain tags • Browse by Library, Genres, Soundtracks, and Favorites • Fast offline search across artists, albums, and songs • Shuffle, queue, and resume where you left off • Rich album art and a focused Now Playing view • CarPlay browsing and playback • Universal app for iPhone, iPad, and Mac

Screenshots

Pentaton4 screens
WaveSafe4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: WaveSafe at none against Pentaton's 4. Pentaton's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly). On price, ads, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Pentaton sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. WaveSafe asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pentaton ships an update every 4 days, WaveSafe fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Pentaton versus WaveSafe: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPentatonWaveSafe
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (54 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews79.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings54 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.3 — better18.4
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMarton FaragoGabor Ember

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Pentaton

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription$1.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription$19.991 Year
One-time2
  • 30 day free trialFree
  • Lifetime License$39.99
None

WaveSafe

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pentaton free?
Pentaton is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is WaveSafe free?
WaveSafe is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Pentaton or WaveSafe have ads?
Neither Pentaton nor WaveSafe shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pentaton or WaveSafe?
Pentaton ships an update every 4 days, and WaveSafe fortnightly. Most recently, Pentaton was updated on October 30, 2026 and WaveSafe on October 28, 2026.

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