Comparison

UpNext vs StemFM

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

Head to head
About

UpNext

This app connects independent music artists and industry professionals. Discover collaborators, share your work, and promote your music through playlist placements and social ad campaigns. Grow your network and advance your music career.

Highlights
  • Network with artists and professionals
  • Discover collaborators via video
  • Run playlist placement campaigns
  • Launch social ad campaigns
  • Build a curated feed
  • Get feedback on music
Read full description

UpNext – The Independent Artist Network UpNext is the network for independent music artists and industry professionals to connect, collaborate, and build real momentum together. Built for the new generation of artists, producers and industry pros, UpNext helps you discover people in your lane, form genuine creative relationships, and unlock new opportunities. Whether you're looking to collaborate, get feedback, grow your network, or professionally promote your music, UpNext brings everything into one platform. Key Features: Network Follow artists, share posts, and build a curated feed around your sound and style. Studio Take collaboration further with group rooms to create tracks together. Marketing Get submitted to independent curators to professionally promote your music and reach new listeners. Built for Independent Artists From emerging creators to fast-growing artists, UpNext is designed to help you build real connections, grow consistently, and move your career forward on your terms. Ready to be UpNext? Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

StemFM

Explore a vast music library, remix songs by isolating stems, and enjoy AI-powered DJ sets. Discover new releases, create personalized stations, and support artists with a fair pay system.

Highlights
  • Extensive music library
  • Real-time stem separation
  • AI DJ sets
  • Customizable artist stations
  • Seamless track mixing
  • Fair artist pay system
Read full description

A place to experiment with and manage your music from the creators of Stem Player. Search any song, upload or record and store all your music. Turns songs into stems and calculate the beats to blend and transition songs together, this deep music intelligence powers all StemFM's creative tools so everything stays in time and harmonious. • Make music and DJ sessions just by typing • Record and bring in your own voice and instruments • Export stems and mixes • All music can become stems: vocals, drums, bass, and melody • Record your performances • Import your streaming playlists as DJ sessions • Bring anything you create in the app into the StemFM DAW on desktop StemFM Subscription • Unlimited songs and mixes in one place • Unlimited recordings and whole song exports • Ad free listening no interruptions • No contract required and cancel any time • Fair pay for artists StemFM requires a paid subscription. All features listed above are included with an active StemFM subscription. Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stemplayer Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@stemplayer Follow us on X: https://x.com/stemplayer Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/ZKcHqhwu3C Terms and Conditions: https://stem.fm/terms Privacy Policy: https://stem.fm/privacy

Screenshots

UpNext4 screens
StemFM4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: UpNext at free against StemFM's free with in-app purchases. UpNext also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.0). StemFM's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. UpNext sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $29.99 per month and StemFM sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.9 for UpNext against 3.8 for StemFM. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 41 and 33 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 68% of UpNext's written reviews are positive against 74% of StemFM's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

UpNext ships an update every 3 weeks, StemFM every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
UpNext versus StemFM: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUpNextStemFM
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (41 ratings) — better3.8 (33 ratings)
Positive reviews67.9% of reviews74.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings41 — better33
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS14.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size71 MB156 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperPSounds LimitedStem US Inc.

Customer experience

UpNext

All ratings40 ratings
Positive65.0%
Neutral7.5%
Negative27.5%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive67.9%
Neutral7.1%
Negative25.0%

StemFM

All ratings31 ratings
Positive71.0%
Neutral3.2%
Negative25.8%
Written reviews31 reviews
Positive74.2%
Neutral3.2%
Negative22.6%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

UpNext

Subscriptions1
  • UpNext Manager Monthly$29.991 Month
6 purchases

StemFM

Subscriptions2
  • StemFM Monthly Premium7 Days trial$19.991 Month
  • StemFM Yearly Premium7 Days trial$199.991 Year
One-time4
  • 1 Stem Set$0.99
  • 6 Stem Sets$4.99
  • 15 Stem Sets$9.99
Show 1 more
  • 40 Stem Sets$21.99

Questions

Is UpNext free?
UpNext is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is StemFM free?
StemFM is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, UpNext or StemFM?
UpNext is rated higher. UpNext averages 3.9 out of 5 from 41 ratings, while StemFM averages 3.8 from 33 ratings.
Do UpNext or StemFM have ads?
Neither UpNext nor StemFM shows ads.
Which is updated more often, UpNext or StemFM?
UpNext ships an update every 3 weeks, and StemFM every 5 days. Most recently, UpNext was updated on October 24, 2026 and StemFM on October 25, 2026.

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