Comparison

Retro CD Player vs Hi

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

Head to head
About

Retro CD Player

Features
Read full description

Beatsy turns your Apple Music into a CD player you can hold. Pick an album from a shelf of jewel cases, watch the disc fly into the tray, close the lid and press play. A SHELF OF DISCS • Your Apple Music albums, stacked as real jewel cases • Scroll through the stack and the room takes on the color of each cover • Search your library or the whole Apple Music catalog for albums and playlists • Filter the shelf by title or artist, sort it A–Z, or pull a random album A REAL MACHINE • The case opens, the disc lands on the spindle and the lid clicks shut • Dot-matrix display with track number and time • Physical keys for previous, play, stop, next and eject • Drag the spinning disc to scrub through a song, turn the knob for volume • Mechanical sounds and haptics, on or off MAKE IT YOURS • Four machine finishes: Porcelain, Aluminum, Sage and Sakura • Printed discs with the album art, or silver data-side discs • Light and dark mode, with a backdrop that follows the cover • The controls fade away while a disc plays, leaving just the machine • Turn your device sideways and the machine fills the screen LISTEN YOUR WAY • Track list, repeat and shuffle • AirPlay to speakers and headphones • Sleep timer: 15 minutes to 1.5 hours, or the end of the disc • Add albums from the catalog to your library in one tap • With repeat off, the next album on the shelf plays on, like a disc changer Beatsy plays music through Apple Music. Playing catalog albums needs an Apple Music subscription. Your listening stays on this device; there is no account to create. BEATSY PRO Beatsy is free to download and play, and pause, skip and changing discs stay free. Without Pro, a short Pro introduction appears over the player after about 10 seconds of each disc and again after every third finished track; the music keeps playing and the introduction can be closed after a few seconds. One lifetime purchase unlocks all machine finishes, silver discs, the track list, the sleep timer and landscape mode, and the introduction no longer appears. No recurring subscription or free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation; restore with the same Apple Account. Apple Music catalog playback requires a separate Apple Music subscription. Beatsy is not affiliated with Apple. Apple Music is a trademark of Apple Inc. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Hi

Read full description

Hi-Fi is a local music player built around the feel of a vintage radio. Instead of scrolling through one long library, Hi-Fi lets you organize your audio folders into stations. Import a folder, give it a station name, and tune between your collections with a retro-inspired player interface. Whether you keep playlists by mood, genre, artist, language, era, or personal collection, Hi-Fi gives your local files a simple and satisfying way to feel organized. Key features: • Create stations from local audio folders • Tune between stations with a vintage Hi-Fi interface • Play, pause, skip, previous, and shuffle tracks • Continue playback from the iPhone Lock Screen • Use standard media controls while listening • Add custom names to your stations • Delete stations when you no longer need them • Start right away with an included sample station • No account required • Your music stays on your device Hi-Fi is designed for people who still keep their own music files and want a player that feels focused, personal, and enjoyable to use. Import your music, organize it into stations, and listen as if you were tuning into your own private radio.

Screenshots

Retro CD Player4 screens
Hi4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hi at none against Retro CD Player's 3. Hi also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). Retro CD Player's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Retro CD Player sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Hi asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Retro CD Player ships an update every 2 weeks, Hi every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Ā· 3 level
Retro CD Player versus Hi: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRetro CD PlayerHi
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer茵 吕Mahadura Fernando

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Retro CD Player

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Premium Yearly7 Days trial$6.991 Year
One-time1
  • Beatsy Pro Lifetime$8.99
None

Hi

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Retro CD Player free?
Retro CD Player is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Hi free?
Hi is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Retro CD Player or Hi have ads?
Neither Retro CD Player nor Hi shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Retro CD Player or Hi?
Retro CD Player ships an update every 2 weeks, and Hi every 3 months. Most recently, Retro CD Player was updated on October 28, 2026 and Hi on October 31, 2026.

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