Comparison

StackRoom vs Needl

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

Head to head
About

StackRoom

Organize your physical media collection with this app. Scan items to automatically retrieve details, track their value, and discover insights. Create playlists and share your collection's story.

Highlights
  • Barcode scanning for quick cataloging
  • Automatic retrieval of release details
  • Collection value tracking
  • Wishlist management
  • Collection insights and analytics
  • Smart shelves and crates
  • Mood playlist creation
  • Community forums for collectors
Features
Read full description

Your collection, finally organized. StackRoom turns your record shelf into a living, browsable library. Scan a barcode, and we pull the full release details — artwork, tracklist, pressing info, and current market value — powered by the Discogs database. Build your collection in minutes, not weekends. CATALOG AT SPEED • Barcode scanning with batch mode — scan a whole stack in one session • Automatic artwork, tracklists, and pressing details • Track what each record is worth, and watch your collection's value over time • Wishlist the records you're still hunting for KNOW YOUR COLLECTION • Insights and analytics: genres, decades, artists, listening habits • Smart shelves and crates to slice your library any way you like • Collection gap finder — see the essential albums you're missing • Recommendations based on what you actually own PLAY IT, DON'T JUST SHELVE IT • "Now Spinning" — log what's on the turntable • Mood playlists built from your own collection • Apple Music integration to hear it anywhere SHOW IT OFF • Share cards made for Instagram and X • Year in Music — your collection's story, wrapped up beautifully • Follow other collectors, share finds, and talk records in community forums GO PRO StackRoom Pro unlocks the full room: • Unlimited records (free tier includes your first 25) • Movies & Books modes — catalog your films and your shelf of paperbacks the same way • Advanced insights in every mode • Share cards, Year in Music, and pro exports Try Pro free for 1 week. Monthly and yearly plans available. Subscriptions renew automatically until canceled in your App Store settings. Whether you're 20 records in or 2,000 deep, StackRoom is the shelf that knows what's on it. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Needl

Catalog your vinyl collection, track its value, and discover music. Scan records, view lyrics synced to playback, and explore album histories. Integrates with streaming services and offers AI-powered insights.

Highlights
  • Barcode and cover scanning for record identification
  • Catalog entire vinyl collection with detailed information
  • Real-time collection value tracking
  • Synced lyrics and visualizers during playback
  • AI-powered album and artist insights
  • Integration with Apple Music and Spotify
  • Wishlist and price drop notifications
Features
Read full description

Needl is the home for your vinyl. Catalog every pressing, know what it's worth, and watch the lyrics roll as the record spins. Free, with no ads and no limit on the records you add. ADD RECORDS IN SECONDS • Scan the barcode on any modern sleeve. Free on every plan. • Cover Scan: point at the front of the sleeve and Needl finds the exact pressing, even promos, imports and first pressings made before barcodes. (Pro) • Search, or import your whole Discogs collection and wantlist in seconds. YOUR WHOLE SHELF, AT A GLANCE • Browse by artist, year, label or color, and open any pressing to see everything about it. • Genius built in: the story behind each album, full credits and the records it sampled. • Add back covers, gatefolds, inserts and labels to document the whole package. KNOW WHAT IT'S WORTH • Real marketplace data on every record, and a running value for your whole collection. • In the store, scan a record, enter the price and see if it's fair. • Keep a wishlist, find record stores nearby, and get a nudge when a price drops. DROP THE NEEDLE • Put a record on and Needl knows what's playing. • Live Lyrics: every word lands on time, synced to your turntable. (Pro) • Nine full-screen visualizers, from a vintage VU meter to a 1960s liquid light show. • Now Spinning on Apple TV, with lyrics in sync across the room. • Tap like on Apple Watch to save the track to your Spotify Liked Songs. ASK AI Liner notes on demand: the story behind an album, an artist, or why a pressing matters. Built on Apple Intelligence, Ask AI runs on your device, and Private Cloud Compute keeps nothing. STREAM IT. THEN OWN IT. Connect Apple Music or Spotify and Needl finds the albums you keep coming back to, then shows which ones you can own on vinyl. PRESSED Your monthly recap, vinyl and streaming side by side: top artists, most-played album and how your shelf grew. Made to share. EVERY APPLE DEVICE Ask Siri what your collection is worth. Add widgets and Live Activities. One free download for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple TV, synced with iCloud. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No ads, no tracking. Cover scans are used only to recognize your record, never to train models. FREE AND PRO Free: unlimited collection, wishlist, barcode scan, Discogs import, Apple Music and Spotify sync, collection value, Ask AI and Listen. Needl Pro adds Cover Scan, Live Lyrics, custom visualizers and record customization, so each record's color, splatter and label match the copy on your shelf. Weekly, monthly and yearly plans, with Family Sharing. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel anytime in Settings. Some features require iOS 27 or Apple Intelligence. Privacy Policy: https://needlvinyl.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

StackRoom4 screens
Needl4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Needl at every 5 days against StackRoom's every 3 weeks. Needl also leads on ratings volume (20 vs 1). StackRoom's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, 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. StackRoom sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Needl sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. 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 — 5.0 for StackRoom against 4.9 for Needl. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Needl has 20 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

StackRoom ships an update every 3 weeks, Needl every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
StackRoom versus Needl: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStackRoomNeedl
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.9 (20 ratings)
Positive reviews—93.3% of reviews
Number of ratings120 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size69 MB411 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPatrick SimmonsMoises Willis

Customer experience

StackRoom

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Needl

All ratings20 ratings
Positive95.0%
Neutral5.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive93.3%
Neutral6.7%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

StackRoom

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly$19.991 Year
3 purchases

Needl

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly$1.997 Days
  • Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Yearly$19.991 Year

Questions

Is StackRoom free?
StackRoom is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Needl free?
Needl is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, StackRoom or Needl?
StackRoom is rated higher. StackRoom averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Needl averages 4.9 from 20 ratings.
Do StackRoom or Needl have ads?
Neither StackRoom nor Needl shows ads.
Which is updated more often, StackRoom or Needl?
StackRoom ships an update every 3 weeks, and Needl every 5 days. Most recently, StackRoom was updated on October 28, 2026 and Needl on October 30, 2026.

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