MusicSearch vs Start Playing
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MusicSearch
Access a vast music database to find information about artists and songs. Cache data for offline use, filter content, and contribute to the database. Customize the app's appearance and track your listening history.
- Search MusicBrainz database
- Offline-first data caching
- Instant content filtering
- View visit history
- Save to collections
- Contribute to MusicBrainz
- Customizable appearance
Read full descriptionHide full description
Features: - Search MusicBrainz's massive database for any information related to your favorite artist or song - Offline-first; all data is cached on device after loading each page/tab - Almost every tab allows you to filter its content instantaneously - Aliases will be used when filtering to help find things in other languages - See every page you've visited in the history screen, and quickly get back to them - Save anything to a collection - Login using your MusicBrainz account to add to your existing collections - Scrobbling to ListenBrainz? Enter your username to explore your listens - Customize the app's appearance with: Light/Dark theme, Material theme based on your wallpaper, or pick a custom color - Is an artist's discography incomplete? Aliases missing? Other data missing? Contribute it to MusicBrainz: https://musicbrainz.org See all features here: https://lydavid.github.io/MusicSearch/docs/all_features.html This is a music database/discovery app, not a music player. There are external links to various streaming platforms which will open the album/song in their app if it's installed. The source code for this project can be found at: https://github.com/lydavid/MusicSearch
Start Playing
Streamline your music listening by selecting multiple playlists to play seamlessly. Enjoy intelligent shuffling, original playlist order playback, or artist-avoidance for a smoother audio experience.
- Select multiple playlists
- Intelligent shuffling
- Original playlist order playback
- Avoid back-to-back artists
- Clean and intentional playback
Read full descriptionHide full description
Apple Music is an incredible app - lyrics, discovery, radio, playlists, and more. But when all you want to do is pick a few playlists and press play, things can feel more complicated than they need to be. Start Playing focuses on that one simple idea. Select multiple playlists, then just play them: cleanly and intentionally. Shuffle intelligently, play songs in their original playlist order, or avoid back-to-back artists when possible for a smoother flow. Whether you’re heading to the gym, getting in the car, or letting music run in the background, Start Playing stays out of the way and lets your music take center stage.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Start Playing at 100% against MusicSearch's 0%. Start Playing also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.0). MusicSearch's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support 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
Both are free to download. Start Playing sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. MusicSearch asks for nothing beyond the download.
Start Playing holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of MusicSearch's written reviews are positive against 100% of Start Playing's.
| Parameter | MusicSearch | Start Playing |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 2 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.4 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 55 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | David Ly | Brian Simmons |
Customer experience
MusicSearch
Start Playing
In-app purchases
MusicSearch
No in-app purchases
Start Playing
- Unlimited Play$2.99









