Comparison

Play Dead vs CanBoogie

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

Head to head
About

Play Dead

Access a vast library of officially remastered live Grateful Dead concert recordings. Discover previously unreleased shows every week, including rare CD-only releases now available in high-resolution audio. Listen across your devices with seamless playback.

Highlights
  • Official Grateful Dead live recordings
  • Hi-res remastered audio
  • Exclusive 'Dead Drops' weekly
  • CD-only releases now streaming
  • Vault organized by year
  • Cross-device listening
  • Apple CarPlay support
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Play Dead is the official Grateful Dead streaming app, offering unprecedented hi-res access to the Grateful Dead Vault of live recordings. For the first time, the band’s live legacy is brought together in a single official streaming service, with newly transferred and mastered recordings from the original sources. Previously unreleased shows - called Dead Drops - will be available every Tuesday, augmenting the catalog of official live Grateful Dead releases, many of which have never been available on any streaming service. The Vault Unlocked Exclusive Hi-Res Recordings Access new high resolution transfers, mastered for the first time and available exclusively on Play Dead. Dead Drops Every Tuesday Previously unreleased recordings added, every Tuesday, curated by Grateful Dead archivist and legacy manager David Lemieux, mastered for the first time by David Glasser. CD-Only Releases, Now Streaming Shows previously available only on CD from box sets and Dave’s Picks are now streaming for the first time -only on Play Dead- in higher-than-CD-quality. The Vault by Year Live recordings are presented in order of performance date for the first time in the band’s history. Play Dead brings together three decades of live recordings into a single, evolving app designed for both longtime Dead Heads and those who just got on the bus. Listen Anywhere Listen and resume listening across devices, including Apple CarPlay. Subscription Subscriptions available starting at $9.99/month or $99.99/year. Official Access to the Grateful Dead Vault Created for Grateful Dead Productions and Rhino Entertainment, longtime stewards of the Grateful Dead catalog. Built by nugs, the leading platform for live music. For nugs Subscribers Play Dead is also available as an add-on to nugs. PlayDead Payment and Auto-Renewal Terms: Play Dead offers auto-renewing monthly and annual subscriptions to stream music from the Play Dead catalog. Two subscription types are available, monthly (30 days) and annual (365 days). All subscriptions auto-renew. A Play Dead monthly subscription is $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year for new users. Plans auto-renew at $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year after the first year. Payment will be charged to the iTunes Account at the time of your purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Accounts will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the users Account Settings after purchase. Terms of Use at http://nugs.net/terms.aspx Privacy Policy at http://nugs.net/privacy.aspx

About

CanBoogie

Discover live music events, get venue-specific entry information, and log setlists in real-time. Track your concert history, connect with other fans, and stay updated on your favorite artists and venues.

Highlights
  • Discover local concerts
  • Venue entry information
  • Live setlist logging
  • Fan community threads
  • Concert history tracking
  • Artist and venue notifications
Features
Read full description

Your live music story, all in one place. CanBoogie is the concert companion built for people who actually go to shows — not just browse them. Discover what's playing near you, know exactly what to expect before you walk in, and hold onto the memory long after the lights come up. DISCOVER SHOWS THAT ACTUALLY FIT YOU See what's coming from the artists you follow and the venues you love, plus picks based on your taste — not just a generic list of everything nearby. Filter by genre, browse what's on sale tonight, or see what's happening this weekend in your city. KNOW BEFORE YOU GO Every venue page includes fan-verified entry info — bag policies, camera rules, re-entry, outside food and drink, security details — sourced from people who were actually there, not a stale corporate FAQ. No more guessing what you can bring or getting turned away at the door. LOG THE SETLIST AS IT HAPPENS Track the show live, song by song, set by set. Mark deep cuts, segues, and encores. Build a real record of the night while it's still happening, not a half-remembered recap the next morning. REAL FANS, REAL THREADS Every show has its own community thread — reviews, rose & thorn takes, photos, and honest reactions from people who were actually in the room. Find out what a venue, an opener, or a tour is really like before you commit. TRACK YOUR LIVE MUSIC STORY Your own stats: shows attended, artists seen, states visited, venues explored. Earn badges as you go, and watch your live music history build show by show. FOLLOW YOUR ARTISTS AND VENUES Get notified when an artist you follow announces a show, or when your favorite venue books something new. Save venues to build your own go-to list. CanBoogie is early and growing — If you're a venue or artist and want your page claimed and accurate, we'd love to hear from you. From inspiration to encore, CanBoogie is built for the people who never miss a show.

Screenshots

Play Dead4 screens
CanBoogie4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: CanBoogie at 5.0 against Play Dead's 4.3. CanBoogie also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 64%) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). Play Dead's advantage is ratings volume (93 vs 1) and chart position (#130 vs unranked). On price and ads 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. Play Dead sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. CanBoogie asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

CanBoogie holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Play Dead has 93 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Play Dead's written reviews are positive against 100% of CanBoogie's.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Play Dead versus CanBoogie: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlay DeadCanBoogie
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (93 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews64.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings93 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#130 — better—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size88 MB6 MB
Age rating17+17+
Developernugs.net enterprises, LLCThe Groovy Venture Company

Customer experience

Play Dead

All ratings92 ratings
Positive80.4%
Neutral8.7%
Negative10.9%
Written reviews42 reviews
Positive64.3%
Neutral14.3%
Negative21.4%

CanBoogie

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Play Dead

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Yearly$99.991 Year
None

CanBoogie

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Play Dead free?
Play Dead is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is CanBoogie free?
CanBoogie is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Play Dead or CanBoogie?
CanBoogie is rated higher. Play Dead averages 4.3 out of 5 from 93 ratings, while CanBoogie averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Play Dead or CanBoogie have ads?
Neither Play Dead nor CanBoogie shows ads.

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