Artic Audio vs synthwaves.fm
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Artic Audio
Read full descriptionHide full description
Artic Audio - Audiophile Music Player Experience music exactly as the artist intended. Artic Audio is the premium iOS music player engineered specifically for discerning audiophiles who demand uncompromising audio quality. Perfect Sound, Zero Compromise • Bit-perfect playback preserves every detail of your music • True gapless playback for seamless album experiences • Zero audio processing - pure, unaltered sound • Optimized for external DACs and high-end audio equipment Stream Your Personal Library • Connect to your Jellyfin media server for bit-perfect streaming • Full Plex integration brings your entire music collection to iOS • Stream high-resolution audio from your home server anywhere • No subscription required - your music, your server, your way Built for Music Lovers • Clean, intuitive interface that never gets in the way • Support for high-resolution audio formats • Designed by audiophiles, for audiophiles • Lightning-fast library browsing and playback Whether streaming from your personal media server or playing local files, Artic Audio delivers the pristine sound quality that serious music lovers demand.
synthwaves.fm
Read full descriptionHide full description
synthwaves.fm is a music streaming app that connects to your self-hosted synthwaves.fm server. Browse your entire library, play music with gapless playback, and download albums and playlists for offline listening — all wrapped in a retro-futuristic synthwave interface. Your Library, Your Way Browse by artists, albums, playlists, genres, or starred favorites. Search across your entire collection instantly. Create and manage playlists right from your phone. Built for Listening Gapless playback keeps the music flowing. Queue up tracks, shuffle, repeat, and control playback from the lock screen, Dynamic Island, or your headphones. Offline Downloads Download full albums or playlists to listen without a connection. Your music goes wherever you do. Apple Watch Control playback and browse your library from your wrist. Widgets See what's playing and recently played albums right on your home screen with Now Playing and Recently Played widgets. Video Browse and stream video content from your server with picture-in-picture support and resume-where-you-left-off playback. Requires a self-hosted instance of synthwaves.fm to connect to your music library.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is device support: Artic Audio at 2 against synthwaves.fm's —. On price, in-app purchases and iOS requirement 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | Artic Audio | synthwaves.fm |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | — |
| Ads | No | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | — |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 22 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jeremy Blanchard | Leo Policastro |
In-app purchases
Artic Audio
No in-app purchases
synthwaves.fm
No in-app purchases









