WristStream for Plex vs Crate for Plex
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
WristStream for Plex
Stream your entire Plex audio library directly from your Apple Watch. Enjoy your music collection with native watchOS controls, completely independent of your iPhone, perfect for workouts or when you want to leave your phone behind.
- Stream Plex audio library
- Independent iPhone operation
- Native watchOS controls
- Offline playback support
- Full music collection access
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Finally, Plex music on your Apple Watch. Stream your entire Plex audio library from your wrist. No phone needed. Access your complete music collection, browse and play with native watchOS controls, completely independent from your iPhone. Great for workouts, running, or leaving your phone behind.
Crate for Plex
A native, unofficial music player for your Plex Media Server, designed for iPhone and Apple Watch. Enjoy your owned music library with features like offline listening, crossfade, and queue management without subscriptions or ads.
- Plex music library browsing
- Offline listening
- Apple Watch app
- Crossfade playback
- Queue management
- Smart caching
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Your Plex music library, finally given the iOS music player it deserves. Crate is a native, unofficial music player for your Plex Media Server, built for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and CarPlay. Pay once. No subscription. No ads. No tracking. Just your music, played beautifully. ON IPHONE - Browse your entire library — albums, artists, playlists - Now Playing reimagined with crossfade, queue, lyrics, and hearts - Stations built from your own library — Hits, Heart Beats, On Repeat, and more - Discover view to rediscover albums you'd forgotten you loved - Download albums for offline listening - Smart caching keeps recently-played tracks ready offline - Pick up where you left off — Crate restores your last session on launch - Light and dark modes that actually look like iOS IN THE CAR - Full CarPlay app — Home, Library, Discover, Stations, and Search - Top Picks and recent albums the moment you connect - Hands-free with Siri: "Hey Siri, play House in Crate" - Ask Siri for a playlist, an artist, or a station, or say "I like this song" to heart it ON IPAD - A layout built for the big screen, in both orientations - Lyrics alongside the artwork, the way they should be ON APPLE WATCH - A real watchOS app — browse, download, and play from your wrist - Doubles as a remote when your iPhone is the one playing - Download albums directly to your watch - Phone-optional playback with AirPods THE FUNDAMENTALS, DONE RIGHT - Gapless playback with crossfade between tracks - Volume matching, so quiet albums and loud ones sit at the same level - Lossless FLAC playback on iPhone (Apple Watch auto-transcodes for compatibility) - Stream quality control, with Data Saver and Low Data Mode respected automatically - Shuffle with no repeats - Hearts to track what you love - Queue management you can actually use WHAT'S NOT INSIDE - No subscription - No ads - No tracking - No login wall to a service that isn't yours Crate connects directly to your own Plex Media Server. Your music. Your server. Your player. REQUIREMENTS Crate requires a Plex Media Server with a music library and a free Plex account. Plex Pass is not required. Crate is an unofficial third-party application and is not made by, endorsed by, or affiliated with Plex Inc.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Crate for Plex at 4.7 against WristStream for Plex's 1.0. Crate for Plex also leads on chart position (#141 vs unranked) and ratings volume (6 vs 1). WristStream for Plex's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 2 months). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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
WristStream for Plex costs $4.99 and Crate for Plex $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Crate for Plex holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Crate for Plex has 6 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
WristStream for Plex ships an update monthly, Crate for Plex every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | WristStream for Plex | Crate for Plex |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | $3.99 — better |
| Rating | 1.0 (1 ratings) | 4.7 (6 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 75.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 6 — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #141 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 — better | 26.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bain Gurley | Darren Ebbing |
Customer experience
WristStream for Plex
Crate for Plex
In-app purchases
WristStream for Plex
No in-app purchases
Crate for Plex
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is WristStream for Plex free?
Is Crate for Plex free?
Which has better reviews, WristStream for Plex or Crate for Plex?
Do WristStream for Plex or Crate for Plex have ads?
Which is updated more often, WristStream for Plex or Crate for Plex?
Other comparisons
