Comparison

PhaseShift vs 4Comp

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

Head to head
About

PhaseShift

A private, high-fidelity music player for your owned music collection. Import and organize your audio files, enjoy detailed playback features, and customize your listening experience without ads or tracking.

Highlights
  • Import music from various sources
  • Organize and customize library
  • High-fidelity audio playback
  • Customizable playback controls
  • Create and edit playlists
  • Sync library across devices
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

PhaseShift is a private, high-fidelity music player built for the music you own. Import your collection, organize it your way, and enjoy detailed playback without accounts, ads, tracking, or reliance on streaming services. PLAY YOUR COLLECTION Import music from Files, iCloud Drive, USB storage, your computer over Wi-Fi, or folders on WebDAV and SMB network shares. Use folders in place or copy tracks into PhaseShift. Browse songs, albums, artists, genres, playlists, recently added music, and pinned favorites. Customize your library shelves and artwork sizes to suit your collection. HIGH-FIDELITY AUDIO Play MP3, AAC, M4A, ALAC, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, DSF, and DFF files. See the active signal path, sample rate, bit depth, and output route while listening. Native DSD decoding and optional DSD over PCM support help you get more from compatible audio hardware. MAKE PLAYBACK YOURS Build and edit the queue, enjoy gapless playback, view synced or plain lyrics, set a sleep timer, and use A-B repeat or track bookmarks. Choose from customizable themes and visualizers, scrub with a real waveform, and fine-tune sound with a 10-band equalizer, ReplayGain, crossfade, headphone crossfeed, and correction profiles. ORGANIZE AND EDIT Create regular and smart playlists, sort and filter your library, edit tags and artwork, apply batch changes, and import CUE sheets as individual tracks. PhaseShift can write supported ratings and play counts back to your audio files, helping your collection remain portable. YOUR LIBRARY ACROSS YOUR DEVICES Pair your own devices with a QR code or pairing code, then sync music, playlists, artwork, ratings, play history, and tag changes over your local network. Sync your whole library or selected artists and playlists, and choose the audio quality stored on each sub device while keeping the primary library in control. Back up and restore library data whenever you choose. MORE WAYS TO LISTEN Control playback from Apple Watch, use Now Playing and Recently Added widgets, follow playback with a Live Activity, and start common actions with Siri and Shortcuts. On Mac, choose an audio output device directly in PhaseShift. PRIVATE BY DESIGN PhaseShift is designed to work offline. Your listening history and library stay under your control, and local transfer and device sync do not require an internet account. PhaseShift includes a capable free experience. PhaseShift Pro is available as a one-time in-app purchase and unlocks advanced features including the equalizer, ReplayGain, crossfade, waveform overview, A-B repeat, bookmarks, listening statistics, premium themes and visualizers, Apple Watch control, CUE import, batch find and replace, backups, and multi-device sync.

About

4Comp

This audio plugin offers four distinct analog-style compressor models (FET, VCA, Optical, Vari-Mu), each with its own sound and interface. It provides advanced features like stereo linking, sidechain filtering, and real-time transfer curve visualization.

Highlights
  • Four analog compressor models (FET, VCA, Optical, Vari-Mu)
  • Unique DSP engine and interface for each model
  • Live transfer curve visualization
  • Stereo link and sidechain high-pass filter
  • Dry/wet mix and auto make-up gain
  • 17 presets included
  • 0-sample latency
Features
Read full description

Four analog-style compressors in one AUv3 plugin: FET, VCA, Optical and Vari-Mu. Each is its own DSP engine with its own sound, and the whole interface — face, knobs, meters — changes to match the one you pick. New in 1.1: tap ? for a quick start and a guide to each model, and watch the live transfer curve on VCA. FET Fast gain reduction from a feedback detector, with an all-buttons mode. Hi-hats, drum buses, spiky guitars. Ice-blue face. VCA Bus glue with program-dependent AUTO release. Tames transients and spikes without grabbing. Crimson face. Optical Smooth, level-dependent release from a modelled photocell — the cell's light memory. Vocals, brass, strings. Electroluminescent-green face. Vari-Mu A ratio that rises with level, plus harmonic colour that thickens thin tracks. Mix bus and mastering. Brass face. Four separate DSP paths Each model is its own compressor engine rather than a preset over one circuit: feedback FET, two-stage VCA, photocell release, rising-ratio tube. Switch faceplates mid-session and the plugin animates to the new model's look. Complement it Stereo link (Linked or Dual Mono), sidechain high-pass, dry/wet mix, input/output and auto make-up gain, a gain-reduction meter styled for each model and 17 presets. Real-time-safe DSP, 0-sample latency by default. Works in GarageBand, AUM, Cubasis, Loopy Pro and other AUv3 hosts on iPhone and iPad.

Screenshots

PhaseShift4 screens
4Comp4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: PhaseShift at Free against 4Comp's $4.99. PhaseShift also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly) and device support (4 vs 2). 4Comp's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On rating, ratings volume, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

PhaseShift is free to download; 4Comp costs $4.99 up front. PhaseShift sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 4Comp asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for PhaseShift against 5.0 for 4Comp. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PhaseShift ships an update every 2 days, 4Comp weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
PhaseShift versus 4Comp: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhaseShift4Comp
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings12 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size33 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNevv Atlantis LLCNATHAN THOMAS MATHIS

Customer experience

PhaseShift

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

4Comp

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

In-app purchases

1 purchases

PhaseShift

One-time1
  • PhaseShift Pro$4.99
None

4Comp

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PhaseShift free?
PhaseShift is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is 4Comp free?
4Comp costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PhaseShift or 4Comp?
PhaseShift and 4Comp are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do PhaseShift or 4Comp have ads?
Neither PhaseShift nor 4Comp shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PhaseShift or 4Comp?
PhaseShift ships an update every 2 days, and 4Comp weekly. Most recently, PhaseShift was updated on October 25, 2026 and 4Comp on October 24, 2026.

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