Comparison

VinylAlert vs Spinwax

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

Head to head
About

VinylAlert

This app helps vinyl collectors stay informed about new record releases. It monitors numerous stores and provides instant alerts for new vinyl, restocks, and anticipated drops. Users can follow artists and stores, filter by shipping country, and discover trending releases.

Highlights
  • Real-time release tracking
  • Instant notifications (push/email)
  • Follow artists and record stores
  • Filter by shipping country
  • Discover trending releases
  • Ad-free experience
Features
Read full description

VinylAlert helps vinyl collectors track new record releases in real time. We monitor hundreds of record stores and send instant alerts when new vinyl goes live, helping you stay ahead of limited drops, restocks, and highly anticipated releases. Key features: • Follow the artists and record stores you care about • Filter releases by your preferred shipping countries • Receive instant notifications via push or email • Discover the latest, trending, and most popular releases • Explore detailed artist and record store pages • Fast, clean, and completely ad-free Trusted by vinyl collectors worldwide and helping users discover releases since 2022.

About

Spinwax

Effortlessly identify vinyl records from a photo, even without a barcode. Get pricing estimates, track your collection, and avoid buying duplicates. Organize your records by condition, value, and more.

Highlights
  • Identify vinyl from photos
  • Scan covers, labels, and runout codes
  • Get market value estimates
  • Flag duplicate records
  • Grade disc and sleeve separately
  • Organize records into collections
  • Export collection data
Features
Read full description

Stop scanning records one by one. SpinWax identifies vinyl from a photo — no barcode, no typing. Point the camera at a crate and keep shooting: covers, labels, runout codes. Every record comes back identified, priced and filed in your collection while you keep digging. WHY COLLECTORS USE IT • No barcode needed. A pressing from the sixties never had one. SpinWax reads the cover art, the label and the matrix/runout code in the dead wax. • The exact pressing, not just the album. An original and a reissue can be worth ten times apart. SpinWax matches catalog number, year, country and label, and shows the other pressings with their prices so you can pick the right one. • Market value on the spot. Every record comes back with an estimate based on what copies are actually listed for, so you know before you reach for your wallet. • Duplicates flagged as you shoot. The app tells you when a record is already on your shelf, so you never buy the same one twice. • Condition done properly. Disc and sleeve are graded separately on the Goldmine scale, and the value follows the grade. YOUR COLLECTION, ORGANIZED • File records into collections that match your real crates and boxes. • A wall of covers or a detailed list — whichever you prefer. • A dashboard for the whole shelf: what it is worth today, what leads it, how it moved over the last 30 days. • Collection health: what needs a second look, what is missing photos, what is ungraded, where the duplicates are. • Search, filter and sort by artist, year, genre, label, country, grade or value. • Export to a spreadsheet any time. It is your collection and your data. BUILT FOR THE FLEA MARKET Bulk scanning was made for the floor: shoot record after record and let the queue price them in the background while the box total climbs. Rare finds are called out the moment they turn up, and everything is saved even if you walk out of signal. TEN FREE SCANS Start with ten free scans — no account needed. SpinWax Pro unlocks unlimited scanning, bulk mode, the cover wall and smart collections. SPINWAX PRO SUBSCRIPTION Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless it is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel it any time in your Apple Account settings. Privacy Policy: https://spinwaxs.com/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

VinylAlert4 screens
Spinwax4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: VinylAlert at none against Spinwax's 2. Spinwax's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 6 weeks). On price, rating, ratings volume 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. Spinwax sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. VinylAlert 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 VinylAlert against 5.0 for Spinwax. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

VinylAlert ships an update every 6 weeks, Spinwax every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
VinylAlert versus Spinwax: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVinylAlertSpinwax
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Number of ratings12 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.217.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size48 MB34 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperAnton PalmerArtem Osetrov

Customer experience

VinylAlert

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

Spinwax

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

VinylAlert

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Spinwax

Subscriptions2
  • Spinwax Pro (Monthly)7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Spinwax Pro (Yearly)7 Days trial$59.991 Year

Questions

Is VinylAlert free?
VinylAlert is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Spinwax free?
Spinwax is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, VinylAlert or Spinwax?
VinylAlert and Spinwax are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do VinylAlert or Spinwax have ads?
Neither VinylAlert nor Spinwax shows ads.
Which is updated more often, VinylAlert or Spinwax?
VinylAlert ships an update every 6 weeks, and Spinwax every 4 days. Most recently, VinylAlert was updated on October 2, 2026 and Spinwax on October 6, 2026.

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