Comparison

soundtronics vs PlayStems

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

Head to head
About

soundtronics

Features
Read full description

soundtronics reconstructs microphone input in real time. Speak just a single word, and waves of sound begin to ripple outward. This isn’t a simple echo — it’s a live remix, a live rework.

About

PlayStems

This app allows musicians to play and manipulate individual audio tracks (stems) from songs. It offers features like volume control, pitch shifting, and looping for practice and performance, with on-device stem splitting capabilities.

Highlights
  • Multi-track playback in sync
  • On-device stem splitting
  • Per-stem volume, mute, solo, balance
  • Adjust speed and pitch while playing
  • Loop marker ranges
  • Song library with title and artist
Features
Read full description

PlayStems is an on-device multi-track stem player and AI audio splitter for musicians, vocalists, and bands to practice, rehearse, and perform with complete mix control. Import multi-track stems or split any stereo song directly on your device into independent vocal, drum, bass, and instrument tracks. Rehearse complex sections, isolate parts to learn by ear, or create backing tracks for live performance—all with zero audio uploaded to the cloud. MULTI-TRACK MIXER & REHEARSAL TOOLS • Synchronized multi-track playback with rock-solid transport stability • Per-stem mixer: adjust volume, solo individual parts, mute tracks, and tweak stereo pan • Variable tempo & pitch: slow down fast passages without changing pitch, or transpose keys • Precise waveform scrubbing and loopable marker ranges for repetitive practice • Master level control and clean library organization by title and artist ON-DEVICE AI STEM SPLITTING • Separate stereo tracks into vocals, bass, drums, and other instruments • 100% private: audio processing runs locally using your device's Neural Engine • No cloud servers, no account required, and no internet connection needed to split • Requires Apple Silicon or recent hardware: iPhone 13 or newer, iPad Pro (2018+), iPad Air (2022+), or Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) INCLUDED IN THE FREE VERSION Start practicing immediately with full core playback capabilities: • Full mixer, tempo adjustment, pitch shifting, markers, and range looping • 1 song in your library (up to 5 songs if you choose to enable anonymous usage analytics) • Up to 10 successful lifetime on-device stem splits • Standard stem-splitting quality models FULL VERSION (ONE-TIME PURCHASE) A single one-time unlock removes all library and processing caps with no subscriptions: • Unlimited song library capacity • Unlimited lifetime on-device stem splits • Access to downloadable High-Quality (HQ) neural stem-splitting models • Supports Family Sharing across your Apple devices Restore Purchases is available at any time in Help & Settings. Purchases are tied permanently to your Apple ID.

Screenshots

soundtronics4 screens
PlayStems4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: PlayStems at none against soundtronics's shown. PlayStems also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, in-app purchases, device support 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

Both are free to download. soundtronics sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and PlayStems sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

soundtronics ships an update every 2 months, PlayStems every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
soundtronics versus PlayStems: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametersoundtronicsPlayStems
PriceFreeFree
Rating—1.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB47 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMasayuki AkamatsuMatthias Santer

In-app purchases

1 purchases

soundtronics

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$4.99
1 purchases

PlayStems

One-time1
  • Full version$4.99

Questions

Is soundtronics free?
soundtronics is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PlayStems free?
PlayStems is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do soundtronics or PlayStems have ads?
soundtronics shows ads; PlayStems does not.
Which is updated more often, soundtronics or PlayStems?
soundtronics ships an update every 2 months, and PlayStems every 3 weeks. Most recently, soundtronics was updated on October 25, 2026 and PlayStems on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons