Comparison

DC View vs Penta

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

Head to head
About

DC View

Features
Read full description

Experience the feel of a CD player with Apple Music. This app is a music player that lets you search and play Apple Music tracks with a CD player-inspired interface. Browse album artwork intuitively with Cover Flow, then play instantly or add tracks to your queue with a single tap. It is designed to work comfortably on both iPhone and iPad. Key Features Search Apple Music by song title, artist, or album Play, seek, and skip tracks with a CD deck-style player View and manage the Up Next queue Browse Recently Played, Recently Added, and recommended playlists Switch between deck styles (Classic / Neo Retro / Premium and more) Premium No ads Unlock all deck styles Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Requirements Apple Music access permission is required. An active Apple Music subscription is required for some features. Terms of Use (EULA) https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy https://sleepy-ceiling-179.notion.site/DC-view-30bbcb0fb718803598e8f4899c547dda?source=copy_link

About

Penta

Experience your Apple Music library with a virtual five-disc CD carousel player. Browse albums, load discs, and control playback with a realistic interface, complete with tactile sounds and a retro display.

Highlights
  • Five-disc carousel simulation
  • Apple Music library integration
  • Realistic tactile interface
  • Customizable display
  • Save and reload disc sets
  • iCloud sync for favorites
Features
Read full description

Penta turns your iPhone, iPad or iPhone Duo into a five-disc CD changer — the hi-fi component you grew up with, rebuilt for your Apple Music library. Open a jewel case, drop the disc into the carousel, and play. Every detail is here: the fluorescent display, the motorized carousel, the power-on self-test, a disc winding up to speed before it plays, and the clunk as it comes to a stop. ON IPHONE DUO The phone is the jewel case. Close it and you're holding the album; open it and the case opens with it. Open flat for the whole deck, or fold it like a laptop for your CD wallet above the tray. FEATURES • A real five-disc carousel — load, spin, and swap discs by hand • Real sounds, recorded from a five-disc changer: key clicks, the tray, the platter turning and a disc set down • A different deck each way up: the full carousel sideways, a CD wallet over the tray upright • Jewel-case browser — open the case and drag the disc out, or drop it straight into any of the five slots • Plays your Apple Music library in full, with real album art on every disc • Keys you can feel — on iPhone every key clicks under your thumb • Magazines — save a set of five discs and reload the whole cartridge later • Favorites, whole-library search, and Apple Music catalog search • A vacuum-fluorescent display with track, time, and format readouts • Any way up on iPad, and in resizable windows • Favorites and saved magazines sync across your devices via iCloud PENTA PRO A one-time unlock: Real CD Artwork (beta) shows the actual printed disc instead of the album cover, plus the full phosphor-colour set, the analog needle and VU meters, a gentle readable spin, the minimal readout, and unlimited saved magazines. The free deck plays your whole library with no limits. Albums you own play without a subscription. Streaming from the Apple Music catalog needs an Apple Music subscription.

Screenshots

DC View3 screens
Penta4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Penta at none against DC View's shown. DC View's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs weekly). 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. DC View sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month and Penta sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DC View ships an update every 4 days, Penta weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
DC View versus Penta: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDC ViewPenta
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—5 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterWeekly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperShota YamamotoJohn Seubert

In-app purchases

1 purchases

DC View

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly plan$1.991 Month
1 purchases

Penta

One-time1
  • Penta Pro$0.99

Questions

Is DC View free?
DC View is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Penta free?
Penta is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do DC View or Penta have ads?
DC View shows ads; Penta does not.
Which is updated more often, DC View or Penta?
DC View ships an update every 4 days, and Penta weekly. Most recently, DC View was updated on October 7, 2026 and Penta on October 24, 2026.

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