Comparison

RetroAMP vs Retro

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

Head to head
About

RetroAMP

Features
Read full description

RetroAMP is a cloud music player inspired by the golden age of desktop media players — reimagined for iPhone. Sign in and instantly access your personal music library stored in the cloud. No syncing cables, no storage limits on your device. Just your music, streamed anywhere. FEATURES • Cloud Library — Browse your songs, albums, and playlists streamed from your personal cloud storage • Internet Radio — 30+ curated stations from SomaFM, covering chillout, electronic, indie, jazz, ambient, and more • 10-Band Equalizer — Fine-tune your sound with presets like Pop, Rock, Jazz, Classical, or create your own • Reverb Engine — Add depth with Hall, Plate, Room, Cathedral, and other reverb presets • Real-Time Visualizations — Spectrum analyzer, circular spectrum, VU meters, and particle effects that react to your music • 7 Themes — Linen, Sterling, Mixtape, Boombox, Audiophile, Midnight Neon, and Retro Amber. Each transforms the entire interface • Now Playing Queue — Manage your queue, shuffle, repeat, and see what's coming next • Gapless-quality streaming with seek support and range requests BUILT FOR MUSIC LOVERS RetroAMP brings back the experience of customizable music players — the themes, the visualizations, the EQ sliders — in a modern, cloud-first package. No ads. No algorithmic recommendations. Just your music and a beautiful player. Requires a RetroAMP account. Create one for free in the app.

About

Retro

Features
Read full description

RetroAmp is a local music player for iOS that brings back the look and feel of early-2000s desktop music players. No streaming. No subscriptions. Just your music files, played on your device. === Features === ā–ø Classic UI Pixel-art sprites, monospaced fonts, scrolling titles, a real-time spectrum analyzer, and a digital clock display. The desktop music player aesthetic, rebuilt for iPhone. ā–ø CarPlay Support [NEW] Access your RetroAmp library in the car. Browse by Artists / Albums / Playlists / Radio with a full Now Playing screen. ā–ø Home Screen Widget [NEW] View your current playlist on your home screen. The widget reflects your skin's colors and frame. Tap a track to play it. ā–ø Full Local Playback Engine Lossless, gapless playback powered by AVAudioEngine. Supports FLAC / ALAC (M4A) / WAV / AAC / MP3 / OGG / AIFF. Imported files are stored at their original quality. ā–ø 10-Band Graphic Equalizer 10 bands from 60Hz to 16kHz with ±12dB range and preamp. Built-in presets included. ā–ø Hi-Res Output Supports up to 384kHz/32-bit. Connect a USB-C DAC to hear your files at their native quality. ā–ø Media Library Quick access via sidebar to Audio / Most Played / Recently Added / Recently Modified / Recently Played / Never Played / Top Rated / Podcasts / Video. Switch between grid view and list view. ā–ø Playlist Editor Add to queue, reorder with drag and drop, save as named playlists, jump to the playing track, shuffle, repeat. ā–ø Synced Lyrics (LRCLIB) Fetches time-synced lyrics from the open lyrics database LRCLIB. No account required. ā–ø Last.fm Scrobbling Automatically scrobble your listening history. Offline scrobbles are queued and sent when back online. ā–ø Custom Themes Import .wsz skin files to change the look. One slot available for free. === In-App Purchases === Free to use. Expand your theme slots with a one-time purchase: Lite ($0.99) – 4 slots Pro ($4.99) – Unlimited One-time purchases, not subscriptions. Family Sharing supported. === Privacy === No personal data is collected. All data stays on your device. Last.fm and LRCLIB integrations are optional. Support: haruhi@icloud.com

Screenshots

RetroAMP4 screens
Retro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: RetroAMP at none against Retro's 2. On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Retro sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. RetroAMP asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 5 level
RetroAMP versus Retro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRetroAMPRetro
PriceFreeFree
Update frequency—Every 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRishabh TANDONKIYOUMI AGEMURA

In-app purchases

None

RetroAMP

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Retro

One-time2
  • Lite Skin Pack$0.99
  • Pro Skin Pack$4.99

Questions

Is RetroAMP free?
RetroAMP is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Retro free?
Retro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do RetroAMP or Retro have ads?
Neither RetroAMP nor Retro shows ads.

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