Comparison

Sonora vs SUB/WAVE

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

Head to head
About

Sonora

This app provides a smooth and native mobile interface for accessing and streaming your self-hosted music library. Browse artists, albums, and playlists with a fast search and enjoy your personal collection anywhere.

Highlights
  • Browse artists, albums, songs, and playlists
  • Fast and clean interface
  • Search personal music collection
  • Stream music on the go
  • Native iPhone experience
Features
Read full description

Sonora is a polished Navidrome client for iPhone that brings your self-hosted music library anywhere. Browse artists, albums, songs, and playlists with a fast, clean interface built for everyday listening.  Search your collection in seconds, stream your personal library on the go, and enjoy a music experience designed to feel simple, smooth, and native on iPhone. Sonora is built for self-hosted music lovers who want their own library without giving up a great mobile experience. Your music. Your server. Your way.

About

SUB/WAVE

Experience radio reborn with a single, shared audio stream. An AI DJ curates the music, provides commentary, and announces station IDs, creating a communal listening experience without playlists or algorithms. Enjoy seamless playback across devices and even request songs.

Highlights
  • AI DJ curates music and commentary
  • Single shared audio stream for all users
  • No playlist building or algorithmic personalization
  • Seamless playback with lock screen and CarPlay controls
  • Create and tune into custom SUB/WAVE broadcasts
  • Live visualizer and song information
  • Song and mood requests
Features
Read full description

Remember radio? One signal, everyone hearing the same song at the same moment. SUB/WAVE is that. No playlist to build, no algorithm studying you. You press play and join whatever's already on the air. A DJ runs the station. It's an AI, but it does what a good DJ does: picks the next track, reads the station ID, checks the weather, says something on the way into the song. It never just cuts between tracks in silence. Start it and you're live. Lock the phone, switch apps, get in the car, and it keeps playing, with controls on the lock screen, your headphones, and CarPlay. POINT IT AT ANY STATION It opens on the public station, but it'll play any SUB/WAVE broadcast. Run your own off your music library and paste the address to tune in. Saved a few? Switch between them whenever you like. WHAT'S IN IT • Now playing, with cover art and a live visualiser • The booth — every pick, station ID, and segment as it goes out • Timeline — scroll back through what's played • Requests — send the DJ a track or a mood, hear it answered on air • Schedule — what's coming up • Themes that recolour the whole app to match the station One stream. No skip. It's radio, not a playlist.

Screenshots

Sonora4 screens
SUB/WAVE4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: SUB/WAVE at 5.0 against Sonora's 4.0. SUB/WAVE also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 weeks). On price, review sentiment, 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SUB/WAVE holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 4 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sonora ships an update every 2 weeks, SUB/WAVE weekly. The most recent releases landed on August 22, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Sonora versus SUB/WAVE: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSonoraSUB/WAVE
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (4 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings44
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.616.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB68 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGRANT JAMES MADISONPerminder Singh Klair

Customer experience

Sonora

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

SUB/WAVE

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Sonora

No in-app purchases

None

SUB/WAVE

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Sonora free?
Sonora is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SUB/WAVE free?
SUB/WAVE is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Sonora or SUB/WAVE?
SUB/WAVE is rated higher. Sonora averages 4.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while SUB/WAVE averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Sonora or SUB/WAVE have ads?
Neither Sonora nor SUB/WAVE shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sonora or SUB/WAVE?
Sonora ships an update every 2 weeks, and SUB/WAVE weekly. Most recently, Sonora was updated on August 22, 2026 and SUB/WAVE on September 13, 2026.

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