Comparison

Mobile MA vs Caption Radio

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

Head to head
About

Mobile MA

This app acts as an unofficial client for a music streaming service, consolidating your music library, podcasts, and radio stations. It offers advanced playback features like multiroom sync, customizable scenes, and detailed audio controls. Enjoy your entire music collection across various devices with a personalized interface.

Highlights
  • Multiroom audio synchronization
  • Customizable playback scenes
  • Controllable playback queue
  • Live lyrics and party mode
  • Rich music library organization
  • Cross-device playback control
  • Advanced audio analysis tools
Features
Read full description

Mobile MA is an unofficial Music Assistant client. It is independent and not affiliated with, developed, endorsed or reviewed by the Music Assistant project or the Open Home Foundation. Press play – in every room, on every device. Mobile MA brings together your albums, playlists, podcasts, audiobooks and radio stations and plays them wherever you are – on your speakers, your iPhone (unfolded on iPhone Duo too), iPad, Apple TV, Mac, Apple Watch or in the car. PLAYBACK THAT'S ACTUALLY FUN • Multiroom done right: group speakers with a tap – and everything plays in sync • Save scenes ("Dinner", "Party everywhere") and start them with one tap – from your Watch, TV, CarPlay and as a widget • A queue you fully control: play next, edit, automatic continued playback at the end • Live lyrics, a party mode for guests, per-player volume limits • Play directly on your device or on any player in the house – switch seamlessly MADE WITH LOVE • An interface that celebrates your music: artwork shapes every view, Now Playing with rich color gradients • A spectrum analyzer that dances to your music • Full-screen artist artwork, playlist collages, fine-tuned haptics • Make it yours: themes, appearance options and alternative app icons YOUR ENTIRE LIBRARY • Artists, albums, playlists, podcasts, audiobooks, radio and genres – all in one place • Lightning-fast search across your music and your streaming providers • A home screen your way: Continue Listening, Discover, anniversaries and your pinned albums, playlists and stations – optionally synced via iCloud across iPhone, iPad and Mac • Smart playlists built on your rules, favorites, radio bookmarks and Listen Later • Audiobooks and podcasts with chapter marks and remembered playback speed SOUND & AUDIO INTELLIGENCE • Audio analysis with loudness leveling for a balanced sound • Tone control with bass, mids and treble plus Smart Fades for seamless transitions • Pro DSP tools for everyone who wants to go deeper • Data-friendly on the go: separate quality levels for Wi-Fi, cellular and CarPlay AT HOME EVERYWHERE • CarPlay: library, scenes, pinned items, queue and Now Playing for every player – right on the dashboard • iPad: sidebar with Browse, queue next to the player, keyboard shortcuts • Apple Watch: remote control and scenes on your wrist, with its own complications • Apple TV: a full app with library, search, big-screen Now Playing and Top Shelf – set up from your iPhone • Mac: a full desktop app including a menu bar player • Widgets for Now Playing, Discover and scenes, Live Activity on the Lock Screen, Siri Shortcuts with a target player SMART & CONVENIENT • Music suggestions your way: privately on device or with your own AI key; listening history with export • In ten languages: English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil and Portugal), Czech YOUR SERVER. YOUR DATA. Your music runs through your own Music Assistant server – no forced accounts, no cloud in between. • Guided setup: find your server on the network or enter its address, sign in, pick your favorite player when you have several • Multiple connection profiles, optionally synced to all your devices via iCloud • Remote access through your own secure connection; encrypted playback from Music Assistant 2.10 • Real time: changes on the server appear in the app instantly GOOD TO KNOW Mobile MA is an independent app and requires a running Music Assistant server, version 2.9 or later (free and open source, e.g. on a home server or NAS). The core features are free; advanced features are unlocked by Mobile MA Unlimited – a one-time purchase, no subscription, with a trial you start yourself. Purchases are subject to Apple's standard license agreement (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Caption Radio

Features
Read full description

Caption Radio lets you listen to live radio from around the world with real-time captions and translation on your iPhone. Browse stations, start listening, and turn on captions when you want to read along. Caption Radio transcribes speech on device and can translate captions into 19 languages, so news, talk, sports, interviews, and local broadcasts are easier to follow. Features: • Live radio stations from around the world • On-device live captions • Translation into 19 languages • Caption language picker with source-language override • Favorites for quick access to your stations • Audio clip recording up to 5 minutes • Clip transcripts with original and translated text • Sleep timer built into the player • Searchable station browser with country, language, and genre filters • Bilingual app interface in English and French Caption Radio is designed for privacy. Speech recognition runs on your iPhone, and audio does not leave your device. Recordings and transcripts stay on your device. Captions and translations are generated automatically and may contain errors, especially with overlapping speakers, music, accents, jargon, or proper names. Do not rely on captions for safety-critical information. A subscription is required to use Caption Radio after the free trial. Privacy Policy: https://sylvainlafrance.dev/captionradio/#privacy-policy Terms of Use: https://sylvainlafrance.dev/captionradio/#terms-of-use Support: support@myrcbox.com

Screenshots

Mobile MA4 screens
Caption Radio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Mobile MA at every 5 days against Caption Radio's every 2 weeks. Mobile MA also leads on device support (5 vs 2) and iOS requirement (18.6 vs 26.5). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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. Mobile MA sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Caption Radio sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mobile MA ships an update every 5 days, Caption Radio every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Mobile MA versus Caption Radio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMobile MACaption Radio
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.8 (10 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings10 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.6 — better26.5
Further details — not scored
Size47 MB26 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSven Uwe HanoldSylvain Lafrance

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Mobile MA

One-time1
  • Unlimited$22.99
3 purchases

Caption Radio

Subscriptions2
  • Caption Radio - Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Caption Radio - Yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Caption Radio - Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is Mobile MA free?
Mobile MA is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Caption Radio free?
Caption Radio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Mobile MA or Caption Radio have ads?
Neither Mobile MA nor Caption Radio shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mobile MA or Caption Radio?
Mobile MA ships an update every 5 days, and Caption Radio every 2 weeks. Most recently, Mobile MA was updated on November 9, 2026 and Caption Radio on October 31, 2026.

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