Comparison

Subwavr vs PrivateAudioLibrary

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

Head to head
About

Subwavr

Features
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Subwavr is a Navidrome music client built for listeners who run their own music server. Connect to any Navidrome or Subsonic-compatible server, browse your full library, and stream or download to your device — without giving your music to a third party. **Your music, your server** Subwavr mirrors your Navidrome library directly to your phone. Artists, albums, playlists, and songs are all stored in a local database, so browsing feels instant even on a slow connection — and your library is fully available offline. **Block Shuffler** A smarter kind of shuffle. A Block Shuffler is a named collection of albums or playlists — your "blocks." When you hit Block Shuffle, Subwavr randomizes the order of the blocks but plays the tracks inside each block in their original album order. You get variety across your whole collection without an album being torn apart mid-listen. Build one for your favorite jazz era, your workout stack, a road-trip rotation — then hit shuffle and let it run. **Stream and download** • Stream any song directly from your Navidrome server • Download albums and playlists for fully offline listening • HTTP servers only connect on WiFi, keeping your data off metered connections **Playlists, your way** Create, edit, and delete playlists directly from the app. Changes sync back to Navidrome automatically in the background. NSP smart playlists are recognized and treated as read-only. **Scrobbling** Every play is scrobbled back to your Navidrome server at the 50% mark. Scrobbles are queued locally if the server is unreachable, so your listening history stays accurate even offline. **Analytics** See your top songs and top artists by week, month, or all time — straight from your own listening data. **Privacy by design** Subwavr talks only to your Navidrome server. There are no analytics SDKs, no advertising networks, and no third-party backends involved. Your music stays between you and your server.

About

PrivateAudioLibrary

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Bring music from your own servers, NAS, and personal files into one focused Apple-platform experience. Sanshuai Player is built for people who manage their own music collections. Connect an OpenSubsonic, Navidrome, Airsonic, Gonic, Jellyfin, or compatible NAS server that you own or are authorized to use. You can also import local tracks or an SMB folder through Files, then browse, search, favorite, organize playlists, and keep listening from one app. Key features: • Manage and switch between multiple personal music sources • Import tracks from local storage or SMB folders • Browse and search artists, albums, songs, and playlists • Choose Original, Lossless Preferred, High, Standard, or Data Saver playback • Keep listening with background audio, Lock Screen, and headset controls • Use a collapsible mini player, playback queue, and upcoming-track prefetch • Follow time-synced lyrics • Manage favorites, playlists, and playback progress when supported by your server • Rotate your iPhone into an original audio-reactive landscape stage • Browse your library and control playback with CarPlay in compatible vehicles • Keep each server password or access token in the device Keychain Sanshuai Player does not provide, host, aggregate, or distribute music, and it does not include a public online catalog. You must own or be authorized to access the servers and content you connect. Favorites, playlists, lyrics, transcoding, and sync capabilities vary by server implementation and account permissions.

Screenshots

Subwavr4 screens
PrivateAudioLibrary3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Subwavr at 15.1 against PrivateAudioLibrary's 17.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Subwavr ships an update every 2 weeks, PrivateAudioLibrary weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 5 level
Subwavr versus PrivateAudioLibrary: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSubwavrPrivateAudioLibrary
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBenjamin Wright容升 染

In-app purchases

None

Subwavr

No in-app purchases

None

PrivateAudioLibrary

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Subwavr free?
Subwavr is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PrivateAudioLibrary free?
PrivateAudioLibrary is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Subwavr or PrivateAudioLibrary have ads?
Neither Subwavr nor PrivateAudioLibrary shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Subwavr or PrivateAudioLibrary?
Subwavr ships an update every 2 weeks, and PrivateAudioLibrary weekly. Most recently, Subwavr was updated on October 7, 2026 and PrivateAudioLibrary on October 25, 2026.

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