Comparison

AO vs Ferric

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

Head to head
About

AO

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AO-ringo Player is a music player designed specifically for continuously playing albums from your Apple Music library. [Key Features] ・Continuous Album Playback: When the last track of an album ends, the app automatically transitions to the next album and continues playing. ・Seamless Transitions: Preloading minimizes wait time when switching between albums. ・Offline Mode: Automatically detects tracks saved on your device and keeps playing without interruption even without a network connection. ・Library Integration: Works directly with your Apple Music library and playlists. ・Favorites: Add artists and playlists to your favorites and quickly access them sorted by play count. ・Custom Themes: Choose from Auto (follows OS settings), fixed Light/Dark, or custom color themes from the appearance settings (※ options other than Auto require an in-app purchase).

About

Ferric

Features
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Ferric brings back the cassette tape as a real music player for your iPhone. Not a gimmick, not just a skin over your library. A full cassette experience where you build the tapes, curate the tracks, and watch the reels spin while your music plays. MAKE YOUR TAPES Start by picking a shell. Chrome, midnight black, amber, clear, oxide brown, electric blue, or retro. Each one has its own look and feel. Give your cassette a name, then fill both sides with songs from your music library or Apple Music. Side A and Side B are real. Flip the tape during playback just like you would with a physical cassette. The progress carries over correctly, the reels spin the right direction, and the tape fills up as you listen. DECORATE THEM Every cassette has a drawing surface you can paint on. Use the pen tool to write labels, draw art, or scribble whatever feels right. Swap between colors, adjust the brush size, drop in stickers, or grab the eraser. You can decorate the front, the back, and the top spine. It is your tape. PLAY YOUR MUSIC The player shows your cassette up close with both reels animating in real time. The supply reel shrinks and the takeup reel grows as the tape runs, using the same physics as a physical cassette. The reels spin faster near the end of the tape and slower near the start. Tap forward or back to skip tracks. Hold to seek. The speed ramps up the longer you hold, so scrubbing through a long tape stays quick. Lock screen controls and background playback work the same as any music app. BUILT-IN WEAR Every cassette accumulates wear as you listen. Scratches and surface marks appear gradually, placed deterministically based on each cassette's own wear pattern. No two tapes age the same way. Heavy-use tapes start to show it. YOUR LIBRARY All your cassettes live in a grid view. Tap any one to see its track listing in a style that mirrors the J-cards that used to come inside cassette cases. From there you can flip to the other side, launch the player, or open the drawing editor. WHAT FERRIC IS NOT It is not a streaming service. It does not generate playlists or make recommendations. It is a deliberate, analog-feeling way to organize and play music you already own or have access to through Apple Music. Building a cassette takes a minute. That is the point.

Screenshots

AO4 screens
Ferric4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: AO at weekly against Ferric's every 5 weeks. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. AO sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Ferric sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AO ships an update weekly, Ferric every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 5 level
AO versus Ferric: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAOFerric
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB28 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFujishima TomokazuFaith Branch Software LLC

In-app purchases

3 purchases

AO

One-time3
  • Coffee Support$0.99
  • Premium Coffee Support$1.99
  • Coffee & Cake Support$3.99
1 purchases

Ferric

One-time1
  • Ferric Premium$4.99

Questions

Is AO free?
AO is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ferric free?
Ferric is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do AO or Ferric have ads?
Neither AO nor Ferric shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AO or Ferric?
AO ships an update weekly, and Ferric every 5 weeks. Most recently, AO was updated on October 20, 2026 and Ferric on October 12, 2026.

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