Retro vs Sound Widgets
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
Retro
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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 === βΈ 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. βΈ CarPlay Support [NEW] Access your RetroAmp library in the car. Browse by Artists / Albums / Playlists / Radio with a full Now Playing screen. βΈ 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. βΈ 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. βΈ 10-Band Graphic Equalizer 10 bands from 60Hz to 16kHz with Β±12dB range and preamp. Built-in presets included. βΈ Hi-Res Output Supports up to 384kHz/32-bit. Connect a USB-C DAC to hear your files at their native quality. βΈ 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. βΈ Playlist Editor Add to queue, reorder with drag and drop, save as named playlists, jump to the playing track, shuffle, repeat. βΈ Synced Lyrics (LRCLIB) Fetches time-synced lyrics from the open lyrics database LRCLIB. No account required. βΈ Last.fm Scrobbling Automatically scrobble your listening history. Offline scrobbles are queued and sent when back online. βΈ 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) β 4 slots Pro ($4.99) β 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
Sound Widgets
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Sound Widgets puts your favourite songs or your own audio snippets right on your Home Screen. Create personal widgets with songs from Apple Music, shared Spotify tracks or short recordings of your own. Tap the widget to play: Apple Music songs start in the background exactly where you set them. Spotify widgets open the track in the Spotify app. Recordings launch a player inside Sound Widgets. FEATURES β’ Widgets in three sizes: small, medium and large β’ Apple Music integration with search by title or artist β’ Import Spotify tracks via the Share menu β’ Record audio in the app or import via Share (e.g. Voice Memos, Files) β’ Photo from your library or album cover as the widget image β’ Set the start time with a slider for Apple Music β playback begins right there β’ Share songs from Apple Music, Apple Music Classical or Spotify to Sound Widgets β’ No account, no cloud β all data stays locally on your device NOTES β’ Apple Music requires an Apple Music subscription. β’ Spotify widgets open the Spotify app (Spotify must be installed). PRIVACY The app collects no usage data, contains no advertising and shares no data with third parties. Photos and recordings are stored exclusively on your device. Free and ad-free. You can support development voluntarily via the Tip Jar β thank you!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Retro at 17.0 against Sound Widgets's 26.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Retro sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Sound Widgets sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Retro ships an update every 3 weeks, Sound Widgets every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Retro | Sound Widgets |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks β better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad β better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 β better | 26.0 |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | KIYOUMI AGEMURA | Peter Knapp |
In-app purchases
Retro
- Lite Skin Pack$0.99
- Pro Skin Pack$4.99
Sound Widgets
- Kleiner Tipp$0.99
- Mittlerer Tipp$1.99
- GroΓer Tipp$2.99








