Comparison

Retro vs SongHarbor

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

Head to head
About

Retro

Relive the golden age of music players with this app that mimics early 2000s desktop interfaces. Enjoy your local music library with advanced playback features, customizable themes, and CarPlay support.

Highlights
  • Classic UI with pixel-art and scrolling titles
  • CarPlay support for in-car listening
  • Home Screen Widget for quick access
  • Lossless, gapless local playback engine
  • 10-band graphic equalizer
  • Hi-Res audio output support
  • Synced lyrics (LRCLIB) integration
  • Last.fm scrobbling
Features
Read full description

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 === ▸ 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. ▸ CarPlay Support [NEW] Access your RetroAmp library in the car. Browse by Artists / Albums / Playlists / Radio with a full Now Playing screen. ▸ 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. ▸ 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. ▸ 10-Band Graphic Equalizer 10 bands from 60Hz to 16kHz with ±12dB range and preamp. Built-in presets included. ▸ Hi-Res Output Supports up to 384kHz/32-bit. Connect a USB-C DAC to hear your files at their native quality. ▸ 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. ▸ Playlist Editor Add to queue, reorder with drag and drop, save as named playlists, jump to the playing track, shuffle, repeat. ▸ Synced Lyrics (LRCLIB) Fetches time-synced lyrics from the open lyrics database LRCLIB. No account required. ▸ Last.fm Scrobbling Automatically scrobble your listening history. Offline scrobbles are queued and sent when back online. ▸ 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) – 4 slots Pro ($4.99) – 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

About

SongHarbor

Features
Read full description

SongHarbor is an offline music player for your iPhone and Apple Watch. Import your songs, use song recognition to find missing details and artwork, then organize and play them anywhere without ads. YOUR MUSIC, READY OFFLINE • Import MP3, FLAC, M4A, AAC, WAV, and AIFF files • Browse by song, artist, album, or genre • Search, sort, and jump through your library by letter • Keep listening without an internet connection • Sync your music and playlists to Apple Watch, iPad, and Mac • Rate songs from your iPhone or Apple Watch FILL IN WHAT’S MISSING • Use song recognition to identify songs from their audio • Find matching titles, artists, albums, genres, and artwork • Review every suggested change before applying it • Recognize multiple songs in a single batch scan with Premium ORGANIZE YOUR LIBRARY WITH EASE • Edit titles, artists, albums, genres, and artwork by hand • Rate your favorite songs from one to five stars • Build custom playlists with emoji or artwork icons • Use auto-updating Smart Playlists CUSTOMIZATION OPTIONS • Use the Audio Trimmer to choose exactly where a song starts and ends • Create smooth transitions between songs with Crossfade • Choose app colors with Premium FREE AND PREMIUM SongHarbor is free for libraries of up to 50 songs and includes five free Audio Trims. Apple Watch syncing is included at no extra cost. SongHarbor Premium is a one-time in-app purchase. It removes the song limit and unlocks Crossfade, Smart Playlists, Batch Library Scans, custom app colors, and unlimited Audio Trims. SongHarbor does not provide music. Import audio files you own. Playback works offline; song recognition and artwork searches require an internet connection.

Screenshots

Retro4 screens
SongHarbor4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: SongHarbor at 3 against Retro's 1. On price, update cadence, 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. Retro sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and SongHarbor sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Retro ships an update every 3 weeks, SongHarbor fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Retro versus SongHarbor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRetroSongHarbor
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKIYOUMI AGEMURAKadeem Palacios

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Retro

One-time2
  • Lite Skin Pack$0.99
  • Pro Skin Pack$4.99
1 purchases

SongHarbor

One-time1
  • Tunara Premium$9.99

Questions

Is Retro free?
Retro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SongHarbor free?
SongHarbor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Retro or SongHarbor have ads?
Neither Retro nor SongHarbor shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Retro or SongHarbor?
Retro ships an update every 3 weeks, and SongHarbor fortnightly. Most recently, Retro was updated on November 5, 2026 and SongHarbor on October 31, 2026.

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