Comparison

b.sides vs Vivace

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

Head to head
About

b.sides

Features
Read full description

Track the albums you love. Remember what you listened to. Build your personal music archive. b.sides is a music discovery and listening journal for people who care about albums. Search for records, write reviews, rate your listens, and organize albums into personal lists. Whether you’re discovering something new, revisiting a classic, or trying to keep track of your favorite releases, b.sides helps you build a deeper record of your music taste over time. Use b.sides to: • Search albums and artists • Write personal album reviews • Rate albums you’ve listened to • Create and manage album lists • Keep track of your listening history • Organize the music that matters to you b.sides is built for music fans who want more than a playlist. It’s a place to remember what you heard, what you loved, and why it mattered. Start your listening journal with b.sides.

About

Vivace

Organize and play your local music library with support for various high-resolution audio formats. Build custom playlists, utilize smart suggestions, and enhance your listening experience with advanced EQ and volume normalization options. Offers both free and premium features for a personalized music playback solution.

Highlights
  • Plays FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF, CAF, AAC/M4A, MP3, Opus
  • Organized library browsing by song, album, artist, folder
  • Customizable playlists and Home screen pinning
  • Gapless playback, crossfade, and auto transitions
  • Embedded and local .lrc lyric support
  • Volume normalization and advanced EQ options (Pro)
  • AI-powered song suggestions for playlists (Pro)
Features
Read full description

Your own music, organized around the way you listen. Vivace plays local audio files on iPhone and iPad. Import songs and folders, build playlists, and make Home your own. No streaming catalog is included. YOUR LIBRARY, WITHIN REACH • Play FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF, CAF, AAC/M4A, MP3 and Opus. • Browse songs, albums, artists, composers, genres, folders and playlists. Reuse recent searches to find favorites faster. • Copy music into Vivace or play supported folders from their original location. • Pin playlists on Home and arrange the sections you use most. • See a song's playlist memberships and add or remove it in one place. • Repeat your playlist or current queue. Choose Auto transitions, crossfade or ordinary back-to-back playback. • Read embedded lyrics and matching local .lrc files imported with folders. CUE tracks, favorites, a sleep timer and free EQ presets are included. • Use Now Playing and Quick Access widgets. Updates and background controls follow operating-system rules. MORE WITH VIVACE PRO • Volume Normalization: one switch reduces loudness differences between songs, using existing tags or automatic analysis on your device. • DSD (.dsf/.dff) playback, decoded to PCM. • Custom 10- and 31-band EQ, parametric filters, AutoEq profiles and EQ per output device. • Automatic online lyrics through LRCLIB, listening stats, all themes, Smart Playlists and unlimited ordinary playlists. • Optional iCloud Backup & Sync for music and library metadata, using your private iCloud account and available storage. • Ad removal and headphone crossfeed on supported routes. AI SUGGESTIONS, YOUR CHOICE Add AI suggestions to an ordinary playlist for Driving, Gym, a mood or your own activity. Use the songs already there and optional examples to guide it. Search songs, artists and albums, listen in Preview, then select what to add. Remove saved songs and keep using normal playlist controls. Feedback does not replace your preview; refresh when you are ready. Recommendations use your library's metadata, sampled audio characteristics and feedback on this device. Audio and activity descriptions are not uploaded to an AI provider. AI functions require active Pro; existing playlist songs remain playable under their format entitlements. Activity preferences and Home layout stay on this device. The free iPhone/iPad player includes a browsing banner and occasional full-screen ads at eligible app openings. Full-screen ads are not presented during playback. Pro also works in the native Mac app with the same Apple Account. Monthly and annual subscriptions renew automatically until canceled. Lifetime is a one-time purchase. Current localized prices and eligible offers appear before purchase. Trials are available only when offered by the App Store for your account. Manage subscriptions in Apple Account settings; restore purchases in Vivace. Output depends on the file, sound settings and connected hardware. Gapless transitions require compatible formats and processing; normalization can introduce a short gap when songs need different adjustments. Bluetooth and AirPlay may convert audio. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy: https://mwsupplylimited.github.io/vivace/privacy.html Preview six Smart Playlist presets for free; saving and editing their rules requires Pro. Batch tag editing for multiple songs requires Pro. Editing one song stays free, and existing edited metadata is preserved. Tag edits update Vivace’s library, not the audio files. Apple Watch Free: Control your iPhone from your Watch. Pro: Take selected music with you and listen without your iPhone. New downloads require Pro. Downloaded music remains playable if your subscription ends. Vivace prepares AAC copies; your originals stay unchanged. Music storage limit: 512 MiB Free: Remove Download / Remove All Downloads / Clean Up Storage

Screenshots

b.sides4 screens
Vivace4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: b.sides at none against Vivace's 10. b.sides also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). Vivace's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs monthly) and device support (4 vs 2). On price and ads 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. Vivace sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per month. b.sides asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

b.sides ships an update monthly, Vivace every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
b.sides versus Vivace: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameterb.sidesVivace
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.8 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—4 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB29 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperDaniel LeoMatthew Wong

In-app purchases

None

b.sides

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

Vivace

Subscriptions2
  • Vivace Pro Monthly$3.491 Month
  • Vivace Pro Yearly3 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time8
  • Vaporwave Theme$0.99
  • Midnight Aurora Theme$0.99
  • Galaxy Theme$0.99
Show 5 more
  • Sakura Theme$0.99
  • 24K Gold Theme$0.99
  • Noir Theme$0.99
  • Premium Theme Pack$4.99
  • Vivace Pro — Lifetime$59.99

Questions

Is b.sides free?
b.sides is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Vivace free?
Vivace is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do b.sides or Vivace have ads?
Both b.sides and Vivace show ads.
Which is updated more often, b.sides or Vivace?
b.sides ships an update monthly, and Vivace every 3 days. Most recently, b.sides was updated on November 5, 2026 and Vivace on November 7, 2026.

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