Comparison

Motune vs SUB/WAVE

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

Head to head
About

Motune

Control your music playback using intuitive wrist gestures on your Apple Watch. This app offers a hands-free alternative to earbud controls, Siri, or screen taps, ideal for activities like running, cycling, or cooking.

Highlights
  • Wrist gesture music control
  • Previous/Next track, Play/Pause
  • Guided gesture practice
  • Customizable gesture actions
  • Live Activity status display
  • Privacy-focused, no account needed
Features
Read full description

Control music without touching your earbuds or talking to Siri. Motune turns your Apple Watch into a wrist gesture remote for music. It is built for running, cycling, walking, commuting, workouts, cooking, wearing gloves, and everyday moments when earbuds, Siri, or screen taps are inconvenient. Motune is not another music player. It controls the music already playing on your iPhone. WHY MOTUNE Earbud controls are useful, but tiny taps and squeezes can be easy to misfire while moving, sweating, wearing a hat, wearing gloves, or adjusting the fit. Siri is useful, but saying "skip this song" out loud can feel slow, awkward in public, or unreliable in noisy places. Apple Watch Now Playing works when you can look down and tap, but small screen controls are not always convenient during a run, ride, commute, or workout. Motune gives you another option: quick wrist gestures for the music controls you use most. SIMPLE MUSIC ACTIONS • Previous track • Next track • Play • Pause FOUR WRIST GESTURES • Rotate wrist outward, return, then pause 1 second: Previous track • Rotate wrist inward, return, then pause 1 second: Next track • Turn palm upward, return, then pause 1 second: Play • Bend palm downward, return, then pause 1 second: Pause Each gesture is a clear movement followed by a quick return to a relaxed position. This helps Motune distinguish intentional controls from normal wrist movement and arm swing. MADE FOR REAL MOVEMENT Motune is designed for: • Running and walking • Cycling and open-ear headphone use • Gym workouts • Commuting • Cooking or working with wet hands • Outdoor use with gloves • Moments when pulling out your phone is inconvenient Motune does not replace AirPods, Shokz, Siri, Spotify, Apple Music, or Apple Watch controls. It is a separate gesture remote for the moments when those options are inconvenient. GUIDED GESTURE PRACTICE Motune includes a guided practice flow to help new users learn each gesture. After iPhone and Apple Watch are ready, users can practice gestures one by one, receive success feedback, skip any step, or continue practice later from Settings. During gesture practice, recognized gestures are used for training feedback and do not execute music controls. CUSTOMIZABLE CONTROLS You can customize which music action each gesture performs. Keep the default mapping, swap actions, or disable gestures you do not want to use. LIVE ACTIVITY STATUS Motune can show gesture-control status through iPhone Live Activity and Apple Watch Smart Stack Live Activity while Workout Gesture Mode is active. The iPhone Lock Screen can show current action, previous action, and today's gesture count. Dynamic Island shows the Motune logo and current action status. PRIVACY FIRST Motune does not require an account. Motune does not use advertising SDKs, third-party analytics SDKs, or cross-app tracking. Motion sensor data is processed locally for gesture recognition. Motune does not read heart rate, steps, calories, workout history, activity rings, or other health records. Workout Gesture Mode starts only when the user turns it on, and is used to keep wrist gesture music controls active during exercise. REQUIREMENTS • iPhone running iOS 18 or later • Apple Watch running watchOS 11 or later • Apple Watch paired with iPhone • Motune installed on both iPhone and Apple Watch • Motion permission on Apple Watch • Health permission only if the user starts Workout Gesture Mode Motune is a convenience tool for music playback control. It is not a medical app, fitness coaching app, or health analysis app.

About

SUB/WAVE

Experience radio reborn with a single, shared audio stream. An AI DJ curates the music, provides commentary, and announces station IDs, creating a communal listening experience without playlists or algorithms. Enjoy seamless playback across devices and even request songs.

Highlights
  • AI DJ curates music and commentary
  • Single shared audio stream for all users
  • No playlist building or algorithmic personalization
  • Seamless playback with lock screen and CarPlay controls
  • Create and tune into custom SUB/WAVE broadcasts
  • Live visualizer and song information
  • Song and mood requests
Features
Read full description

Remember radio? One signal, everyone hearing the same song at the same moment. SUB/WAVE is that. No playlist to build, no algorithm studying you. You press play and join whatever's already on the air. A DJ runs the station. It's an AI, but it does what a good DJ does: picks the next track, reads the station ID, checks the weather, says something on the way into the song. It never just cuts between tracks in silence. Start it and you're live. Lock the phone, switch apps, get in the car, and it keeps playing, with controls on the lock screen, your headphones, and CarPlay. POINT IT AT ANY STATION It opens on the public station, but it'll play any SUB/WAVE broadcast. Run your own off your music library and paste the address to tune in. Saved a few? Switch between them whenever you like. WHAT'S IN IT • Now playing, with cover art and a live visualiser • The booth — every pick, station ID, and segment as it goes out • Timeline — scroll back through what's played • Requests — send the DJ a track or a mood, hear it answered on air • Schedule — what's coming up • Themes that recolour the whole app to match the station One stream. No skip. It's radio, not a playlist.

Screenshots

Motune4 screens
SUB/WAVE4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: SUB/WAVE at free against Motune's paid. SUB/WAVE also leads on iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.0). Motune's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Motune against 5.0 for SUB/WAVE. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 4 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Motune ships an update every 2 days, SUB/WAVE weekly. The most recent releases landed on July 31, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Motune versus SUB/WAVE: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMotuneSUB/WAVE
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings44
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB68 MB
Age rating17+4+
Developer博森 廖Perminder Singh Klair

Customer experience

Motune

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

SUB/WAVE

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Motune

No in-app purchases

None

SUB/WAVE

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Motune free?
Motune is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SUB/WAVE free?
SUB/WAVE is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Motune or SUB/WAVE?
Motune and SUB/WAVE are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 4 and 4 ratings respectively.
Do Motune or SUB/WAVE have ads?
Neither Motune nor SUB/WAVE shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Motune or SUB/WAVE?
Motune ships an update every 2 days, and SUB/WAVE weekly. Most recently, Motune was updated on July 31, 2026 and SUB/WAVE on September 13, 2026.

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