PlayStems vs cratedigger.fm
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PlayStems
This app allows musicians to isolate and manipulate individual instrument tracks from stereo songs or multi-track stems. Practice complex sections, learn by ear, or create backing tracks with on-device AI processing for complete privacy.
- On-device AI stem splitting
- Multi-track mixer
- Variable tempo and pitch control
- Loopable practice markers
- Offline audio processing
- Per-stem volume and pan adjustment
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PlayStems is an on-device multi-track stem player and AI audio splitter for musicians, vocalists, and bands to practice, rehearse, and perform with complete mix control. Import multi-track stems or split any stereo song directly on your device into independent vocal, drum, bass, and instrument tracks. Rehearse complex sections, isolate parts to learn by ear, or create backing tracks for live performance—all with zero audio uploaded to the cloud. MULTI-TRACK MIXER & REHEARSAL TOOLS • Synchronized multi-track playback with rock-solid transport stability • Per-stem mixer: adjust volume, solo individual parts, mute tracks, and tweak stereo pan • Variable tempo & pitch: slow down fast passages without changing pitch, or transpose keys • Precise waveform scrubbing and loopable marker ranges for repetitive practice • Master level control and clean library organization by title and artist ON-DEVICE AI STEM SPLITTING • Separate stereo tracks into vocals, bass, drums, and other instruments • 100% private: audio processing runs locally using your device's Neural Engine • No cloud servers, no account required, and no internet connection needed to split • Requires Apple Silicon or recent hardware: iPhone 13 or newer, iPad Pro (2018+), iPad Air (2022+), or Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) INCLUDED IN THE FREE VERSION Start practicing immediately with full core playback capabilities: • Full mixer, tempo adjustment, pitch shifting, markers, and range looping • 1 song in your library (up to 5 songs if you choose to enable anonymous usage analytics) • Up to 10 successful lifetime on-device stem splits • Standard stem-splitting quality models FULL VERSION (ONE-TIME PURCHASE) A single one-time unlock removes all library and processing caps with no subscriptions: • Unlimited song library capacity • Unlimited lifetime on-device stem splits • Access to downloadable High-Quality (HQ) neural stem-splitting models • Supports Family Sharing across your Apple devices Restore Purchases is available at any time in Help & Settings. Purchases are tied permanently to your Apple ID.
cratedigger.fm
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cratedigger.fm is a music discovery app for people who'd rather dig for gems than be fed by an algorithm. Hit play and lean back while a continuous, radio-style stream surfaces independent artists, curated labels, and deep cuts — all sourced from Bandcamp, where artists keep the majority of what you spend. DISCOVER, DON'T SCROLL Pick a genre or tag, press play, and let the crates roll. cratedigger.fm builds a never-ending feed of releases you won't find on the front page of the big streaming services. WAYS TO LISTEN • Discovery — a continuous feed of hand-picked releases across genres • Curated Labels — stream straight from independent labels worth knowing • My Radio — build a personal station from the labels and artists you love • Favorites — star tracks and grow your own collection • Playlists — save and organize the tracks you keep coming back to YOUR BANDCAMP, IN SYNC Connect your Bandcamp profile to sync your wishlist and library — so the music you already want and own travels with you, right inside the player. PLAYS LIKE A REAL MUSIC APP • Background playback — keep listening with the screen off or while using other apps • Lock-screen and Control Center controls — play, pause, and skip without unlocking • Automatic track-to-track advancement across full listening sessions SUPPORT ARTISTS DIRECTLY Found something you love? One tap takes you to Bandcamp to buy it — so your money goes to the people who made the music, not a middle-meddling-person. BUILT FOR THE HEADS • Clean, distraction-free player • Dark mode, easy on the eyes • No ads and no third-party trackers beyond anonymous usage analytics cratedigger.fm is an independent app for discovering music on Bandcamp. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Bandcamp. Made for the heads, not the algorithms.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: cratedigger.fm at none against PlayStems's 1. cratedigger.fm also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, ads 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
Both are free to download. PlayStems sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. cratedigger.fm asks for nothing beyond the download.
PlayStems ships an update every 3 weeks, cratedigger.fm every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PlayStems | cratedigger.fm |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 47 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Matthias Santer | Rasmus Kjærbo |
In-app purchases
PlayStems
- Full version$4.99
cratedigger.fm
No in-app purchases









