Embeat vs playDesk Remote
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
Embeat
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Embeat is the native music player for your Emby or Jellyfin server. Enjoy your library just the way you organized it: artists, albums, tracks, genres and playlists, with cover art and metadata. โข Gapless, lossless playback for FLAC and ALAC. โข CarPlay. Browse and play your library from the car screen: recent, new, favorites and playlists, with cover art, the queue, and shuffle and repeat. Plus a tab with your downloads, which plays even when the server is out of reach. โข Radio mode. When the queue runs out, Embeat keeps going on its own with music that fits what you were listening to. โข Sleep timer. Tell it to stop in 15, 20, 30, 45 or 60 minutes and fall asleep to it: the countdown stays on screen. โข Embeat Connect streams music to DLNA/UPnP devices on your local network, Sonos speakers included โ gapless there too. โข Download tracks, albums and playlists to listen offline, on your phone and in the car. โข Choose a quality cap for mobile data and keep the original on Wi-Fi โ gapless either way. โข Multiple Emby and Jellyfin servers, with quick switching between them. โข Global search, favorites that update themselves when you star something elsewhere, an editable queue, background playback and lock screen controls. โข Ask Siri to play your music on Embeat. Sonos only accepts audio up to 48 kHz. If your library is hi-res, Embeat adapts it on the way there, keeping it lossless. Embeat connects directly to your server. It collects no data and shows no ads. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Emby, Jellyfin or Sonos. Embeat Annual โ auto-renewable subscription. Length: 1 year. Price: โฌ9.99 / year, with a 1-month free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple Account upon confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically at the same price and for the same duration unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel it at any time in your Apple Account settings. If you buy the subscription during a free trial, any unused portion of the trial is forfeited. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Terms of Service: https://www.embeat.media/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.embeat.media/privacy
playDesk Remote
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playDesk Remote puts your playDesk music system in your hand. Browse music, choose what plays, follow the current track, manage the queue, and control the playback computer from your iPhone or iPad while you stay in the listening chair. playDesk runs on the dedicated computer connected to your speakers, DAC, audio interface, or hi-fi system. The Remote communicates directly with that computer over your home Wi-Fi or LAN. The host keeps ownership of your music files and audio output; your iPhone or iPad acts as a responsive control surface. YOUR MUSIC, YOUR NETWORK Your music remains on the playDesk computer, configured library folders, CDs, and connected USB drives. playDesk Remote does not upload your music library to a cloud service. Discovery and control happen over your local network. BROWSE AND PLAY - Browse configured Local Library folders and attached USB drives - Navigate folders, play individual tracks, play complete folders, or shuffle them - Browse CDs and control disc playback - Search the playDesk index by artist, album, folder, and track - Filter and sort search results, revisit recent searches, and expand collections to choose individual tracks - View the complete playback queue, identify the current and next track, and select another queued track NOW PLAYING - See album artwork, title, artist, album, source, duration, and playback progress - Play, pause, stop, seek, and skip tracks - Adjust software volume and mute when supported by the selected playDesk output mode - Review useful format and signal information, including PCM or DSD format, sample rate, output mode, and selected audio path - Follow preparation and buffering states for DSD files and network-rendered media CONTROL YOUR PLAYDESK - Automatically discover nearby playDesk systems with Bonjour - Connect using a saved system or the LAN address shown by playDesk - See active playback before connecting and stop it when needed - Monitor CD, USB, Local Library, DSD, and optional renderer readiness - Configure supported output, PCM/CD, DSD, renderer, search, storage, and remote settings - Review output availability, connection health, host status, and actionable diagnostics - Choose System, Light, or Dark appearance BUILT FOR A DEDICATED LISTENING SYSTEM playDesk Remote is designed for systems where a quiet computer stays near the audio equipment and handles playback through the selected output. Supported setups can include built-in audio, Windows audio devices, USB DACs, compatible ASIO interfaces, safe DSD-to-PCM playback, and DSD-over-PCM for outputs explicitly trusted by the user. Optional UPnP/DLNA Media Renderer support lets compatible control-point apps send music to playDesk. The Remote can then show the metadata, artwork, progress, preparation state, and queue context supplied by the sender and playDesk. REQUIREMENTS - A computer running a compatible, current version of playDesk - The iPhone or iPad and playDesk computer connected to the same local network - Local Network access enabled for playDesk Remote on iOS - playDesk running and allowed to communicate on the host computer's private network playDesk Remote is a controller for playDesk. It does not play your library through the iPhone or iPad and does not replace the playDesk host application. Learn more: https://sharadaaudio.com/discover-playdesk/ Privacy Policy: https://sharadaaudio.com/privacy-policy/ Terms of Use: https://sharadaaudio.com/terms-of-use/ Built by Sharada Software & Systems Services LLC DBA Sharada Audio.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: playDesk Remote at none against Embeat's 1. Embeat's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 6 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Embeat sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $8.99 per year. playDesk Remote asks for nothing beyond the download.
Embeat ships an update every 3 days, playDesk Remote every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Embeat | playDesk Remote |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days โ better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No โ better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad โ better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.4 | 17.0 โ better |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Joan Pallas Ribes | Sharada Software & Systems Services LLC |
In-app purchases
Embeat
- Embeat anual1 Month trial$8.991 Year
playDesk Remote
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Embeat free?
Is playDesk Remote free?
Do Embeat or playDesk Remote have ads?
Which is updated more often, Embeat or playDesk Remote?
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