Comparison

Sparse Neural FX Modeler vs retro_player.mp3

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

Head to head
About

Sparse Neural FX Modeler

Features
Read full description

Built by Eli Silverstein and Ryota Sato. Open-source acknowledgements: NeuralAmpModelerCore (MIT, Steven Atkinson), nlohmann/json (MIT, Niels Lohmann), Eigen (Apache 2.0), OOPer audio utilities (BSD 2-Clause), Apple aurioTouch sample code.

About

retro_player.mp3

This app plays your existing music files with a unique retro visualizer and automixing features. Customize your playback experience with various display styles and cover art generation. It offers a nostalgic, ad-free, and offline listening experience.

Highlights
  • Retro dot-matrix display with 6 styles
  • Auto VJ transitions
  • Crossfading automixing
  • Generated pixel cover art
  • Y2K style file naming
  • Import from Files app
  • Offline playback
Features
Read full description

retro_player.mp3 plays the music you already own, the way a player from 1983 would have if it had been designed in Germany and shipped in 2003. DOT-MATRIX DISPLAY Your music drives a square LED panel, unlit dots and all. Six display styles: Bars with red peak caps, Mirror, Scope, Pulse, Warp and Rain. Pick yours in Settings or tap the display, and the dots fly over to the new one. Turn on Auto VJ and now and then the panel moves on by itself, with a transition: a swirl, a burst, a dissolve or a CRT wipe. AUTOMIX Turn it on and every track crossfades into the next. retro_player trims the silence at the end of one song and the start of the next, so the mix lands on the music. Choose 4, 8 or 12 seconds. PIXEL COVER ART Every track gets its own generated LED cover: invaders, synthwave suns, rings, skylines. It's on the lock screen and in Control Center. NAMES LIKE IT'S 2003 Show titles clean, as the raw file name, or in full Y2K style: xX~sOnG_nAmE~Xx.mp3. YOUR FILES, YOUR LISTS Import MP3, M4A, WAV and AIFF from the Files app, or drop them into Files › On My iPhone › retro_player. Make lists, reorder them, play them. MADE FOR IPHONE DUO Open it and the player sits on one side with your lists on the other, the fold between them. Half-fold it and the display stands on the top half, with your library below. RETRO_PLAYER PRO The free version plays the first 3 tracks in your library. retro_player Pro is a one-time in-app purchase that unlocks every track, for good. No subscription. Had the app before version 1.2? You keep full access. NOTHING ELSE No account. No streaming. No ads. No tracking. Works offline. Black, white and one red. Less, but better.

Screenshots

Sparse Neural FX Modeler2 screens
retro_player.mp34 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sparse Neural FX Modeler at none against retro_player.mp3's 1. retro_player.mp3's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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_player.mp3 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Sparse Neural FX Modeler asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sparse Neural FX Modeler ships an update every 2 months, retro_player.mp3 every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Sparse Neural FX Modeler versus retro_player.mp3: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSparse Neural FX Modelerretro_player.mp3
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, Mac
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB22 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEli SilversteinFalse Peak

In-app purchases

None

Sparse Neural FX Modeler

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

retro_player.mp3

One-time1
  • Retro Player Pro$9.99

Questions

Is Sparse Neural FX Modeler free?
Sparse Neural FX Modeler is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is retro_player.mp3 free?
retro_player.mp3 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Sparse Neural FX Modeler or retro_player.mp3 have ads?
Neither Sparse Neural FX Modeler nor retro_player.mp3 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sparse Neural FX Modeler or retro_player.mp3?
Sparse Neural FX Modeler ships an update every 2 months, and retro_player.mp3 every 6 days. Most recently, Sparse Neural FX Modeler was updated on October 31, 2026 and retro_player.mp3 on November 6, 2026.

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