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.
Sparse Neural FX Modeler
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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.
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
| Parameter | Sparse Neural FX Modeler | retro_player.mp3 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 3 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Eli Silverstein | False Peak |
In-app purchases
Sparse Neural FX Modeler
No in-app purchases
retro_player.mp3
- Retro Player Pro$9.99
Questions
Is Sparse Neural FX Modeler free?
Is retro_player.mp3 free?
Do Sparse Neural FX Modeler or retro_player.mp3 have ads?
Which is updated more often, Sparse Neural FX Modeler or retro_player.mp3?
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