Comparison

Play vs On

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

Head to head
About

Play

Wirelessly stream high-fidelity audio throughout your home using Wi-Fi. Control music from various sources, including streaming services, radio, and your device's library. Easily set up and manage multiple speakers for a whole-home listening experience.

Highlights
  • Whole-home wireless audio
  • Wi-Fi streaming
  • Multiple music sources
  • Speaker group management
  • Volume control
  • DLNA server support
Features
Read full description

Breakthrough DTS Play-Fi(R) technology powers simple, great-sounding whole-home wireless audio systems for smartphones and tablets. You can stream your favorite tunes over Wi-Fi right from the Play-Fi app to speakers from DTS Play-Fi product partners. It's a huge step up from Bluetooth - the audio quality and reliability are outstanding, and you can enjoy music from your phone in one room, or all your rooms. The "Hi-Fi over Wi-Fi" listening experience is just a touch away, thanks to this handy app. Choose a speaker, choose a song, and your favorite tunes are streaming all through the house. The app offers built-in streaming options: stream from worldwide music services; use AM/FM and Internet radio, connect to DLNA servers, or play anything from your device's music library, including your iTunes playlists. The app automatically organizes and indexes the music for you. The app also handles set-up for your speakers, and gives you full control of volume and speaker selection. Choose one, set up speaker groups, or stream to all of them at once. Manage speaker groups for Spotify Connect, too. IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have a Play-Fi product from Polk Audio, Definitive Technology or Phorus, please search for and download the custom Play-Fi app for your audio brand. Please also note that the Play-Fi app is companion software to audio products enabled with Play-Fi technology. It is not intended as a stand-alone audio player.

About

On

Wirelessly control your whole-home audio system from your mobile device. Access internet radio, your personal music library, and streaming services for a seamless listening experience throughout your home.

Highlights
  • Wireless audio system control
  • Internet radio access
  • Personal music library playback
  • Streaming service integration
  • Whole-home audio management
Features
Read full description

Required: On-Q Digital Audio http://www.legrand.us/onq/digital-audio.aspx The On-Q Digital Audio app makes it easy to control the music you love throughout your entire home. Designed for intuitive and aesthetic wireless control of your entire On-Q Digital Audio System (sold separately), the app puts the expansive variety of Internet Radio, plus your personal music library, right in the palm of your hand. Play any music selection from your iTunes or Windows libraries, or even access audio from favorite streaming services. Enjoy the listening freedom.

Screenshots

Play4 screens
On3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Play at 4.5 against On's 1.5. Play also leads on review sentiment (25% vs 10%) and ratings volume (3.5K vs 233). On's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). On price, in-app purchases 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

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

Play holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 1.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Play has 3.5K ratings behind it against 233, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 25% of Play's written reviews are positive against 10% of On's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Play ships an update every 2 months, On every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Play versus On: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlayOn
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (3.5K ratings) — better1.5 (233 ratings)
Positive reviews25.4% of reviews — better9.8% of reviews
Number of ratings3.5K — better233
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 5 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size285 MB12 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperDTS, Inc.Legrand, Inc.

Customer experience

Play

All ratings3,465 ratings
Positive87.8%
Neutral6.6%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews209 reviews
Positive25.4%
Neutral13.4%
Negative61.2%

On

All ratings233 ratings
Positive9.9%
Neutral3.9%
Negative86.3%
Written reviews92 reviews
Positive9.8%
Neutral2.2%
Negative88.0%

User reviews

Play

From 3.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Works well
  • 🔒 Integrates well with amplifier
  • 👍 Keeps improving with updates

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy, glitchy, and unreliable
  • 👎 Limited features and functionality
  • 🔌 Constant connection issues
  • 💤 Slow to load and connect
  • 🤯 Frustrating user experience

On

From 233 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎵 Good sound quality when system works
  • 👍 Simple and intuitive interface design
  • 🎛️ Easy zone and speaker control
  • 📱 Convenient phone-based remote control
  • 🔌 Whole-home audio capability

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent connection failures
  • ❌ App crashes and freezes constantly
  • 🔄 Requires constant reconnection and resets
  • 📡 Unreliable network connectivity
  • ⚠️ Non-functional after updates

Bugs and requests

Play

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Drops connections frequently
  • Fails to recognize devices
  • Resets music playback unexpectedly
  • Issues with volume control and balancing
  • Incompatible with recent firmware/software updates

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for Apple Music
  • Improve Spotify integration
  • Implement gapless playback
  • Provide better interface and navigation
  • Add search functionality for local music libraries

On

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • App won't connect to distribution module
  • Cannot bind to digital source
  • App fails to open or launch
  • Forced update loops that never complete
  • Music source selection disappears
Show 9 more
  • App crashes when selecting zones
  • Bluetooth pairing failures
  • WiFi connection drops frequently
  • Home button disappears after updates
  • Incompatibility error messages with no resolution
  • Music playback cuts out mid-song
  • DRM errors preventing playback
  • System master not elected error
  • App freezes on connection screen

Requested features

10 requests
  • Apple Music support
  • YouTube Music and Google Play integration
  • Spotify reliable connectivity
  • SiriusXM station list updates
  • AirPlay support
Show 5 more
  • Apple Watch app version
  • Alarm clock feature
  • DRM error resolution for SiriusXM
  • Tidal music app support
  • iTunes streaming capability

In-app purchases

None

Play

No in-app purchases

None

On

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Play free?
Play is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is On free?
On is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Play or On?
Play is rated higher. Play averages 4.5 out of 5 from 3.5K ratings, while On averages 1.5 from 233 ratings.
Do Play or On have ads?
Play shows ads; On does not.
Which is updated more often, Play or On?
Play ships an update every 2 months, and On every 5 months. Most recently, Play was updated on November 11, 2026 and On on November 6, 2026.

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