# play vs mStream Player

The clearest difference is price: mStream Player at Free against play's $4.99. play's advantage is ratings volume (434 vs 26) and chart position (#126 vs unranked). On rating, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

mStream Player is free to download; play costs $4.99 up front. play sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and mStream Player sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for play against 4.6 for mStream Player. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: play has 434 ratings behind it against 26, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 73% of play's written reviews are positive against 64% of mStream Player's.

play ships an update every 3 weeks, mStream Player every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | play | mStream Player |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.5 (434 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/playsub-music-streamer/id955329386/reviews) | **[4.6 (26 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mstream-player/id1605378892/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **434** | 26 |
| Positive reviews | **72.5% of reviews** | 63.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#126** | — |
| Size | 28 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Michael Hansen](https://appshunter.io/developer/955329385) | [Niera Tech Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1505867776) |

## What reviewers say

### play

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/playsub-music-streamer/id955329386)

**Currently charting:** #126 Top Paid · Music (US App Store)

Stream your self-hosted music library to various devices with customizable audio settings. Enjoy lossless playback, gapless transitions, and a powerful equalizer. Browse your collection by folders, artists, or albums, and cache music for offline listening.

**Highlights:** Stream Subsonic-hosted music, Lossless and gapless playback, 10-band customizable equalizer, Crossfade and replay gain, Browse by folder, artist, album, Offline caching of music, Supports multiple servers

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Generous Tip | $1.99 | one-time |
| Amazing Tip | $3.99 | one-time |
| Unbelievable Tip | $8.99 | one-time |
| Mind-blowing Tip | $49.99 | one-time |
| Unparalleled Tip | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth playback
- 👍 Customizable UI
- 🔒 No tracking
- 🎨 Detailed song/album info
- 💡 Useful features (EQ, crossfade, etc.)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🔋 Battery drain
- 🤔 Confusing navigation/UI
- ⚠️ Buggy CarPlay integration

**Reported bugs**

- Songs not playing properly
- Library desyncing issues
- Freezing during database sync
- Inconsistent behavior when switching networks

**Requested features**

- Repeat single track option
- Automatic theme switching
- Batch download/caching
- Apple Watch support
- Improved CarPlay experience


### mStream Player

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mstream-player/id1605378892)

Stream your personal music library from a self-hosted server directly to your mobile device. Browse folders, search by artist or album, and create dynamic playlists with Auto DJ. Enjoy fine volume control, shuffle, and loop features for a personalized listening experience.

**Highlights:** Browse music folders, Search by artist/album/song, Create dynamic playlists, Shuffle and loop playback, HTTP(S) support, Authenticated login

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Coffee-Sized Tip | $6.99 | one-time |
| Snack-Sized Tip | $9.99 | one-time |
| Meal-Sized Tip | $14.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is play free?

play costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is mStream Player free?

mStream Player is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, play or mStream Player?

mStream Player is rated higher. play averages 4.5 out of 5 from 434 ratings, while mStream Player averages 4.6 from 26 ratings.

### Do play or mStream Player have ads?

Neither play nor mStream Player shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, play or mStream Player?

play ships an update every 3 weeks, and mStream Player every 5 weeks. Most recently, play was updated on November 11, 2026 and mStream Player on November 3, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*