BTR AMP
Flacbox and BTR AMP both target people with lossless and hi-res collections. Flacbox leans into streaming from cloud and NAS sources with very high sample-rate support (up to 384kHz per its listing); BTR AMP keeps the library local and offline-first, and adds organization tools — custom tabs, smart playlists, custom tags — that Flacbox’s listing doesn’t offer.
At a glance
| Flacbox | BTR AMP | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (as of July 2026) | Free · Premium $2.99/mo, $19.99/yr, $69.99 lifetime | Free · Pro $3.99/mo, $19.99/yr, $59.99 lifetime |
| Model | Cloud/NAS streaming + offline | Offline-first library |
| Formats | FLAC, ALAC, DSF, WAV, WMA, OGG, OPUS, more | 15 formats: FLAC, ALAC, DSD, APE, MPC, TTA, WV, more + M3U |
| Max sample rate listed | 384 kHz | 96kHz/24-bit “and beyond” via USB DAC; DSD to DSD256 |
| Bit-perfect DSD (DoP) to a DAC | ❌ Not in listing | ✅ DSD64–DSD256, with PCM conversion elsewhere |
| Sources | iCloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box, MEGA, pCloud, Plex, Subsonic, Jellyfin, SMB, WebDAV, FTP, NFS | SMB, Google Drive, OneDrive, WebDAV, iCloud Drive, AutoSync |
| Custom navigation | Standard views | ✅ Custom tabs + per-section layouts |
| Smart playlists / custom tags | ❌ Not in listing | ✅ Both |
| Tag editing | ✅ | ✅ ID3, MP4/iTunes, APE, Vorbis |
| CarPlay | ✅ Simplified interface | ✅ Your custom tabs |
| Volume normalization | — | ✅ ReplayGain + Sound Check |
| Lyrics | ✅ Display | ✅ Timed/untimed, LRC files, karaoke mode |
Choose Flacbox if…
- You stream >192kHz PCM material and its 384kHz pipeline matters to your setup.
- Your library lives on a NAS or media server and you want to stream, not store — its source list is long.
- You’re already in the same developer’s ecosystem of cloud player apps and like the interface.
Choose BTR AMP if…
- DSD matters to you: BTR AMP plays DSD64–DSD256 with bit-perfect DoP output to a compatible USB DAC, and converts to high-quality PCM on every other output. Flacbox lists the DSF format, but its listing claims no bit-perfect DSD path.
- You want the collection on the device, complete and offline — no cache management, no connection needed, ever.
- Organization is your bottleneck: custom tabs for any slice of the library, rules-based smart playlists, and custom tags — the tooling that keeps a 50,000-song library usable. Flacbox’s listing sticks to standard views.
- You want CarPlay that mirrors your structure rather than a simplified generic one.
- Loudness consistency matters: BTR AMP applies ReplayGain and Sound Check normalization with per-track manual gain.
- You’d rather pay $59.99 lifetime than $69.99, or use the $1.99 weekly tier to trial Pro cheaply.
The honest version
On raw source breadth for streaming-from-anywhere, Flacbox is a capable app with an audiophile bent. But on the format audiophiles actually ask about — DSD — BTR AMP now goes further: DSD64 through DSD256 with bit-perfect DoP output to a USB DAC, something Flacbox’s listing doesn’t claim. And a hi-res collection you can’t navigate is a hard drive, not a library. BTR AMP’s bet is that at collector scale, organization and offline reliability matter as much as the spec sheet. Both are free to try. (Every BTR AMP feature.)
FAQ
Do both play FLAC?
Yes — it’s Flacbox’s namesake, and one of BTR AMP’s 15 formats, with the exact codec shown per track (e.g. FLAC 2933kbps · 96kHz · 24-bit). (FLAC on iPhone, explained.)
Do both play DSD? Both list DSD-family formats, but differently: Flacbox lists DSF among its formats; BTR AMP plays DSD64–DSD256 bit-perfect over DoP to compatible USB DACs, with automatic PCM conversion on other outputs. (DSD on iPhone, explained.)
Which is better fully offline? BTR AMP — offline is its default state, not a mode. Flacbox supports offline listening but is architected around cloud/NAS sources.
Which is cheaper long-term? Lifetime: BTR AMP $59.99 vs Flacbox $69.99. Yearly: both $19.99 (as of July 2026).
Flacbox facts from its App Store listing as of July 2026. BTR AMP facts reflect the current App Store version.