At a glance
| MP95 | Roon | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Watch | Mac, Windows, Linux server; mobile remotes |
| Price model | Free on Android; free to start on Apple, Pro yearly or lifetime | Subscription |
| Plays your own files | Yes | Yes |
| Formats | 35+ codecs, 49 file types | Wide |
| FLAC / ALAC / WAV / AIFF | Yes | Yes |
| DSD (DSF, DFF) | Yes, to PCM | Yes |
| Imports from the Apple Music library | iPhone, iPad | — |
| Wi-Fi, cable, AirDrop, USB drive, NAS | Yes | — |
| Cloud drives and servers | Any Files-app provider, SAF folders | Qobuz, Tidal, network endpoints |
| Works offline with no account | Yes | No |
| No ads on any tier | Yes | Yes |
| Bit-perfect path | Yes | Yes |
| Output rate follows the file (USB DAC) | Yes | Yes |
| Gapless | Yes | Yes |
| ReplayGain | Track / album | — |
| Headphone crossfeed | bs2b, 3 presets, free | Yes |
| Equalizer | 5-band + 14 presets | Parametric |
| Tag editor | Yes | — |
| Retro machines (cassette, vinyl, reel, wheel…) | Yes | No |
| Real analog tape / vinyl sound | Yes | No |
| 8D audio, slowed + reverb | Yes | — |
| Music visualizer | Yes | — |
| Flashlight follows the bass | Yes | — |
| Home screen widgets with transport | Yes | — |
| Apple Watch | Remote | — |
| Mac app | Yes | Yes |
“Partly” = exists with limits (a paid tier, an account, a narrower scope). “—” = not a listed feature, or one we could not confirm; it does not mean “no”. Other apps’ details are as of September 2026 and can change; check their store listings.
What Roon has that MP95 does not
Roon’s niche is the library as a magazine, with credits, reviews and links between artists, plus multiroom playback to endpoints all over the house and a DSP engine with convolution and parametric EQ. It runs as a server (a “Core”) and needs an account and a subscription.
What MP95 has that it does not
MP95 needs no server, no account and no subscription. Point it at a folder and it plays, at each file’s rate, 24-bit to the DAC, gapless, with ReplayGain and bs2b crossfeed. It runs on the phone in your pocket as well as the Mac, offline. And it has four decks that fill the window.
Which to pick
Pick Roon for a whole-house system with rich metadata. Pick MP95 for a player that just plays your files properly, anywhere.
Frequently asked questions
Do MP95 and Roon both play FLAC?
Yes. MP95 also plays DSD, APE, WavPack, Opus, WMA and 30 more codecs, and shows format, bitrate and sample rate on the machine.
Does MP95 need an account or internet?
No. MP95 has no network access, no account and no ads on any platform.
What is free in MP95?
On Android, everything. On iPhone, iPad and Mac, the cassette deck and turntable with the whole Hi-Fi path, every format and offline playback; MP95 Pro unlocks the other machines and the full sound desk.
Can I use MP95 and Roon together?
Yes. They read the same files.