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WaveFlow
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Comparison

WaveFlow vs Dopamine

Two clean, open-source players for the music on your computer.

WaveFlow 2.0.1 and Dopamine 3.0.12 facts read on November 9, 2026

The short answer

Dopamine and WaveFlow share a lot: open source, free, a clean library on Windows, macOS and Linux, smart playlists and scrobbling. Dopamine keeps things simple and is translated into more languages. WaveFlow goes further on sound and around the music: bit-perfect output, DSD, word-by-word lyrics, internet radio, plugins, a DLNA server and its own music server.

What matters

Sixteen points most listeners weigh when they pick a player. Each side gets a sentence, and the better one on that point is marked. Where it is close, it is a tie.

  1. Price and openness

    Tie

    WaveFlow

    Free and open source under the GPL.

    Dopamine

    Free and open source under the GPL, with optional donations.

  2. Platforms and languages

    Tie

    WaveFlow

    Windows, macOS and Linux, in 17 languages.

    Dopamine

    Windows, macOS and Linux, with 25 bundled translations and room for your own.

  3. Sound and output

    WaveFlow Better here

    Exclusive, bit-perfect output and DSD files, built in.

    Dopamine

    Plays through Chromium's audio: a choice of device, no exclusive mode, no DSD.

  4. Lyrics

    WaveFlow Better here

    Synced lyrics word by word, from several sources, with romanization and translations.

    Dopamine

    Synced lyrics line by line from .lrc and .srt files, and plain lyrics online.

  5. Library and tagging

    Tie

    WaveFlow

    Smart playlists, duplicates, loudness and tempo analysis.

    Dopamine

    Smart playlists with a BPM filter, half-star ratings, artist splitting and playlist folders.

  6. Extending it

    WaveFlow Better here

    Sandboxed plugins from a checked store.

    Dopamine

    Themes and translations can be added; no plugin system.

  7. Track record

    WaveFlow

    1.0 shipped in May 2026.

    Dopamine Better here

    Dopamine 2 came first on Windows; the cross-platform Dopamine 3 went through 40 previews before 3.0 in November 2025.

  8. Beyond this computer

    WaveFlow Better here

    Internet radio, a DLNA and an MPD server, its own music server and QuickPlay.

    Dopamine

    Local files only: no radio, no server, no network sharing.

  9. In your language

    Tie

    WaveFlow

    17 languages, right-to-left included.

    Dopamine

    25 languages, and you can add your own translation files.

  10. Last.fm scrobbling, built in

    Tie

    WaveFlow

    Scrobbles to Last.fm out of the box.

    Dopamine

    Scrobbles to Last.fm and ListenBrainz out of the box.

  11. Mixes made from your own listening

    WaveFlow Better here

    Daily Mix and On Repeat, generated from what you actually play.

    Dopamine

    Smart playlists from rules you write, play count included; no mixes are made for you.

  12. Listening statistics, built in

    WaveFlow Better here

    A statistics page with listening time, a yearly heatmap and your top tracks, artists and albums, plus WaveFlow Wrapped, all computed on your computer.

    Dopamine

    Plays, skips and last played as columns; there is no statistics page.

  13. Finds duplicate tracks

    WaveFlow Better here

    Finds identical files stored in different folders and lets you keep one copy.

    Dopamine

    No duplicate finder.

  14. Artwork and artist info found online

    Tie

    WaveFlow

    Fetches missing artwork from Deezer and artist bios from Last.fm, built in.

    Dopamine

    Downloads covers from Last.fm, artist images through MusicBrainz and Fanart.tv, and Last.fm bios, built in.

  15. One switch to go fully offline

    WaveFlow Better here

    Offline mode, a single switch, turns off the online features at once; DLNA, MPD and Discord presence keep working.

    Dopamine

    No single switch; update checks, lyrics, covers and scrobbling each have their own toggle.

  16. Plugins kept apart from your system

    Tie

    WaveFlow

    Plugins run sandboxed in WebAssembly and only get the permissions they declare.

    Dopamine

    No plugins, so no third-party code runs inside it.

TallyWaveFlow 8Dopamine 1Tied 7

What each one can do

Yes, no or not confirmed: not confirmed means no official page settles it either way. WaveFlow is read at 2.0.1.

Capabilities of WaveFlow and Dopamine
CapabilityWaveFlowDopamine
Getting it
Free to download and use
Yes
Yes
Open source
YesGPL-3.0-only.
Yes
Windows
Yes
Yes
macOS
YesNot notarized by Apple yet; an install script clears the quarantine flag.
Yes
Linux
Yes
Yes
Translated interface
Yes17 languages, right-to-left included.
Yes25 bundled translations; you can add your own.
Portable mode
No
Not confirmed
Playback
Gapless playback
Yes
Yes
ReplayGain
Yes
YesReads ReplayGain tags; it does not scan.
Exclusive, bit-perfect output
YesOn Windows, macOS and Linux.
No
DSD files
YesDSF and DFF, sent as DoP to a DAC that takes it, converted to PCM otherwise.
No
Equalizer
Yes6 bands, with presets.
Yes10 bands, with presets.
Crossfade
Yes
Yes
Lyrics
Synced lyrics
Yes
YesFrom .lrc and .srt files next to the track.
Word-by-word lyrics
YesEstimated when a source only has line timing.
No
Library
Smart playlists
Yes
Yes
Tag editor
Yes
Yes
Tags from MusicBrainz
Yes
NoUsed to find artist pictures, not to tag.
CD ripping
No
No
Format conversion
No
No
Duplicate finder
YesIdentical files stored in different folders.
No
Mixes from your listening history
Yes
No
Listening statistics page
Yes
No
Connections
Last.fm scrobbling
Yes
Yes
Internet radio
Yes
No
Podcasts
Yes
No
DLNA / UPnP
YesA media server, off by default; an MPD server too.
No
Plays from a Subsonic, Jellyfin or Plex server
NoWaveFlow Server only, for now.
No
Downloads artwork and artist info
Yes
Yes
One switch turns off the online features
Yes
No
Extending and look
Plugins
Yes
No
Sandboxed plugins with permissions
Yes
NoIt has no plugins.
Skins or themes
YesSix skins and fourteen themes.
Yes12 colour themes, and a folder for your own.

Which one to pick

Choose WaveFlow if…

  • you have a DAC and want bit-perfect output or DSD
  • you want lyrics word by word, internet radio and plugins
  • you want to reach your music from other devices

Choose Dopamine if…

  • you want a simple, quiet player that does the essentials well
  • your language is among Dopamine's 25 and not among WaveFlow's 17
  • you like half-star ratings and playlist folders

Where WaveFlow still loses

What Dopamine does better today, said plainly. A loss stays on this page until it is no longer true.

  1. Languages: Dopamine bundles 25 translations and lets you add your own; WaveFlow has 17.

  2. Track record: Dopamine has a longer history, from Dopamine 2 to 3.0 in November 2025; WaveFlow reached 1.0 in May 2026.

  3. Simplicity: Dopamine does less, and some listeners will find it easier to settle into.

About Dopamine

Dopamine is a free, open-source music player for Windows, macOS and Linux that plays the files already on your computer. It aims for a clean, good-looking library with little setup, with lyrics, themes, smart playlists and scrobbling.

Made by
Digimezzo
Licence
GPL-3.0
Price
Free (optional donation)
Desktop systems
Windows · macOS · Linux
Version compared
3.0.12released November 7, 2026
WebsiteSource code

Method and sources

Every fact about Dopamine was read on its own website, documentation, repository or store page on November 9, 2026; nothing comes from reviews or from memory. A capability is yes only when an official page shows it, no when an official page rules it out or the area is covered and it is absent, and not confirmed otherwise. Descriptions are our own words.

WaveFlow facts come from its repository, at the 2.0.1 release (November 10, 2026).

This page has no speed or memory figures: we only publish a measure we can rerun, with the versions, the machine and the method beside it.

The data behind this pageReport a mistake

Sources for Dopamine

Sources for WaveFlow

Questions

  • Is Dopamine or WaveFlow lighter?

    We have not measured it, so we do not say. Dopamine is built on Electron and WaveFlow on Tauri; we only publish a figure we can rerun.

  • Does Dopamine support bit-perfect output?

    Not as of 3.0.12: it plays through Chromium's audio and lets you pick the output device. WaveFlow has exclusive output on Windows, macOS and Linux.

  • Can I move from Dopamine to WaveFlow?

    Point WaveFlow at the same folders; it reads your tags and your ReplayGain values as they are. Dopamine keeps working beside it.

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