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WaveFlow
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Comparison

WaveFlow vs Strawberry

Two open-source players with a taste for sound, and different ways to reach your music.

WaveFlow 2.0.1 and Strawberry 1.2.31 facts read on November 9, 2026

The short answer

Strawberry and WaveFlow are both open source and run on Linux, Windows and macOS. Strawberry is stronger on collection work, with fingerprint tagging and a transcoder, and it plays from Subsonic, Jellyfin and Plex servers you may already run. WaveFlow brings synced, word-by-word lyrics, a plugin store, a DLNA server and its own music server, and its Windows and macOS builds are free to download, while Strawberry's are for sponsors.

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

    WaveFlow Better here

    Free to download on every system, and open source.

    Strawberry

    Open source; free through Linux distributions, while ready-made Windows and macOS builds need a sponsorship (7 USD a month for new sponsors).

  2. Platforms and languages

    Tie

    WaveFlow

    Windows, macOS and Linux, in 17 languages.

    Strawberry

    Linux, Windows and macOS, tested on BSD too, with 31 translation files.

  3. Sound and output

    Tie

    WaveFlow

    Exclusive output on all three systems, macOS included, and DSD as DoP.

    Strawberry

    Bit-perfect ALSA on Linux, WASAPI exclusive and ASIO on Windows (marked experimental), EBU R128 loudness.

  4. Lyrics

    WaveFlow Better here

    Synced lyrics built in, word by word.

    Strawberry

    Plain lyrics in 1.2.31; synced lyrics are in the code but not in a release yet.

  5. Library and tagging

    WaveFlow

    Smart playlists, duplicates, loudness and tempo analysis.

    Strawberry Better here

    Tags from AcoustID fingerprints and MusicBrainz, smart and dynamic playlists, and a transcoder.

  6. Extending it

    WaveFlow Better here

    Sandboxed WebAssembly plugins from a checked store.

    Strawberry

    No plugin system.

  7. Track record

    WaveFlow

    1.0 shipped in May 2026.

    Strawberry Better here

    Developed since 2018 on Clementine's base, with a release every few weeks.

  8. Beyond this computer

    Tie

    WaveFlow

    Its own server with sync across devices, plus DLNA and MPD servers; no third-party servers yet.

    Strawberry

    Plays from Subsonic-compatible servers, Jellyfin and Plex; no server of its own.

  9. In your language

    Tie

    WaveFlow

    17 languages, right-to-left included.

    Strawberry

    30 translations, some of them far from complete.

  10. Last.fm scrobbling, built in

    Tie

    WaveFlow

    Scrobbles to Last.fm out of the box.

    Strawberry

    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.

    Strawberry

    Preset rule playlists such as Most played and Dynamic random mix; no mixes are built from your history.

  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.

    Strawberry

    Play and skip counts as columns; there is no statistics page.

  13. Finds duplicate tracks

    Tie

    WaveFlow

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

    Strawberry

    Shows only duplicates in the collection, matched on artist, album and title, and removes them from a playlist.

  14. Artwork and artist info found online

    Tie

    WaveFlow

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

    Strawberry

    Downloads covers from Last.fm, MusicBrainz, Discogs, Deezer and more, 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.

    Strawberry

    No single switch: its offline setting only holds scrobbles back, and covers and lyrics are switched off one by one.

  16. Plugins kept apart from your system

    Tie

    WaveFlow

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

    Strawberry

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

TallyWaveFlow 6Strawberry 2Tied 8

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 Strawberry
CapabilityWaveFlowStrawberry
Getting it
Free to download and use
Yes
YesFree through Linux distributions; ready-made Windows and macOS builds are for sponsors.
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.
Yes31 translation files, regional variants included.
Portable mode
No
Not confirmed
Playback
Gapless playback
Yes
Yes
ReplayGain
Yes
Yes
Exclusive, bit-perfect output
YesOn Windows, macOS and Linux.
YesALSA hw on Linux; WASAPI exclusive and ASIO on Windows, experimental.
DSD files
YesDSF and DFF, sent as DoP to a DAC that takes it, converted to PCM otherwise.
YesDSF and DSDIFF play; DoP or PCM is not stated.
Equalizer
Yes6 bands, with presets.
Yes
Crossfade
Yes
Yes
Lyrics
Synced lyrics
Yes
NoPlain lyrics in 1.2.31; synced lyrics are not released yet.
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
YesWith AcoustID fingerprints.
CD ripping
No
No
Format conversion
No
Yes
Duplicate finder
YesIdentical files stored in different folders.
Yes
Mixes from your listening history
Yes
No
Listening statistics page
Yes
No
Connections
Last.fm scrobbling
Yes
Yes
Internet radio
Yes
Yes
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.
YesSubsonic-compatible servers; Jellyfin and Plex since 1.2.31.
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.
YesQt styles, colours and icons.

Which one to pick

Choose WaveFlow if…

  • you want free Windows or macOS downloads
  • you want synced, word-by-word lyrics and a plugin store
  • you want a DLNA server and your own music server in the same family

Choose Strawberry if…

  • you already run Navidrome, Jellyfin or Plex and want to play from it
  • you tag from acoustic fingerprints or transcode your files
  • you are on BSD, or you want a long record of steady releases

Where WaveFlow still loses

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

  1. Third-party servers: Strawberry plays from Subsonic, Jellyfin and Plex; WaveFlow only talks to WaveFlow Server for now.

  2. Tagging: Strawberry identifies tracks from AcoustID fingerprints; WaveFlow matches MusicBrainz from titles, durations and track numbers, with no fingerprint.

  3. Conversion: Strawberry transcodes between formats; WaveFlow does not.

  4. Track record: Strawberry has been released since 2018; WaveFlow reached 1.0 in May 2026.

About Strawberry

Strawberry Music Player is an open-source player and library organiser for people who keep their own files, with a care for audio quality. It grew out of Clementine in 2018 and adds tag editing, scrobbling and streaming from your own servers.

Made by
Jonas Kvinge
Licence
GPL-3.0
Price
Free on Linux; Windows and macOS builds for sponsors
Desktop systems
Linux · Windows · macOS
Version compared
1.2.31released October 3, 2026
WebsiteSource code

Method and sources

Every fact about Strawberry 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 Strawberry

Sources for WaveFlow

Questions

  • Is Strawberry free?

    Strawberry is free software under the GPL and free through most Linux distributions. Its site says ready-made Windows and macOS releases are for sponsors, with 7 USD a month required for new subscribers. WaveFlow's installers are free on every system.

  • Can WaveFlow play from my Navidrome or Jellyfin server?

    Not yet. WaveFlow plays from WaveFlow Server, which speaks the OpenSubsonic API to other apps; third-party servers are planned but not shipped. Strawberry plays from them today.

  • Which one is better for audiophiles?

    Both can send samples untouched: Strawberry through ALSA on Linux and, experimentally, WASAPI or ASIO on Windows; WaveFlow through exclusive output on Windows, macOS and Linux, with DoP for DSD.

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