piCorePlayer vs Balena Sound

Struggling to choose between piCorePlayer and Balena Sound? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

piCorePlayer is a Audio & Music solution with tags like lightweight, raspberry-pi, local-music, online-radio, streaming.

It boasts features such as Lightweight interface optimized for Raspberry Pi, Plays local music files, Streams internet radio, Supports common audio formats like MP3, FLAC, OGG, Minimal CPU and RAM usage, Customizable themes, Plugin support, Hotkeys and global media keys, Queue and playlist management, Last.fm scrobbling and pros including Very lightweight and fast, Low resource usage perfect for Raspberry Pi, Easy to use interface, Supports common audio formats, Active development and updates.

On the other hand, Balena Sound is a Audio & Music product tagged with opensource, wireless, streaming, music, audio.

Its standout features include Turns old speakers/audio equipment into wireless streaming devices, Works with computers and mobile devices over WiFi, Supports audio formats like MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV, Open-source software, Web-based UI for setup and management, Multi-room audio streaming, Compatible with Raspberry Pi and other SBCs, and it shines with pros like Revives old/unused speakers, Wireless streaming capability, Free and open source, Easy setup, Web UI for management, Multi-room audio support.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

piCorePlayer

piCorePlayer

piCorePlayer is a lightweight music player designed for the Raspberry Pi. It provides a simple interface for browsing and playing local music files, online radio stations, and streaming services. The focus is on simplicity and low resource usage.

Categories:
lightweight raspberry-pi local-music online-radio streaming

PiCorePlayer Features

  1. Lightweight interface optimized for Raspberry Pi
  2. Plays local music files
  3. Streams internet radio
  4. Supports common audio formats like MP3, FLAC, OGG
  5. Minimal CPU and RAM usage
  6. Customizable themes
  7. Plugin support
  8. Hotkeys and global media keys
  9. Queue and playlist management
  10. Last.fm scrobbling

Pricing

  • Free
  • Open Source

Pros

Very lightweight and fast

Low resource usage perfect for Raspberry Pi

Easy to use interface

Supports common audio formats

Active development and updates

Cons

Limited features compared to larger media players

No support for video playback

No cloud service integration

Small user community


Balena Sound

Balena Sound

Balena Sound is an open-source software that allows you to turn any old speakers or Hi-Fi into a network-connected wireless streaming device. It works with computers and mobile devices to stream music over WiFi.

Categories:
opensource wireless streaming music audio

Balena Sound Features

  1. Turns old speakers/audio equipment into wireless streaming devices
  2. Works with computers and mobile devices over WiFi
  3. Supports audio formats like MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV
  4. Open-source software
  5. Web-based UI for setup and management
  6. Multi-room audio streaming
  7. Compatible with Raspberry Pi and other SBCs

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Revives old/unused speakers

Wireless streaming capability

Free and open source

Easy setup

Web UI for management

Multi-room audio support

Cons

Requires compatible hardware like Raspberry Pi

Setup can be tricky for non-technical users

Limited to audio streaming only

No native mobile apps

Dependency on Balena Cloud