Three ways to listen.
All included.

Mac desktop app, iPhone & iPad app, web app. Same library, same features, same look. Your SugarSpin license unlocks every one of them.

A real Mac app.
iPhone & iPad in TestFlight.

Three ways to listen, all included. We recommend the desktop app, it’s the cleanest, fastest way to use SugarSpin.

SugarSpin Mac

Mac

Native macOS app, Apple notarized. Lives in its own window, free of browser tabs and address bars.

  • Lives in your Dock like any pro app
  • Snappier and cleaner than the web app
  • macOS 11 and newer, Apple Silicon ready
  • Free with any SugarSpin license
Download for Mac

iPhone, iPad & CarPlay

Free download from the App Store. Connects to the server you already own.

  • Free in the App Store
  • Lock screen Now Playing controls
  • Full CarPlay support, no workaround
  • iPad split view ready
In TestFlight beta

Web browser

Built into every SugarSpin server. Open a browser, log in, music starts.

  • Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge
  • Nothing to install, ever
  • Same library, same features
  • Any operating system
Built into your server

How the apps are built, and why that’s good for you

A quick honest word about what these apps actually are. The Mac and iPhone apps aren’t hand rewritten from scratch in Swift, Objective C, or AppKit. They’re lightweight native shells (Tauri on Mac, a native iOS shell on iPhone & iPad) that load the same SugarSpin interface you already know from the web.

We chose this on purpose, and we think you’ll like the trade off.

Tiny installs, fast launches

A native shell over the SugarSpin web app weighs less than most native music apps and opens in under a second.

Zero version drift

What ships on your server ships everywhere on day one. Mac, iPhone, iPad, web, same features, same look, same moment.

Real native polish

Lock screen Now Playing, CarPlay, AirPlay routing, Bonjour discovery, native menu bar, all wired into the shell so they work properly.

CarPlay through SugarSpin itself

Once the iPhone app lands publicly, you’ll get CarPlay directly through SugarSpin, no Subsonic compatible third party client needed.

Why install the apps?

The web app works everywhere. The native apps work better, especially on your phone, where the difference is dramatic.

Mac desktop app

  • Lives in your Dock like any pro app. ⌘-Tab to it instantly.
  • No browser tabs, no address bar, no Reddit notifications mid album.
  • Survives browser crashes, Chrome dies, your music keeps playing.
  • No accidental ⌘W closing your music.
  • Lower memory than a Chrome tab.
  • Apple notarized native window with proper menu bar.

iPhone & iPad app

Mobile Safari is fundamentally broken for music. The native app fixes it all.

  • Background audio that actually works. Safari stops playing the second you lock your phone. The app keeps going.
  • Lock screen Now Playing controls. Album art on your lock screen. Play, pause, skip from Control Center. Web shows you nothing.
  • AirPods & headphone controls work. Double tap to pause, Safari ignores it.
  • CarPlay. Only native iOS apps can do CarPlay.
  • AirPlay routing to HomePods, Apple TVs, the works.
  • iPad split view + Stage Manager friendly.
  • No Safari chrome eating screen space.

The web app

Still great when you can’t install anything.

  • On a friend’s computer? Open a browser.
  • On a Linux machine? Open a browser.
  • On a Windows PC at work? Open a browser.
  • On a Chromebook? Open a browser.
  • Just popping in for one track? Open a browser.

For your main listening, phone, tablet, your Mac, install the apps.

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