Comparison of iPod file managers
This article focuses on iPod file managers. i.e. software that permits the transferring of media files content between an iPod and a computer or vice versa.
iTunes is the official iPod managing software, but 3rd parties have created alternatives to work around restrictions in iTunes. e.g. transferring content from an iPod to a computer is restricted by iTunes.
General
Manager |
Creator(s) |
First public release date |
Latest stable version |
Downloadable without paying? |
Software license |
Windows |
Mac OS X |
Linux |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Amarok |
Mark Kretschmann |
2003-06-23 |
GPL |
(leopard) |
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|Banshee |
Aaron Bockover |
2005-08 |
MIT |
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|Clementine |
David Sansome, John Maguire |
February 2010 |
GPL v3 |
|||||
|ephPod |
ephpod |
2.77 (January 16, 2009) |
(XP, NT, 2k) |
|||||
Jorg Schuler |
2.1.5 (Jun 2, 2015) |
GPL |
||||||
|iRip |
The Little App Factory |
2003-09 |
Proprietary |
|||||
|iTunes |
Apple Inc. |
2001-01-08 |
Proprietary |
|||||
|JRiver Media Center |
J. River |
2003-07 |
(trial) |
Proprietary |
||||
|MediaMonkey |
Ventis Media Inc. |
2003-08-25 |
(Standard) |
Proprietary |
||||
|Rhythmbox |
Colin Walters |
2004-04 |
GPL |
|||||
|Senuti |
FadingRed |
2006-04-26 |
1.1.7 (Oct 6, 2009) |
(limited trial) |
Proprietary |
|||
|Winamp native |
Nullsoft |
1997-06 |
(Bundle & Full) |
Proprietary |
||||
Mediafour |
2002-06-24 |
3.5.0 (Dec 30, 2009) |
Proprietary |
|||||
Wide Angle Software |
2000-05 |
12 (2016) |
Yes (Limited Features Trial) |
Proprietary |
||||
Manager |
Creator(s) |
First public release date |
Latest stable version |
Downloadable without paying? |
Software license |
Windows |
Mac OS X |
Linux |
Media organization and transfer features
Manager |
Copy Music |
Copy Videos |
Copy Smart Playlists |
Copy Album Artwork |
Extract DRM-Free Music |
Extract DRM-Free Videos |
Extract Playcounts |
Extract Playlists |
Copy Content to iPod |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Amarok |
|||||||||
|Banshee |
|||||||||
|Clementine |
|||||||||
|EphPod |
|||||||||
|gtkpod |
|||||||||
|iRip |
|||||||||
|iTunes |
|||||||||
|JRiver Media Center |
|||||||||
|MediaMonkey |
|||||||||
|Rhythmbox |
|||||||||
|Senuti |
|||||||||
|Winamp native |
|||||||||
|XPlay |
|||||||||
Manager |
Copy Music |
Copy Videos |
Copy Smart Playlists |
Copy Album Artwork |
Extract DRM-Free Music |
Extract DRM-Free Videos |
Extract Playcounts |
Extract Playlists |
Copy Content to iPod |
iPod syncing and maintenance features
Manager |
Download Podcasts |
Rebuild iPod Database |
Portable |
6th Gen. Firmware |
5th Gen. nano Firmware |
shuffle3G Firmware |
iPod touch / iPhone support |
Photo support |
Supports Gapless Metadata |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Amarok |
4 |
||||||||
|Banshee |
|||||||||
|Clementine |
|||||||||
|EphPod |
|||||||||
|gtkpod |
2 |
4 |
4 |
, jailbroken only |
|||||
|iRip |
|||||||||
|iTunes |
|||||||||
|JRiver Media Center |
|||||||||
|MediaMonkey |
|||||||||
|Rhythmbox |
4 |
||||||||
|Senuti |
|||||||||
|Winamp native |
|||||||||
|XPlay |
|||||||||
Manager |
Download Podcasts |
Rebuild iPod Database |
Portable |
6th Gen. Firmware |
5th Gen. nano Firmware |
shuffle3G Firmware |
iPod touch / iPhone support |
Photo support |
Supports Gapless Metadata |
Note 2: gtkpod developers have found a workaround 1.
Note 3: As of Version 3.02 2.
Note 4: Support arrived with libgpod >= 0.7.90 due to the use of libimobiledevice.
iPhone & iPod Touch compatibility
Manager |
iPod touch / iPhone Firmware up to 1.1.4 |
iPod touch / iPhone FW 2.x |
iPod touch / iPhone FW 3.0 |
iPod touch / iPhone FW 3.1 |
iPod touch / iPhone FW 4.0.2 |
iPod touch / iPhone FW 5.0.x |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Amarok |
, Read-only |
, Read-only |
||||
|Banshee |
, Read-only |
, Read-only |
||||
|Clementine |
, limited |
, limited |
, limited |
, limited |
||
|EphPod |
||||||
|gtkpod |
||||||
|iRip |
, Read-only |
|||||
|iTunes |
||||||
|JRiver Media Center |
||||||
|MediaMonkey |
||||||
|Rhythmbox |
||||||
|Senuti |
||||||
|Winamp native |
||||||
|XPlay |
, Read only |
, Read only |
, Read only |
, Read only |
, Read only |
|
TouchCopy |
||||||
Manager |
iPod touch / iPhone Firmware up to 1.1.4 |
iPod touch / iPhone FW 2.x |
iPod touch / iPhone FW 3.0 |
iPod touch / iPhone FW 3.1 |
iPod touch / iPhone FW 4.0.2 |
iPod touch / iPhone FW 5.0.x |
See also
- iPod
- iTunes
- iPhone