Decaud ships three ways: the Direct download on the home page (a notarized Developer ID build, checksums published), the Mac App Store edition, and the iPhone and iPad app. They share everything you read about on this site: the library, TrueHz analysis, the signal path, tag editing, casting, radio, the equalizer, iCloud sync, the tip jar that unlocks nothing.
They differ in exactly one area: how deeply the build is allowed to control the output device. That is a platform rule, not a product tier, and this page is the honest map of it.
| Capability | Direct Mac | Mac App Store | iPhone & iPad |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exclusive device access | Yes | No. The sandbox forbids hogging a device | No. iOS owns the audio route |
| Automatic sample-rate switching | Yes, matches the file | No. Plays at the device's current rate | Managed by the system |
| Native DSD over DoP | To DSD256, on DACs you confirm | No | No |
| DSD playback | Native over DoP, or labeled conversion | High-quality PCM conversion, labeled | High-quality PCM conversion, labeled |
| CD ripping | Error-corrected secure rip | Filesystem rip from the mounted disc | Not applicable |
| Everything else | Identical: library, TrueHz, signal path, tags, casting, radio, EQ, sync, price ($0) | ||
the signal path tells the truth in every edition: exclusive output says so, shared mode says so, conversion says so
The Mac App Store requires the app sandbox, and the sandbox does not let an app take a device for itself or change its nominal sample rate. Those two calls are the mechanism behind exclusive access, automatic rate matching, and DSD over DoP. Rather than pretend, the App Store edition plays shared mode at the device's current rate, converts DSD to PCM with a high-quality decimator, and its signal path labels every stage. Same app, honest about the sandbox it lives in.
Settings ▸ About names it: Direct Edition or App Store Edition.
If you listen through an external DAC and want exclusive output or native DSD, take the Direct download. If you prefer App Store installs and updates, the App Store edition is the same app minus device control. On iPhone and iPad the App Store is the only channel, and the app is built for that platform's rules from the start.
Both Mac editions are free, and moving between them later loses nothing: your library lives in your files and your local database either way.
