# Taper's Section vs Play Dead

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Taper's Section at none against Play Dead's 2. Taper's Section also leads on review sentiment (90% vs 61%) and device support (3 vs 1). Play Dead's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months) and chart position (#101 vs unranked). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Play Dead sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Taper's Section asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Taper's Section against 4.4 for Play Dead. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 39 and 77 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 90% of Taper's Section's written reviews are positive against 61% of Play Dead's.

Taper's Section ships an update every 3 months, Play Dead monthly. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Taper's Section | Play Dead |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (39 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tapers-section/id1212682275/reviews)** | [4.4 (77 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/play-dead-grateful-dead-app/id6747825801/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 39 | **77** |
| Positive reviews | **90.0% of reviews** | 61.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#101** |
| Size | 55 MB | 85 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Franklin Kesler](https://appshunter.io/developer/1212682274) | [nugs.net enterprises, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/327248667) |

## What reviewers say

### Taper's Section

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tapers-section/id1212682275)

Access a vast library of live music recordings from archive.org. Stream, save, and organize your favorite shows, build playlists, and enjoy offline listening. Features background playback and powerful search capabilities.

**Highlights:** Stream live music from archive.org, Save favorite bands and shows, Background streaming, Offline listening, Powerful search and filtering, Build and share playlists, Manage play queue

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Play Dead

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/play-dead-grateful-dead-app/id6747825801)

**Currently charting:** #101 Top Grossing · Music (US App Store)

Access a vast library of officially remastered live Grateful Dead concert recordings. Discover previously unreleased shows every week, including rare CD-only releases now available in high-resolution audio. Listen across your devices with seamless playback.

**Highlights:** Official Grateful Dead live recordings, Hi-res remastered audio, Exclusive 'Dead Drops' weekly, CD-only releases now streaming, Vault organized by year, Cross-device listening, Apple CarPlay support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $99.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Taper's Section free?

Taper's Section is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Play Dead free?

Play Dead is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Taper's Section or Play Dead?

Taper's Section is rated higher. Taper's Section averages 4.5 out of 5 from 39 ratings, while Play Dead averages 4.4 from 77 ratings.

### Do Taper's Section or Play Dead have ads?

Neither Taper's Section nor Play Dead shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Taper's Section or Play Dead?

Taper's Section ships an update every 3 months, and Play Dead monthly. Most recently, Taper's Section was updated on June 1, 2026 and Play Dead on September 22, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*