Comparison

TB ReelBus vs Hyper Boost (Legacy)

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

TB ReelBus

This audio plugin simulates the authentic sound of magnetic tape, adding warmth, saturation, and classic effects like wow-and-flutter and echo to your music. It offers a wide range of tape and saturation modes for professional-quality audio processing on iOS and iPadOS devices.

Highlights
  • Authentic magnetic tape simulation
  • Warmth, saturation, and wow-and-flutter
  • Tape flanger and echo effects
  • Tape start and stop effects
  • Drive EQ for frequency-specific saturation
  • Tape wear simulation
  • Input/output VU meters
Read full description

ToneBoosters ReelBus is a top-quality, authentic, versatile and accurate magnetic tape simulation AUv3 plug-in bringing warmth and excitement of tape to your iOS or iPadOS device! Instant gratification from 80s compact cassette sound to professional 30 IPS studio recorder simulation. Sweeten your mix with a touch of tape hysteresis, saturation and compression. Create that 'Boards of Canada' sound by adding a tad of wow-and-flutter. Top it up with tape flanging, echo and tape start/stop effects. The ToneBoosters ReelBus app captures the microphone (or external sound card) input and processes the signals in real time. To use it as a plug-in, use an AUv3-compatible host app such as Steinberg Cubasis, Apple Garageband, Audio Evolution Mobile Studio, Auria, AUM, or others. ToneBoosters ReelBus will appear in the list of Audio Unit extensions for effect plug-ins. Key features: - The same professional sound as the acclaimed desktop version - Wide variety of tape and saturation modes available - Saturation, hysteresis, wow and flutter, tape hiss, asperity noise controls - Tape speed and amount controls - Soft bypass - Unique drive EQ to drive certain frequencies harder into the tape model - Tape wear model for worn-out tape simulation - Tape flanger and dual tape echo modules, with beat sync functionality - Tape start and tape stop effect modules - Oversampling and anti-aliasing filters for top-quality output - Input and output VU meters showing peak and RMS levels simultaneously - Master Bus mode with analog VU meters and macro controls to get great results efficiently - Undo/redo, and A/B comparison - Color themes for the user interface - Max screen support in Garageband - Optimised for iPad and compatible with iPhone and iPod Touch What you should know: - Licenses acquired for this platform are not compatible with other platforms. - Audio Unit (AUv3) extensions require an iPad mini 2, iPad 4 or later models.

About

Hyper Boost (Legacy)

Enhance your audio with a powerful sound-shaping tool. It features flexible tone control with retro filters and a hard-hitting clipper with multiple curves and adjustable settings. Morph between different sound profiles for dynamic performances and automation.

Highlights
  • Two-band tone control with tilt filters
  • Hard-hitting clipper with three curves
  • Morph settings for performance transitions
  • AUv3 effect plugin for DAWs
  • User presets synced across devices
  • High quality mode with oversampling
Features
Read full description

***This is now a legacy product. It will receive only maintenance updates. If you purchased Hyper Boost using version 1.5 or earlier, you are eligible for a free upgrade to Hyper Boost v2. You can claim your upgrade code inside the plug-in's settings menu.*** ***Please note purchases made as of version 1.6 are NOT eligible for a free upgrade to a v2 license.*** Hyper Boost is a power-up for your sound. Two DSP modules: - Flexible two-band TONE CONTROL - Hard-hitting CLIPPER with three curves Details: - Tone Control - Retro-inspired treble and bass tilt filters - Adjustable center frequency - Output trim - Selectable modes - Pre: EQ before clipper - Post: EQ after clipper - Emphasis: opposite EQ after clipper - Clipper - Input drive up to +36 dB - Adjustable ceiling - Adjustable edge from hard to very soft - Output trim - Selectable clipper algorithm - Legendary soft clipper from hard-hitting DAW - Tight polynomial adapted from soft-knee limiter - Original high-order polynomial for loud and aggressive sound - Morph Settings lets you transition the plug-in between two settings. Useful for performance, modulation, automation, and more! Features: - Two-week free trial included, one-time purchase for full unlock - AUv3 effect plug-in runs in a compatible DAW - Standalone links to user manual and video tutorials - Universal purchase on Apple platforms - User presets synced across your devices - Clickless global bypass - Internal undo/redo - A/B settings comparison - High quality mode enables oversampling (plus advanced anti-aliasing techniques) - Output trim with perceived loudness matching - Global dry/wet - All parameters automatable - Optional auto gain - Mac version includes CLAP and VST3 plug-in formats Check out our YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@sketchaudio Read the manuals: https://sketchaudio.com/manuals/ Preview audio credit: Freesound user zajo

Screenshots

TB ReelBus3 screens
Hyper Boost (Legacy)3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: TB ReelBus at 100% against Hyper Boost (Legacy)'s 50%. TB ReelBus also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.3) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). Hyper Boost (Legacy)'s advantage is price (Free vs $8.99). On update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Hyper Boost (Legacy) is free to download; TB ReelBus costs $8.99 up front. Hyper Boost (Legacy) sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. TB ReelBus asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

TB ReelBus holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: TB ReelBus has 47 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of TB ReelBus's written reviews are positive against 50% of Hyper Boost (Legacy)'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TB ReelBus ships an update every 2 months, Hyper Boost (Legacy) every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
TB ReelBus versus Hyper Boost (Legacy): the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTB ReelBusHyper Boost (Legacy)
Price$8.99Free — better
Rating4.9 (47 ratings) — better4.3 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings47 — better6
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperToneBoostersSketch Audio, LLC

Customer experience

TB ReelBus

All ratings47 ratings
Positive97.9%
Neutral2.1%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Hyper Boost (Legacy)

All ratings7 ratings
Positive71.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative28.6%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

None

TB ReelBus

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Hyper Boost (Legacy)

One-time2
  • Two-Week TrialFree
  • Full Unlock$24.99

Questions

Is TB ReelBus free?
TB ReelBus costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hyper Boost (Legacy) free?
Hyper Boost (Legacy) is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, TB ReelBus or Hyper Boost (Legacy)?
TB ReelBus is rated higher. TB ReelBus averages 4.9 out of 5 from 47 ratings, while Hyper Boost (Legacy) averages 4.3 from 6 ratings.
Do TB ReelBus or Hyper Boost (Legacy) have ads?
Neither TB ReelBus nor Hyper Boost (Legacy) shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TB ReelBus or Hyper Boost (Legacy)?
TB ReelBus ships an update every 2 months, and Hyper Boost (Legacy) every 3 months. Most recently, TB ReelBus was updated on October 24, 2026 and Hyper Boost (Legacy) on October 24, 2026.

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