# Tape It vs Refader

The clearest difference is rating: Tape It at 4.7 against Refader's 4.2. Tape It also leads on ratings volume (886 vs 6). Refader's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 20) and update cadence (every 2 days vs fortnightly). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Tape It sells 18 in-app purchases, starting at $3.00 per month. Refader asks for nothing beyond the download.

Tape It holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tape It has 886 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 72% of Tape It's written reviews are positive against 80% of Refader's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Tape It ships an update fortnightly, Refader every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Tape It | Refader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (886 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tape-it-pro-audio-recorder/id1576341885/reviews)** | [4.2 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/refader/id1667127761/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **886** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | 71.5% of reviews | **80.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 65 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.2** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tape It Music GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1576341887) | [Pedro Yamada](https://appshunter.io/developer/1604183940) |

## What reviewers say

### Tape It

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tape-it-pro-audio-recorder/id1576341885)

Capture, organize, and share music ideas with this professional audio recording studio app. It offers features like mixtape organization, studio-quality collaboration, and instant recording from your lock screen. Never lose a song idea again and focus on your music.

**Highlights:** Mixtape organization, Studio-quality collaboration, Instant recording from lock screen, Photo integration for notes, Secure cloud backup, DAW integration, Lossless audio quality

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

**In-app purchases (18)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $3.00 | per month |
| Tape It Pro | $4.49 | per month |
| Tape It Pro | $5.00 | per month |
| Monthly subscription | $5.99 | per month |
| Monthly subscription | $6.00 | per month |
| Yearly Subscription | $15.00 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription | $19.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription | $19.99 | per year |
| Tape It Pro | $22.49 | per year |
| Tape It Pro | $24.00 | per year |
| Yearly subscription | $25.00 | per year |
| Full version | $30.00 | per year |
| Yearly subscription | $49.99 | per year |
| Full version | $50.00 | per year |
| Full version | $50.00 | one-time |
| Tape It Pro | $75.00 | one-time |
| Tape It Pro | $80.00 | one-time |
| Full version | $100.00 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Elegant and highly usable UI
- 🚀 Plays well with external mics
- 🚀 Easy editing
- 🚀 Reliable iCloud sync
- 👍 Minimalist and intuitive design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Subscription-based model
- 💰 Expensive lifetime purchase option
- 🐛 Buggy behavior, crashes, and glitches
- 🐛 Unreliable recording and playback
- 🐛 Difficult to delete or manage recordings

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to sign in or create accounts
- Incompatibility with certain iOS versions
- Jittery scrolling and UI issues
- Unreliable lock screen widget
- Recordings stopping unexpectedly

**Requested features**

- Ability to pause/resume recordings
- In-app audio editing tools
- Improved organization and folder structure
- Support for external audio interfaces
- Metronome and looping functionality


### Refader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/refader/id1667127761)

Control MIDI devices and hosts remotely via USB or Wi-Fi. Connect your device to a computer using "Audio MIDI Setup" to establish a networked MIDI session.

**Highlights:** MIDI fader controller, Control MIDI devices, Control MIDI hosts, USB connectivity, Wi-Fi connectivity, Networked MIDI sessions

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Tape It free?

Tape It is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Refader free?

Refader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Tape It or Refader?

Tape It is rated higher. Tape It averages 4.7 out of 5 from 886 ratings, while Refader averages 4.2 from 6 ratings.

### Do Tape It or Refader have ads?

Neither Tape It nor Refader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Tape It or Refader?

Tape It ships an update fortnightly, and Refader every 2 days. Most recently, Tape It was updated on October 27, 2026 and Refader on October 24, 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.*