Comparison

Area vs Crate.

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

Head to head
About

Area

This messaging app is designed for musicians to collaborate by organizing music files directly within group chats. It offers features like timestamped comments on audio, song version tracking, and continuous listening to streamline the creative process.

Highlights
  • Organize music files within group chats
  • Timestamped comments on audio
  • Track song versions
  • Dedicated song notes
  • Continuous listening as a playlist
  • Listen with phone locked
Features
Read full description

Area is a messaging app that lets you organize all of your music files inside your group chat, making it way easier to collaborate with your friends. Organize your files are inside your chat: see all of your audio inside one social context, with updates automatically reflected in your chat in real time. No more lost demos or expired links, and no one gets left behind. Area is also packed with all the tools necessary for your music collaboration needs. FEATURES: Side-by-side chat and file organization system. Comment on audio files at specific timestamps to keep your feedback organized. Song versions: upload multiple audio files within each song folder to keep track of changes. Song notes: a dedicated space for notes on each file. Continuous listening: listen to your music like a playlist. Listen with your phone locked. Apple Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: area.cx/privacy

About

Crate.

Organize your music collection by creating digital record shelves. Review albums, track your listening habits, and discover new music through friends, focusing on personal taste over algorithms.

Highlights
  • Build and share curated album collections
  • Write album reviews and star ratings
  • Log daily music listening history
  • Discover music through friends' tastes
  • Follow and collaborate with other users
Features
Read full description

Crate is for people who still listen. Albums matter. They outlast trends, playlists, and charts. Crate lets you build your own record shelf with collections called crates. Review what you hear, keep a diary of your spins, and see what your friends are into. It's about taste, not algorithms. About the albums you choose to keep. Features • Build and share crates, curated collections of albums • Write reviews and star-rate your listens • Keep a music diary of your daily spins • Discover underground favorites through friends, not algorithms • Follow, like, and collaborate with others in the scene This is not for everyone. Only for those who still listen.

Screenshots

Area4 screens
Crate.4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Area at 4.9 against Crate.'s 3.4. Area also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (40 vs 8). Crate.'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On price, review sentiment, update cadence 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

Both are free to download. Area sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Crate. asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Area holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Area has 40 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 95% of Area's written reviews are positive against 92% of Crate.'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Area ships an update every 8 days, Crate. every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 7, 2026 and September 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Area versus Crate.: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAreaCrate.
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (40 ratings) — better3.4 (8 ratings)
Positive reviews94.7% of reviews — better92.3% of reviews
Number of ratings40 — better8
Update frequencyEvery 8 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size67 MB58 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperHolographMustafa Kaan Baaran

Customer experience

Area

All ratings40 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews19 reviews
Positive94.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.3%

Crate.

All ratings8 ratings
Positive62.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative37.5%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive92.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative7.7%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Area

Subscriptions2
  • Area Pro$9.991 Month
  • Area Pro1 Month trial$9.991 Month
None

Crate.

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Area free?
Area is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Crate. free?
Crate. is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Area or Crate.?
Area is rated higher. Area averages 4.9 out of 5 from 40 ratings, while Crate. averages 3.4 from 8 ratings.
Do Area or Crate. have ads?
Crate. shows ads; Area does not.
Which is updated more often, Area or Crate.?
Area ships an update every 8 days, and Crate. every 2 weeks. Most recently, Area was updated on September 7, 2026 and Crate. on September 11, 2026.

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