Comparison

Skratcher vs ScratchBud Vinyl Scratching FX

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

Head to head
About

Skratcher

Transform your device into a professional DJ setup. Load music, scratch vinyl, apply effects, and mix beats with realistic physics and low-latency audio. Record your sets and even connect with another device for a synchronized dual-deck experience.

Highlights
  • Realistic virtual turntable with touch scratching
  • Real-time audio effects suite
  • Sound effects pad with custom import
  • Crossfader with adjustable curves
  • Beat loop import and playback
  • Tempo and pitch control with Key Lock
  • Mix recording to WAV
Features
Read full description

Skratcher turns your iPhone or iPad into a full-featured DJ turntable. Load songs from your music library, scratch vinyl, mix beats, and perform live -- all with realistic turntable physics and low-latency audio. TURNTABLE & SCRATCHING Spin a realistic virtual platter with accurate 33-1/3 RPM rotation and touch-based scratching. Choose from three platter feel presets -- Snap, Medium, or Heavy (Technics 1200-style momentum) -- and switch between Smooth or Raw scratch texture to dial in your sound. A circular waveform display at the center of the jog wheel shows your position in the track in real time. EFFECTS & EQ Shape your sound with a suite of real-time audio effects: - Digital Delay with adjustable time, feedback, and mix - Bandpass Filter with an interactive 4-point curve editor - 10-Band Graphic EQ with LED-lit vertical faders - 3-Band EQ (Bass, Mid, Treble) - Reverb with 13 factory presets from Small Room to Epic Cathedral - Decimator (Bitcrusher) with 16 lo-fi presets including 8-Bit, AM Radio, and Broken Glitch SOUND EFFECTS PAD Trigger 12 built-in retro sound effects -- Horn, Stinger, Scratch, Backspin, Siren, Laser, Explosion, Alarm, Phone, Pew, Phaser, and Warp -- all generated by a procedural audio synthesis engine. Import your own sounds into custom SFX slots. CROSSFADER & TRANSFORMER Mix between your track and scratch samples using four crossfader curves: Scratch, Cut, Linear, and Constant Power. Enable Hamster Switch for reversed fader direction. The Transformer (XFRM) button provides instant audio cuts for advanced scratch techniques with sub-millisecond response. BEAT LOOPS Five built-in beat loops span Hip Hop (90 BPM), Boom Bap (85 BPM), Trap (140 BPM), House (120 BPM), and Breakbeat (100 BPM). Import your own loops from your music library or the Files app. SCRATCH SAMPLES Two built-in scratch samples (subject to change) plus the ability to import your own. Toggle between scratching the built-in/custom scratch samples or the main deck's audio. TEMPO & PITCH Automatic BPM detection analyzes every track on load. Key Lock lets you adjust tempo up to +/-50% while preserving pitch. Fine-tune pitch independently for beatmatching. RECORDING Record your DJ mixes to WAV using the built-in REC button. Load and replay your recordings directly in the app. MICROPHONE Connect a microphone for live DJ announcements and voice mixing with adjustable volume control. APPLE MUSIC Apple Music subscribers can browse, search, and load songs from the full Apple Music catalog. Non-subscribers can load 30-second preview clips for mixing. SHAZAM Identify the currently playing song with one tap. Shazam fetches the track title, artist, and album artwork automatically. LYRICS View time-synced lyrics as your track plays, powered by LRCLIB. Supports synced scrolling, plain text fallback, and instrumental track detection. P2P DUAL DECK MIXER Connect two iPhones on the same Wi-Fi network and turn them into a synchronized dual-deck DJ setup. Each device runs an independent turntable while sharing live audio, playback position, crossfader state, and cue points in real time. Hand one phone to a friend and mix back to back. CARPLAY Full CarPlay support lets you browse your library, select tracks, and control playback from your car's display. IMPORT & FILE SUPPORT Load audio from your music library or import files from Downloads, iCloud Drive, or other locations. Supports MP3, WAV, AIFF, M4A, FLAC, CAF, AC3, and more. DESIGNED FOR IPHONE & IPAD Landscape-optimized layout on iPhone with a center jog wheel and side control panels. Expanded iPad layout with a full mixer panel, larger touch targets, and dedicated effects controls. 46 LANGUAGES Fully localized in 46 languages. SCRATCH. MIX. CREATE.

About

ScratchBud Vinyl Scratching FX

This app brings the tactile experience of vinyl scratching to your device. It offers a realistic UI, the ability to scratch live audio or samples, and advanced features like LFO automation and AUv3 integration for professional sound design.

Highlights
  • Vinyl-like UI with speed fader
  • Scratch live audio or loaded samples
  • Customizable crossfader with MIDI control
  • Automated scratches with LFO
  • 3-second audio recording and looping
  • AUv3 plugin support
  • Low-pass filter for sound design
Features
Read full description

ScratchBud makes it easy to bring the feel of vinyl scratching to your iOS or Apple Silicon device. Whether you’re a DJ, producer, or just love experimenting with sound, ScratchBud has everything you need to start scratching. Key Features: Vinyl-Like UI: Intuitive interface mimics a real DJ turntable, complete with adjustable speed fader and motor controls. Scratch Anything: Use live audio input, a loaded sample file, or the included classic “aaah” and “fresh” samples. Customizable Crossfader: Seamlessly blend between the audio input source and FX output, with MIDI note control options. Auto Scratch with LFO: Automate scratches with adjustable LFO parameters, including rate, amount, waveform, and DAW tempo sync. Advanced Recording Options: Capture, loop, and scratch up to 3 seconds of audio, with configurable recording behaviors. AUv3 Integration: Full support for AUv3 hosts, exposing all parameters for MIDI CC control and automation. Professional Sound Design: Refine your scratch sound with built-in low-pass filter controls for cutoff and resonance. Start scratching immediately with included classic samples or load your own. ScratchBud works as a standalone app or an AUv3 plugin, making it a versatile tool for your studio or live performances.

Screenshots

Skratcher4 screens
ScratchBud Vinyl Scratching FX4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: ScratchBud Vinyl Scratching FX at every 4 days against Skratcher's every 92 months. ScratchBud Vinyl Scratching FX also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). Skratcher's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and price ($4.99 vs $5.99). On review sentiment, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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

Skratcher costs $4.99 and ScratchBud Vinyl Scratching FX $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Skratcher holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 16 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 65% of Skratcher's written reviews are positive against 67% of ScratchBud Vinyl Scratching FX's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Skratcher ships an update every 92 months, ScratchBud Vinyl Scratching FX every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Skratcher versus ScratchBud Vinyl Scratching FX: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSkratcherScratchBud Vinyl Scratching FX
Price$4.99 — better$5.99
Rating5.0 (9 ratings) — better4.6 (16 ratings)
Positive reviews64.7% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings916 — better
Update frequencyEvery 92 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMindArray Labs LLCCem Olcay

Customer experience

Skratcher

All ratings9 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive64.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative35.3%

ScratchBud Vinyl Scratching FX

All ratings16 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral25.0%
Negative8.3%

In-app purchases

None

Skratcher

No in-app purchases

None

ScratchBud Vinyl Scratching FX

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Skratcher free?
Skratcher costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ScratchBud Vinyl Scratching FX free?
ScratchBud Vinyl Scratching FX costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Skratcher or ScratchBud Vinyl Scratching FX?
Skratcher is rated higher. Skratcher averages 5.0 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while ScratchBud Vinyl Scratching FX averages 4.6 from 16 ratings.
Do Skratcher or ScratchBud Vinyl Scratching FX have ads?
Neither Skratcher nor ScratchBud Vinyl Scratching FX shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Skratcher or ScratchBud Vinyl Scratching FX?
Skratcher ships an update every 92 months, and ScratchBud Vinyl Scratching FX every 4 days. Most recently, Skratcher was updated on October 31, 2026 and ScratchBud Vinyl Scratching FX on October 30, 2026.

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