# Hype Machine vs Future Tape

The clearest difference is update cadence: Future Tape at every 5 days against Hype Machine's every 2 months. Future Tape also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 73%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Hype Machine's advantage is ratings volume (188 vs 8). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Future Tape holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hype Machine has 188 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of Hype Machine's written reviews are positive against 100% of Future Tape's.

Hype Machine ships an update every 2 months, Future Tape every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hype Machine | Future Tape |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (188 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hype-machine/id414315986/reviews) | **[5.0 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/future-tape/id1610769731/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **188** | 8 |
| Positive reviews | 73.5% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | **Free** |
| Size | 21 MB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.1 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [The Hype Machine, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/414315989) | [Zora Labs, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1519380735) |

## What reviewers say

### Hype Machine

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hype-machine/id414315986)

Discover new music through posts from hundreds of music blogs. Listen to tracks, read articles, and create a personalized feed by following sites and friends. Stay updated with weekly unreleased albums and newsletters.

**Highlights:** Music blog aggregation, New track discovery, Customizable music feed, Follow sites and friends, Weekly unreleased albums, Music newsletter

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Music discovery
- 👍 Fantastic app
- 👍 Amazing music
- 👍 Great for finding new music
- 👍 Awesome app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Playback issues
- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🐛 Streaming issues
- 🔋 Drains battery
- 🔒 Removed offline mode

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on launch after update
- Favorites playlist causes crashes
- Playback issues when switching apps

**Requested features**

- Add search functionality
- Allow access to user's favorite songs
- Improve playlist/library management
- Implement shuffle/repeat options
- Optimize for iPad


### Future Tape

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/future-tape/id1610769731)

Explore and play music from various platforms like Catalog, Sound, Nina, and Zora. Discover trending tracks, browse charts, and search for specific releases within a unified player.

**Highlights:** Play tracks from multiple platforms, Explore trending charts, Search all releases, Unified music player, Discover latest tracks

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hype Machine free?

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

### Is Future Tape free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Hype Machine or Future Tape?

Future Tape is rated higher. Hype Machine averages 4.7 out of 5 from 188 ratings, while Future Tape averages 5.0 from 8 ratings.

### Do Hype Machine or Future Tape have ads?

Neither Hype Machine nor Future Tape shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hype Machine or Future Tape?

Hype Machine ships an update every 2 months, and Future Tape every 5 days. Most recently, Hype Machine was updated on October 15, 2026 and Future Tape on October 9, 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.*