Comparison

EGDR808 Drum Machine HD vs Tape

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

Head to head
About

EGDR808 Drum Machine HD

This app emulates a classic 80s hardware drum machine with a realistic interface. Create your own rhythms, save patterns, and control drum kit parameters. It offers advanced features like AU3 support, Inter App Instrument, and Core MIDI.

Highlights
  • Realistic 80s interface
  • 16-step sequencer
  • Programmable rhythm and fill patterns
  • Drum kit parameter control
  • AU3 support
  • Core MIDI and Audiobus integration
Features
Read full description

EGDR808 v3.0 is here with full AU3 Audio Unit support! ElliottGarage presents EGDR808, a drum machine that emulates the vintage hardware from the 80's. Its realistic and clear interface recalls the analog machine from the past, for all the vintage fanatics. You can play with the rythm presets included or you can create your own pattern. "Love That Classic '808 Drum Machine? EMULATE the '808 w/ EGDR808" - iOSsociety "...attention to detail in recreating the vintage look is uncanny, and faithfully emulated. More importantly the sound is spot on. Elliott Garage really put some love into this going for the same functionalities and feel of the old machine. It's love you can hear, and music lovers as well as vintage enthusiasts should agree this is one of the best 808s on iOS. " - SmiteMatter.com Features: - Interface like the real drum machine from the 80's - 16 steps sequencer - 12 programmable rythm patterns and 4 fills patterns - Auto fill in every 2, 4, 8, 12 or 16 pattern - Save the pattern you've created and play your songs - Manual Play, Pattern Write and Pattern Clear mode - Drumkit pieces parameters control (tuning, decay and snappy) - Song Mode page (swipe to left to open) - Swing and tap tempo - Inter App Instrument - Core MIDI (network session, controller esterni, inter app midi) - Audiobus - Ableton Link - Export with iTunes, mail or MAPI Audio Copy - AU3 support Check the videos on http://www.youtube.com/ElliottGarage support: info@elliottgarage.com

About

Tape

Relive the 80s with a virtual cassette player that emulates the feel of old-school music playback. Enjoy your iPhone music library with animated cassettes and intuitive touch controls. Choose from a variety of cassette designs for a nostalgic experience.

Highlights
  • Cassette player emulator
  • Plays music from Apple Music App
  • Animated cassette display
  • Large selection of cassette designs
  • Intuitive touch controls (play, pause, swipe)
  • Pinch to zoom for original cassette size
Features
Read full description

Do you still remember the cassettes from the 80s? Now you can have it again. You have all your songs from your iPhone or iPod Touch ready in the library. Tape is a cassette player emulator. It plays your music from Apple Music App and shows an animated cassette. There is a large selection of cassettes which you can choose from. This app bring's you back to the 80's. Very easy to use. - Touch for play or pause. - Swipe right for next song. - Swipe left for previous song. - Swipe down for next cassette. - Swipe up for cassette change. - Touch in the upper left corner to select songs. - you can zoom in to original cassette size (pinch to zoom). and because the control is very simple, This app is perfect for the car or on your iPod, iPhone docking Station, have fun with the app! THIS APP ONLY WORKS, IF YOU HAVE MUSIC IN THE APPLE MUSIC APP !!!

Screenshots

EGDR808 Drum Machine HD4 screens
Tape4 screens

Verdict

The call

EGDR808 Drum Machine HD and Tape both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 82% of Tape's written reviews are positive against 43% of EGDR808 Drum Machine HD's. Tape also leads on price ($1.99 vs $5.99). EGDR808 Drum Machine HD's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 7 months). On rating, ratings volume, 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

EGDR808 Drum Machine HD costs $5.99 and Tape $1.99 up front. Tape sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. EGDR808 Drum Machine HD asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for EGDR808 Drum Machine HD against 4.5 for Tape. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 175 and 259 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 43% of EGDR808 Drum Machine HD's written reviews are positive against 82% of Tape's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

EGDR808 Drum Machine HD ships an update every 3 months, Tape every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
EGDR808 Drum Machine HD versus Tape: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEGDR808 Drum Machine HDTape
Price$5.99$1.99 — better
Rating4.6 (175 ratings) — better4.5 (259 ratings)
Positive reviews42.6% of reviews81.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings175259 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 7 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size80 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperElliott GarageAlexander Rutkowskij

Customer experience

EGDR808 Drum Machine HD

All ratings175 ratings
Positive93.7%
Neutral2.3%
Negative4.0%
Written reviews54 reviews
Positive42.6%
Neutral11.1%
Negative46.3%

Tape

All ratings259 ratings
Positive91.5%
Neutral5.8%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews154 reviews
Positive81.8%
Neutral7.8%
Negative10.4%

User reviews

EGDR808 Drum Machine HD

From 175 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🔊 Great 808 sound quality
  • 👍 Easy to use interface
  • 🔌 Good AUv3 support
  • 💡 Quick pattern function
  • 💰 Good value for money

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Stops playing after reopening
  • 🐛 No open hat decay control
  • 🐛 Missing conga/clave/maracas on iPhone
  • 🐛 Doesn't retain edited settings
  • 🐛 Lost all saves after iCloud restore

Tape

From 259 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Authentic nostalgic cassette player design
  • 👍 User-friendly and intuitive interface
  • 🎵 Realistic animations with moving reels and playheads
  • 💰 Free app with extensive cassette designs included
  • 🎮 Interactive controls with swipe gestures

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezing issues
  • 🐛 App doesn't close properly with swipe gesture
  • 🐛 Tape head animation reversed (plays down, pauses up)
  • ❌ Limited to Apple Music only
  • ❌ No local file playback support

Bugs and requests

EGDR808 Drum Machine HD

Reported bugs

16 issues
  • Stops playing after reopening AUv3
  • Missing instruments on iPhone XR
  • No open hat decay
  • Settings not retained when reopening songs
  • Lost all saves after iCloud restore
Show 11 more
  • App crashes on launch
  • Tempo fluctuates and is inconsistent
  • Touch input is incorrect
  • Fills always playing when building patterns
  • Claps re-triggering unexpectedly
  • Microphone access prevents calls
  • Buffer under runs
  • Tempo changes when editing parameters
  • Tempo defaults to 120 bpm
  • Tempo changes when pattern is changed
  • Clears save patches when closing app from app bar

Requested features

22 requests
  • Preset saving
  • Update features overall
  • Export or send MIDI
  • AudioShare implementation
  • Make conga sounds available
Show 17 more
  • Add Audiobus support
  • Update interface to look like TR808
  • MIDI support for sequencers
  • Panning for each instrument
  • Save kits for reuse
  • Longer decay for sounds
  • Support for 12/8 time signature
  • Triplet functionality
  • Fix app crashing on launch
  • Improve usability and functionality
  • Fix tempo issues
  • Fix issues with fills and re-triggering
  • Fix microphone access issues
  • Fix buffer under runs
  • Fix tempo changing with pattern changes
  • Fix saving patches after closing app
  • Allow saving beats

Tape

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • App crashes when using menus
  • Freezes on iPhone iOS 14.4.2 and later
  • Swipe-to-close doesn't stop playback
  • Playhead and capstan roller animation reversed
  • App closes unexpectedly for no reason
Show 3 more
  • Doesn't recognize hand gestures or song selections
  • Won't play selected songs
  • Incompatibility with newer iOS updates

Requested features

13 requests
  • Save and switch between custom mixed tapes
  • Playlist duration limits based on cassette type
  • Clicking sounds for play/stop button presses
  • Support for local MP3 and M4A files
  • Screen sleep toggle while music plays
Show 8 more
  • Additional cassette designs (especially Memorex and movie-themed)
  • Spotify integration
  • iPad version with larger interface
  • Tape malfunction/degradation simulation
  • Record function for music production
  • Remove 'tap to load' text overlay
  • More realistic button control styling
  • Classic 80s Memorex shell design

In-app purchases

None

EGDR808 Drum Machine HD

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Tape

One-time2
  • New Cassette Pack$0.99
  • Cassette collection 2$1.99

Questions

Is EGDR808 Drum Machine HD free?
EGDR808 Drum Machine HD costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tape free?
Tape costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, EGDR808 Drum Machine HD or Tape?
EGDR808 Drum Machine HD is rated higher. EGDR808 Drum Machine HD averages 4.6 out of 5 from 175 ratings, while Tape averages 4.5 from 259 ratings.
Do EGDR808 Drum Machine HD or Tape have ads?
Neither EGDR808 Drum Machine HD nor Tape shows ads.
Which is updated more often, EGDR808 Drum Machine HD or Tape?
EGDR808 Drum Machine HD ships an update every 3 months, and Tape every 7 months. Most recently, EGDR808 Drum Machine HD was updated on October 26, 2026 and Tape on October 24, 2026.

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