# Tape vs Album Time!

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Album Time! at none against Tape's 2. Album Time! also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5). Tape's advantage is ratings volume (259 vs 4) and iOS requirement (15.5 vs 26.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Tape costs $1.99 and Album Time! $1.99 up front. Tape sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Album Time! asks for nothing beyond the download.

Album Time! holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tape has 259 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 82% of Tape's written reviews are positive against 75% of Album Time!'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Tape ships an update every 7 months, Album Time! every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Tape | Album Time! |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | $1.99 |
| Rating | [4.5 (259 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tape/id537766208/reviews) | **[4.8 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/album-time/id6448590718/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **259** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | **81.8% of reviews** | 75.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Every 4 months** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 25 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.5** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Alexander Rutkowskij](https://appshunter.io/developer/518370415) | [Jiachi Wu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1685102330) |

## What reviewers say

### Tape

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tape/id537766208)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| New Cassette Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Cassette collection 2 | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


### Album Time!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/album-time/id6448590718)

This music player focuses on rediscovering your album collection by shuffling entire albums rather than individual songs. It allows for seamless transitions between albums and offers various ways to organize and find your music.

**Highlights:** Shuffle albums, not songs, No playlist creation needed, Seamless album switching, Pin favorite albums, Search and sort music library, Hands-free controls

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Tape free?

Tape costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Album Time! free?

Album Time! costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Tape or Album Time!?

Album Time! is rated higher. Tape averages 4.5 out of 5 from 259 ratings, while Album Time! averages 4.8 from 4 ratings.

### Do Tape or Album Time! have ads?

Neither Tape nor Album Time! shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Tape or Album Time!?

Tape ships an update every 7 months, and Album Time! every 4 months. Most recently, Tape was updated on November 6, 2026 and Album Time! on November 3, 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.*