Comparison

Circa Looper vs SessionDock

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

Head to head
About

Circa Looper

A powerful multi-channel looping instrument for iPad, designed for musicians and producers. It offers six independent stereo loop layers, deep modulation, precision syncing, and built-in effects for creating complex patterns and evolving soundscapes. Its touch-friendly interface allows for hands-on creative control and seamless DAW integration.

Highlights
  • Six independent stereo loop layers
  • Deep modulation control
  • Precision syncing
  • Built-in reverb and delay
  • Touch-friendly interface
  • Full MIDI mapping
  • Drag-and-drop audio export
Features
Read full description

Circa runs as a standalone app, or as an AUv3 plugin in hosts such as GarageBand, Logic, AUM and Cubase. Equal parts workhorse and abstract creative tool, Circa is a six track multi-layer looping environment that can do most of the things your popular floor pedal looper can while also paying homage to the serendipitous world of ambient looping. Each layer can sync to the host, a master loop, or free run, and can be triggered in sync, with an audio signal, or freely. Circa has seven stereo outputs (including a dedicated cue output for monitoring) and built-in reverb and delay. Add in a complete MIDI control and LFO modulation system and Circa is a full looping workstation. Features -- Multi-Layered Looping Circa has six layers that can operate independently or in sync with each other and/or the host. Circa can record from the stereo input, or self-record via an internal buss for interesting feedback possibilities. -- Standalone Or Plugin As a standalone app, Circa has its own audio and MIDI settings: choose your audio interface, sample rate and buffer size, pick the input pair, send each of Circa's seven outputs to any output pair on your interface, and select a MIDI input. Sync to incoming MIDI clock, or let Circa set the tempo from your first loop. As an AUv3 plugin, it lives inside your host and syncs to its transport. -- Designed To Be Touched And Played Circa's user interface is made for tactile manipulation, with touch strips for speed and position (including dedicated pages). The position strip can be further subdivided with slices. All this works together to turn a looping effect into a playable instrument. -- Easy To Get Along With Circa's layers each have an undo for destructive edits like recording, overdubbing, and erasing. -- Controllability And Modulation Circa has 30 modulation slots. Each one can map a MIDI controller to any of Circa's looping functions, or run an LFO: seven shapes, free-running or tempo-synced, with rate, phase and level, modulating speed, start and end position, level, panning, delay and reverb sends, filter frequency and resonance, or the slice the play head is on. LFOs swing around wherever each control is set, so the knobs stay in charge. -- Self-Contained Circa has a full internal mixer, filtering on each layer, and studio-quality send reverb, send delay, parametric EQ and compressor taken directly from Audio Damage's extensive effect library. -- Expandable And Performance-Ready Circa has 7 outputs in all: six assignable stereo outputs and a cue output for monitoring. Send any layer to any of the six stereo outputs, while keeping the cue for soloing, recording, and editing, unheard by the audience. In the standalone app, each output can go to its own pair of outputs on your audio interface. -- Ecosystem-Aware Circa's user presets are cross-platform compatible, and work on any instance of Circa, whether on macOS, Windows, Linux, or iOS. In addition, sessions created in GarageBand or Logic on iOS will open in the desktop version on macOS if you have purchased a license to that version.

About

SessionDock

Browse and preview your music projects, notes, and metadata from your Mac on your iPhone. This read-only companion app keeps your desktop library intact while offering waveform note viewing and CarPlay support for on-the-go reference.

Highlights
  • View all saved sessions
  • Preview session audio/mixdown
  • Read project notes and metadata
  • Waveform notes viewer
  • CarPlay support
  • Read-only interface
Features
Read full description

Note: This app requires SessionDock for macOS to sync and view your sessions. SessionDock Companion – View Your Sessions Anywhere SessionDock Companion lets you browse your SessionDock sessions from your Mac, right on your iPhone. Quickly view your projects, notes, and metadata in a clean, read-only interface. The Companion app is designed for safe reference—no editing, tagging, or changes—so your desktop library always stays intact. New in this version: Waveform Notes Viewer See timestamped notes directly on your mixdown waveform. Tap “Show Notes” to reveal markers that highlight in sync with playback, and use the Session Notes list below to jump to any moment. It’s a powerful way to review your creative thoughts while listening on the go. Key Features • View all sessions saved from the desktop app • Preview session audio/mixdown. • Read project names, notes, and metadata • Fast, lightweight, and read-only • Keeps your creative catalog consistent and secure • CarPlay support — browse and play session previews hands-free while driving SessionDock Companion makes it easy to stay connected to your music projects wherever you go. For more details about SessionDock Pro subscriptions: Privacy Policy: https://sessiondock.com/privacy.txt Terms of Use (Apple Standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

SessionDock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: SessionDock at 100% against Circa Looper's 33%. SessionDock also leads on price (Free vs $7.99) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Circa Looper's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and ratings volume (10 vs 2). On update cadence and ads 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

SessionDock is free to download; Circa Looper costs $7.99 up front. SessionDock sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Circa Looper asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SessionDock holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Circa Looper has 10 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of Circa Looper's written reviews are positive against 100% of SessionDock's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Circa Looper ships an update every 3 weeks, SessionDock every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 30, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Circa Looper versus SessionDock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCirca LooperSessionDock
Price$7.99Free — better
Rating4.6 (10 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings10 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size66 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAudio Damage, Inc.WARNER WEB DEVELOPMENT LLC

Customer experience

Circa Looper

All ratings10 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

SessionDock

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Circa Looper

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

SessionDock

Subscriptions4
  • SessionDock Share Monthly$4.991 Month
  • SessionDock Pro$5.991 Month
  • SessionDock Share Yearly$39.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • SessionDock Pro$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • SessionDock Pro (Lifetime)$39.99

Questions

Is Circa Looper free?
Circa Looper costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is SessionDock free?
SessionDock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Circa Looper or SessionDock?
SessionDock is rated higher. Circa Looper averages 4.6 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while SessionDock averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Circa Looper or SessionDock have ads?
Neither Circa Looper nor SessionDock shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Circa Looper or SessionDock?
Circa Looper ships an update every 3 weeks, and SessionDock every 2 weeks. Most recently, Circa Looper was updated on October 30, 2026 and SessionDock on October 30, 2026.

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