VU202 vs CrateDive
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
VU202
Create beats and design sounds with this performance-focused sampler. Import or record audio, shape sounds with extensive editing tools, and build rhythms and song structures. Customize the interface and export your creations.
- Import, record, and resample audio
- Sample editing with trim, attack, decay
- Pattern and song arrangement modes
- Per-step nudge timing
- Pad, bank, and master effects
- Export WAV or stems
- UI customization
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VU202 is a performance-focused sampler for iPhone and iPad, built for fast sound design, pattern creation, and hands-on beat making. VU202 now can export it projects into my newest creation - VU Studio Desktop - mini daw for OSX and Windows that will help You to finish Your VU202 projects. Look for a discount code in the app! Import your own samples or unlock included drumkits, record directly into pads, or resample processed sounds to create new layers and textures. Shape every sound with trim, attack and decay editing, pitch control, reverse playback, loop modes, trigger or gate playback, and multiple effect stages. Build rhythms in Pattern Mode, switch between patterns instantly, and arrange full ideas in Song Mode. Push grooves further with per-step nudge timing, quick pattern tools like rename, duplicate, erase, and double, and fast pad and bank actions including mute and solo. Use pad effects for detailed sound design, then process groups and the full mix with bank and master FX. Bounce effected sounds into new samples, export full mixes or stems, and keep building without breaking your flow. Make the instrument your own with UI customization, including background images, opacity control, and editable interface colors. Features: Import, record, and resample audio directly into pads Trim samples and edit attack, decay, and release shape Use trigger or gate playback per pad Create patterns, duplicate them, erase them, rename them, and double their length Add per-step nudge timing for looser, off-grid grooves Arrange full song chains in Song Mode Use pad, bank, and master effects Mute and solo pads or full banks for fast performance control Export projects as WAV or stems Save projects and continue where you left off Customize the look of VU202 with colors and background images Use zoom support for a more comfortable editing view VU202 is made for drums, chops, textures, and fast musical sketches, with a workflow that stays direct, creative, and playable.
CrateDive
This app uses AI to quickly identify sample-worthy moments in any audio track, including loops, vocal chops, and melodic hooks. It offers features like interactive waveforms, AI loop ranking, and BPM/key detection to streamline the music production process.
- AI sample detection
- Interactive waveform visualization
- AI loop ranking
- BPM and key detection
- Stem separation (Pro)
- WAV export (Pro)
- AI sample descriptions (Pro)
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CRATE DIVE — AI SAMPLE DISCOVERY FOR PRODUCERS Drop any track. Crate Dive's AI finds every sample-worthy moment — loops, breaks, vocal chops, melodic hooks, transitions — in seconds. Cut a 20-minute crate dig down to 3. Built for hip-hop beatmakers, lo-fi producers, trap heads, EDM producers, DJs, and remixers who'd rather make beats than scrub waveforms. 3D WAVEFORM (NEW IN 2.0) A live 3D waveform that moves with the music. Pick a loop and the view frames it. Pinch to zoom, tap to seek, or switch back to 2D. PADS (NEW IN 2.0) Play any loop as 16, 8 or 4 chops. Flow mode keeps the loop running while you jump around; Chop mode plays each pad once. Tap a pad to drag its start and end, snapped to 1/16 notes or free. AI LOOP RANKING The algorithm scores every loop on boundary seamlessness, harmonic richness, and beat alignment — then surfaces the top 5, starting on the downbeat. The flip-ready ones first. BPM & KEY DETECTION 95%+ accurate BPM finder. Full key and scale detection. Manually adjust either with one tap. Perfect for harmonic mixing and matching samples to your project. SAMPLE POINT DETECTION AI marks every drum break, melodic hook, vocal chop, riser, build, and drop. Each detection comes with a reason tag so you know why it was flagged and a confidence score from 60–100%. STEM SEPARATION (PRO) Studio-grade stem splitter. Isolate vocals, drums, bass, and other instruments in one tap. Mute and solo stems on the pads, and see where each one comes in on its own waveform. Build acapellas, drumless beats, and instrumental versions instantly. WAV EXPORT (PRO) Export any loop, stem, or the full track as clean WAV files. Drag straight into FL Studio, Ableton, Logic, MPC, or any DAW or sampler. AI SAMPLE DESCRIPTIONS (PRO) Plain-English context for every detection: "Warm trumpet loop, 4 bars, ~88 BPM, ideal for boom-bap flips." No more guessing what you grabbed. FOUR THEMES Glacier, Classic, Ember and Ruby. Each one recolors the waveform and the app icon. PRIVACY FIRST Audio is processed in memory and discarded immediately. No account required. No tracking. Your crates stay yours. FREE TO START Three analyses per day, free, no card required. Pro is $9.99/month with a 7-day free trial — unlimited analysis, stem separation, WAV export, and AI sample descriptions. PERFECT FOR • Hip-hop and boom-bap beatmakers • Lo-fi producers chasing seamless loops • Trap producers hunting vocal chops and 808s • EDM producers grabbing risers, builds, and drops • DJs and remixers searching for breakbeats and acapellas • Bedroom producers using FL Studio, Ableton, Logic, or any DAW Crate Dive: find the gold in any track. Support: cratedive.app/support Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Terms of Service: https://cratedive.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://cratedive.app/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: VU202 at weekly against CrateDive's every 6 weeks. VU202 also leads on ratings volume (34 vs 3). On price, rating, review sentiment 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
Both are free to download. VU202 sells 9 one-off in-app purchases and CrateDive sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
CrateDive holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: VU202 has 34 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 94% of VU202's written reviews are positive against 100% of CrateDive's.
VU202 ships an update weekly, CrateDive every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | VU202 | CrateDive |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (34 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 94.1% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 34 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 157 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Dariusz Chynek | Jester Agustin |
Customer experience
VU202
CrateDive
In-app purchases
VU202
- MPC 2000 Drumkit$0.99
- SP202 Drumkit$0.99
- SP1200 Drumkit$0.99
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- S2400 Drumkit$0.99
- S900 Drumkit$0.99
- EMAX$0.99
- MPC3000 Drumkit$0.99
- MPC 2000 2$0.99
- Remove Ads$4.99
CrateDive
- CrateDive Pro$9.991 Month
- CrateDive Pro Annual$69.991 Year









