Comparison

Loop vs PocketTone

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

Head to head
About

Loop

Create melodies easily with a minimalist digital audio workstation. Explore various synthesis options and effects to shape your sound. Save and export your musical ideas as high-quality WAV files for sharing or further use.

Highlights
  • Minimalist DAW interface
  • Multiple synthesis types (AM, FM, wavetable)
  • Adjustable tempo and octave
  • Sound sculpting with envelopes
  • Reverb and other effects
  • Save and export loops as WAV
  • Fully offline functionality
Features
Read full description

Turn taps into melodies and beats. Loop is your handheld music studio for sketching ideas, building drum patterns, and creating original loops on a simple grid. Start with five free sample loops or make something of your own. CREATE WITH A TAP • Tap the grid to add notes and hear your melody take shape. • Add kick, snare, and hi-hat patterns. • Build longer phrases across multiple pages. • Follow your music with a moving playback highlight. • Give each loop its own name and color. EXPLORE FIVE FREE SAMPLES From mellow grooves to bright arpeggios, each sample combines a distinct melody, rhythm, and sound. Play them for inspiration, view their sound settings, and restore deleted samples from Settings. Samples do not count toward your free saved-loop limit. SHAPE YOUR SOUND WITH PREMIUM • Explore FM, AM, wavetable, subtractive, and membrane synthesis. • Choose sine, triangle, square, and sawtooth waveforms. • Adjust tempo, octave, and musical scale. • Shape notes with attack, decay, sustain, and release controls. • Add reverb, delay, tremolo, vibrato, and distortion. • Edit sample loops to make them your own. SAVE AND SHARE Create and save one personal loop for free, alongside the five sample loops. Premium unlocks unlimited saved loops and WAV export for sharing, other music apps, or creating a custom ringtone. MAKE MUSIC OFFLINE No account. No ads. No tracking. Your loops stay on your device, so you can make music whenever inspiration strikes. Premium is available through an optional monthly subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

PocketTone

This app recreates the experience of a hand-drawn, retro pocket synthesizer. It features a vintage LCD display, slide switches, and chunky buttons, allowing users to play various retro voices, program custom sounds, and jam along to built-in rhythms. Users can also record and share their musical creations.

Highlights
  • Five retro voices (Piano, Flute, Violin, Fantasy, Guitar)
  • Program custom synth voices
  • Ten built-in rhythms
  • Sound shaping controls (octave, volume, balance)
  • Tape-style Delay and lo-fi Crush effects
  • Record and share audio
  • Melody memory (Auto-Play, One-Key play)
Features
Read full description

PocketTone is a hand-drawn, retro pocket synthesizer you can play anywhere. Tap the keys and a tiny lo-fi synth comes to life — complete with a green LCD, slide switches and chunky buttons, all lovingly hand-drawn. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Play five retro voices — Piano, Flute, Violin, Fantasy and Guitar. • Program your own voice the way the original did it — an eight-digit code typed on the calculator keys: waveform, envelope, vibrato, tremolo. • Jam over ten built-in rhythms — March, Rock, Bossa, Samba and more. • Shape the sound with octave, volume and a melody/rhythm balance. • Add tape-style Delay and lo-fi Crush effects. • Record what you play and share the audio with anyone. • Use the melody memory — Auto-Play, One-Key play and a built-in demo tune. • Flip to calculator mode… then play the keypad as a melody. The classic pocket-toy party trick, faithfully recreated. POCKETTONE PRO A single one-time purchase unlocks everything: all voices, all rhythms, recording & sharing, the melody memory, and the effects. No subscription — yours forever. Made as a love letter to the pocket musical toys of the 80s.

Screenshots

Loop4 screens
PocketTone4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Loop at 50% against PocketTone's 0%. Loop also leads on rating (3.5 vs 2.0) and update cadence (every 11 days vs every 2 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Loop sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and PocketTone sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Loop holds the better App Store score, 3.5 against 2.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Loop's written reviews are positive against 0% of PocketTone's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Loop ships an update every 11 days, PocketTone every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Loop versus PocketTone: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLoopPocketTone
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (2 ratings) — better2.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings2 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 11 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS18.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperANCREATIVE INC.Chih Han Lin

Customer experience

Loop

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

PocketTone

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Loop

One-time1
  • Unlock Premium (Lifetime)$4.99
1 purchases

PocketTone

One-time1
  • PocketTone Pro$3.99

Questions

Is Loop free?
Loop is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PocketTone free?
PocketTone is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Loop or PocketTone?
Loop is rated higher. Loop averages 3.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while PocketTone averages 2.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Loop or PocketTone have ads?
Neither Loop nor PocketTone shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Loop or PocketTone?
Loop ships an update every 11 days, and PocketTone every 2 months. Most recently, Loop was updated on October 11, 2026 and PocketTone on October 14, 2026.

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