Comparison

BlueLooper vs PatchRig FX

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

Head to head
About

BlueLooper

This app transforms your mobile device into a powerful multi-track looper and effects pedal for guitarists. It features a high-quality amp simulator with support for realistic amp captures and impulse responses, allowing for seamless integration into your music production workflow.

Highlights
  • Multi-track looper
  • Amp simulator with NAM A2 support
  • IR Loader
  • NAM Amp AUv3 plug-in
  • IR Loader AUv3 plug-in
  • Save and recall effect chain presets
  • Endless Sustain
Features
Read full description

BlueLooper turns your iPhone or iPad into a guitar effects pedalboard and multi-track looper. Amps, effects, looping, backing and your practice log all live in one app, from daily practice to songwriting and the stage. Connect an audio interface such as the iRig HD X and your device becomes a full loop station. BlueLooper includes a high-quality amp simulator with support for NAM (Neural Amp Modeler) A2 models. Load realistic models captured from real hardware, combine them with the looper, and you have a complete guitar rig in your pocket. TONE3000 models can be browsed and downloaded right inside the app, and kept as favorites for quick recall. You can also drop your own AUv3 plug-ins into the effect chain. Pick one from the list organized by manufacturer; even the knobs you move in the plug-in's own window are stored with your preset. GROOVE gives you a two-lane backing section: drums and chords. Generate drum patterns from 10 genres — Rock, Pop, Jazz, Latin, Funk, Hip-Hop, Country, Ballad, Electro and Ambient — and set the accent of every step. The chord lane carries the standard progressions for each genre (I–V–vi–IV, ii–V–I and more): pick a key, a progression and a sound (Piano, Rhodes, Wurly, Organ, Pad) and you have an accompaniment to practice over on your own. LOOPER, GROOVE and GRAIN share one tempo, and switching SONG recalls the whole set for that tune. Your practice time is logged automatically — there is no "start practice" button to press. It counts the time you actually played separately from the time it was simply open, and keeps the breakdown: what you played along to — LOOPER, GROOVE or the metronome — and which preset you used. Look back by day, week or month, with totals from all your devices combined over iCloud. The effect chain you were using is saved too, so you can call it back and play with the same tone. A tuner, a metronome and a recorder sit in one panel you can open straight from the playing screen. The recorder captures the app's own output rather than the microphone, and can save it as a video with the camera picture. BlueLooper also ships AUv3 plug-in versions of its NAM amp and IR loader, so you can use amp models and IRs directly inside compatible music production apps — verified with GarageBand and Cubasis. Loading NAM models and IRs is a Premium feature. New users can try loading NAM models or IRs up to 10 times each for free before upgrading. Premium Upgrade (one-time unlock) A single purchase gives you: • Unlimited NAM model loading • Unlimited IR loading • Unlimited effect chain preset saving • Unlimited Effect, Looper and Sampler bank saving • Unlimited loading of the effect chains saved in your practice log • Endless Sustain with no time limit From practice and songwriting to improvisation, recording and live performance, BlueLooper delivers an intuitive workflow and high-quality sound built for guitarists. Key features • NAM A2 compatible amp simulator • IR loader • Browse and download TONE3000 models in-app • Built-in distortion, chorus, delay, reverb and more • AUv3 host: add your own plug-ins to the effect chain • Multi-track looper / sustainer • GROOVE: drum patterns in 10 genres, plus chord backing on standard progressions • Automatic practice logging (what you played along to, day/week/month review, iCloud totals) • Tuner / metronome / audio and video recording • SONG: switch every module's settings together, per tune • NAM/IR AUv3 plug-ins (verified with GarageBand and Cubasis) • .nam model loading (Premium, 10 free trials) • IR loading (Premium, 10 free trials) • Multiple bank saving (Premium) • Endless Sustain (Premium) • Optimized for iPhone and iPad • Works with audio interfaces such as the iRig HD X BlueLooper combines portability, a simple interface, realistic amp modeling and expressive sound design into a new guitar experience. You don't need a big loop pedal or a pedalboard to carry a serious rig — and your daily practice adds up as you go.

About

PatchRig FX

Features
Read full description

PatchRig FX turns sound ideas into playable, editable effects rigs for guitar, bass, keys, vocals, drums, and reference audio. Start with 500 generated pedalboards, 500 generated pedals, 60 super pedals, built-in audition performances, and 31,777 bundled song-tone profiles. Create a board from a sound description, a song-title trait profile, or an imported recording/reference loop. Then audition it, edit pedals, amps, voices, MIDI tools, and DSP blocks, save favorites, export audio, sync privately, or share playable patches. Create fast: - Play through a ready pedalboard. - Describe a sound and generate an editable rig. - Create an inspired board from bundled song-tone traits. - Import local audio and build around guitar, bass, keys, vocals, drums, or the full mix. - Design individual pedals, amps, preamps, vocal tools, instrument voices, and safe Open DSP patches. - Preview pedals, amps, voices, and DSP blocks before adding them. - Compare, tune, rename, save, export, sync, and share. For live use and auditioning, PatchRig works with standard USB Audio Class compliant USB or USB-C audio interfaces and Core Audio compatible devices supported by iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Use an interface with instrument, line, or microphone inputs for guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals, or other sources, then monitor through the interface outputs or a supported system output. On Mac, registered Audio Unit effects can be validated and used when they are available through the system Audio Unit host path. PatchRig does not require a specific hardware brand and does not download executable plug-in code at runtime. The free app includes a polished starter set, built-in audition sounds, prompt-created board preview, designer preview, and basic import/reference analysis. PatchRig Pro unlocks the full 500-board library, the full generated pedal catalog, 60 super pedals, amp and DSP designers, MIDI and instrument voices, unlimited saved creations, export, sharing, iCloud sync, and community publishing. PatchRig includes loop audition, richer built-in reference performances, A/B comparison, meters, spectrum views, bypass controls, graph editing, inline pedal/amp insertion, recent boards, rename/save flows, and shareable preview audio for community items. PatchRig is honest about audio boundaries. Song and artist requests create original boards inspired by broad tone traits, not exact recording, preset, artist, amp, cabinet, IR, or clone claims. PatchRig only uses built-in safe audio blocks and bundled resources; it does not download executable plugin code at runtime. Unsupported or design-only requests fail visibly instead of silently substituting something else.

Screenshots

BlueLooper4 screens
PatchRig FX4 screens

Verdict

The call

BlueLooper and PatchRig FX are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. BlueLooper sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and PatchRig FX sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
BlueLooper versus PatchRig FX: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBlueLooperPatchRig FX
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (5 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 daysEvery 3 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.517.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB428 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerosamu sambuichiRob Rightmyer

In-app purchases

1 purchases

BlueLooper

One-time1
  • BlueLooper Premium$5.99
1 purchases

PatchRig FX

One-time1
  • PatchRig Pro$59.99

Questions

Is BlueLooper free?
BlueLooper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PatchRig FX free?
PatchRig FX is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do BlueLooper or PatchRig FX have ads?
Neither BlueLooper nor PatchRig FX shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BlueLooper or PatchRig FX?
BlueLooper ships an update every 3 days, and PatchRig FX every 3 days. Most recently, BlueLooper was updated on October 28, 2026 and PatchRig FX on October 21, 2026.

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