Tape Loop Machine vs Drone Wheel
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Tape Loop Machine
Create warm, evolving ambient soundscapes with tape-style looping and sound-on-sound layering. This audio effect plugin offers long delay times and analog degradation simulations for experimental music creation. Explore presets or use it within your favorite AUv3-compatible host.
- Tape-style loop and delay
- Sound-on-sound overdubbing
- Long delay times
- Analog degradation and tone coloring
- Wow, flutter, and tape degradation simulation
- Preset library
- AUv3 plugin support
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Tape Loop Machine is a free AUv3 audio effect built around tape-style looping, sound-on-sound layering, and long ambient delays. Use it inside any AUv3-compatible host to create warm repeats, evolving drones, layered guitar textures, synth soundscapes, and slow-moving experimental loops. Simple enough to pick up in minutes. Deep enough to get lost in. Features: - Tape-style loop and delay behavior - Sound-on-sound overdub layering - Long delay times for ambient and drone use - Analog degradation and tone coloring - Wow, flutter, and tape degradation simulation - Presets for quick sound exploration - AUv3 plugin support The standalone app is included for exploring presets and quickly auditioning sounds. For the full experience, load Tape Loop Machine BA2 as an AUv3 audio effect inside your favorite host, connect a guitar, synth, microphone, or any audio source, and start building evolving loops.
Drone Wheel
Create sustained tones and chords in any key for practice, meditation, or songwriting. Offers a variety of sounds and scales, with a free version and an optional Pro upgrade for more features.
- Hold pure drones in 12 keys
- Play chords and inversions
- Deep sound library with synth and instrument tones
- Lock intonation against reference pitch
- Set scales and modes
- Build grooves with beat engine
- Metronome for timekeeping
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Drone Wheel is a looping studio built on a wheel. Hold a perfectly tuned drone, finger drum a beat, chop a sample, or loop your voice. Four decks share one clock, so everything stays in time. • Drone in any key, with chords and scales • Drums with pitch and level on every pad • Chop any sound or video into twelve pads • Loop your mic right on the beat • Launch clips, mix, add effects, and record the session Your projects are backed up to your account automatically. Free includes the drone, chords, a drum kit, the mic deck, SampleWheel with a starter library, and cloud backup. Pro adds every sound and kit, all scales and modes, your own samples and video, the Pro effects, and recording with export. Drone Wheel Pro: 3 day free trial, then $4.99 a month or $34.99 a year. Payment is charged to your Apple ID. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store settings. Questions? support@wheelverseaudio.com Privacy Policy: https://dronewheelprivacy.netlify.app/ Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Tape Loop Machine at 100% against Drone Wheel's 33%. Tape Loop Machine also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). Drone Wheel's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, ratings volume, 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
Both are free to download. Drone Wheel sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Tape Loop Machine asks for nothing beyond the download.
Tape Loop Machine holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Tape Loop Machine's written reviews are positive against 33% of Drone Wheel's.
Tape Loop Machine ships an update fortnightly, Drone Wheel monthly. Both last shipped on September 30, 2026.
| Parameter | Tape Loop Machine | Drone Wheel |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better | 3.0 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 33.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 4 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 131 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Baturay Koc | JOSEPH LEE ALLEN |
Customer experience
Tape Loop Machine
Drone Wheel
In-app purchases
Tape Loop Machine
No in-app purchases
Drone Wheel
- Pro Monthly3 Days trial$4.991 Month
- Pro Yearly3 Days trial$34.991 Year
Questions
Is Tape Loop Machine free?
Is Drone Wheel free?
Which has better reviews, Tape Loop Machine or Drone Wheel?
Do Tape Loop Machine or Drone Wheel have ads?
Which is updated more often, Tape Loop Machine or Drone Wheel?
Other comparisons
