Comparison

Cratekeeper vs Vinyl ID

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

Head to head
About

Cratekeeper

Catalog your vinyl collection digitally with this app. It uses your camera to scan record covers and identify them using a database, allowing you to organize, search, and even play your music. Your collection is synced via iCloud and can be exported anytime.

Highlights
  • Camera-based record identification
  • Discogs database integration
  • AI artwork recognition (in-app purchase)
  • Customizable collection browsing
  • Track condition and notes
  • Integrated YouTube player
  • iCloud syncing and backups
Features
Read full description

Cratekeeper turns your vinyl collection into a digital crate you can search, browse, and play — wrapped in a lime-on-black 80s hacker terminal aesthetic. SNAP AND IDENTIFY Point your camera at a record cover. On-device text scanning reads the sleeve and matches it against the Discogs database — artist, album, year, genre, and label fill themselves in, cover art included. No typing required for most records. AI IDENTIFY (OPTIONAL) Some covers have no text at all. A one-time in-app purchase unlocks AI recognition that identifies records from the artwork itself. Photos are used only for identification — never stored, never used for training. The free scanner stays free forever, and you can always search manually. YOUR CRATE, YOUR RULES Browse as a cover grid or a list. Filter by genre, search across artist, album, label. Track condition (Mint to Poor) and add notes — pressing details, where you found it, what it's worth to you. LISTEN INSTANTLY Open any record and play it through the built-in YouTube player. From "what was this one again?" to needle-drop nostalgia in two taps. YOURS FOREVER Your collection syncs through your personal iCloud — surviving reinstalls and syncing across your devices without any account, password, or server of ours. Export a complete backup (cover art included) anytime, and import it anywhere. No ads. No analytics. No tracking. BUILT FOR CRATE PEOPLE Whether you're two records in or two thousand, Cratekeeper is for people who still believe in flipping through a crate — and want a terminal-green index of everything in it.

About

Vinyl ID

This app logs every record you play, providing a history of your listening habits. It displays current playback details, offers searchable logs, and tracks your top artists and genres over time. You can also manage your vinyl collection and optionally share your listening activity with friends.

Highlights
  • Real-time playback identification
  • Searchable listening history
  • Personalized listening statistics
  • Vinyl collection management
  • Optional social sharing
  • Customizable notifications
Features
Read full description

Vinyl ID is the companion app for the Vinyl ID listening device, a small box that sits near your turntable and keeps a record of every record you play. Most of us who collect vinyl have no idea what we actually listen to. Streaming services remember everything. Vinyl remembers nothing. You drop the needle, flip the side, slide the sleeve back onto the shelf, and a week later it is all gone. Vinyl ID fixes that. The device listens passively while your records spin. No cables into your amp, nothing in your signal chain. It identifies each track using audio fingerprinting and quietly logs it in the background. This app is where that history lives. FEATURES Now Playing: album art, track, year, and label for whatever is spinning right now. History: a complete, searchable log of every side you have played. What you listened to last Tuesday is no longer a mystery. Stats: your real listening habits over time. Top artists, genres, eras, and how your taste shifts from month to month. Collection: keep track of the records you own, with cover art, pressing details, and purchase info. This is updated over time with albums only being added to your collection when the confidence is very high the album is correct after understanding the song order. Friends: see what other collectors are spinning if you want to. All of the social features are optional and you control what anyone can see. Notifications: get a ping when a new track is identified on your turntable, or keep things quiet. Up to you. YOUR HISTORY IS YOURS Listening data stays private unless you choose to share it. We are not building an ad profile out of your record collection. PLEASE NOTE This app pairs with the Vinyl ID listening device, which identifies and logs your plays. Learn more at vinyl-id.app.

Screenshots

Cratekeeper4 screens
Vinyl ID4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Vinyl ID at none against Cratekeeper's 1. Vinyl ID also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ratings volume 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

Both are free to download. Cratekeeper sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Vinyl ID asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Cratekeeper against 5.0 for Vinyl ID. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 5 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Cratekeeper versus Vinyl ID: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCratekeeperVinyl ID
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings35 — better
Update frequency—Every 6 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB38 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStefan MineaConnor Tluck

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Cratekeeper

One-time1
  • AI Identify$1.99
None

Vinyl ID

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Cratekeeper free?
Cratekeeper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Vinyl ID free?
Vinyl ID is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Cratekeeper or Vinyl ID?
Cratekeeper and Vinyl ID are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3 and 5 ratings respectively.
Do Cratekeeper or Vinyl ID have ads?
Neither Cratekeeper nor Vinyl ID shows ads.

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