# Dawcade vs 1981 FM

The clearest difference is price: 1981 FM at Free against Dawcade's $9.99. 1981 FM also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 57%) and rating (5.0 vs 3.7). Dawcade's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 weeks). On ads there is nothing between them.

1981 FM is free to download; Dawcade costs $9.99 up front. 1981 FM sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Dawcade asks for nothing beyond the download.

1981 FM holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10 and 3 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Dawcade's written reviews are positive against 100% of 1981 FM's.

Dawcade ships an update every 3 days, 1981 FM every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Dawcade | 1981 FM |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [3.7 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dawcade/id6800839231/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/1981-fm-80s-track-generator/id6805325447/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **10** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 57.1% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 days** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#110** | — |
| Size | 2.8 GB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nihatcan Dogu](https://appshunter.io/developer/6800831259) | [Soft Brew Mobile](https://appshunter.io/developer/561703410) |

## What reviewers say

### Dawcade

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dawcade/id6800839231)

**Currently charting:** #110 Top Paid · Music (US App Store)

This pocket-sized music studio allows you to record, sequence, mix, and arrange music entirely on your device. It offers a vast array of instruments, effects, and play surfaces, with no subscriptions or cloud services required. Buy it once to access all features.

**Highlights:** Record, sequence, mix, and arrange music, Over fifty built-in instruments and effects, Multiple play surfaces including chord pads and circle of fifths, Extensive mixing and automation capabilities, Support for MIDI controllers, Sampler for custom audio loading

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases:** none


### 1981 FM

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/1981-fm-80s-track-generator/id6805325447)

This app generates complete, unique musical tracks using chaotic mathematical principles. It offers various styles, modes, and keys, with customizable FM synth sounds and effects. Tracks can be recreated using seeds and exported via MIDI.

**Highlights:** Chaos-driven track generation, Four-operator FM synth engine, Multiple musical styles and modes, MIDI export and input, Customizable effects (chorus, delay, reverb), Offline functionality

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| AUv3 Unlock | $2.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Dawcade free?

Dawcade costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is 1981 FM free?

1981 FM is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Dawcade or 1981 FM?

1981 FM is rated higher. Dawcade averages 3.7 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while 1981 FM averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do Dawcade or 1981 FM have ads?

Neither Dawcade nor 1981 FM shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Dawcade or 1981 FM?

Dawcade ships an update every 3 days, and 1981 FM every 2 weeks. Most recently, Dawcade was updated on November 10, 2026 and 1981 FM on November 6, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*