Comparison

KORG Gadget 3 vs VinylCrate

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

Head to head
About

KORG Gadget 3

Create music with a comprehensive suite of over 40 virtual instruments and effects. This powerful yet intuitive ecosystem allows you to quickly turn your musical ideas into finished tracks, offering a vast sound library and flexible workflow for various genres.

Highlights
  • Over 40 virtual instruments and drum machines
  • New Santa Ana (Guitar) and Sydney (Sampler) gadgets
  • 5 new insert effects (IFX)
  • Intuitive user interface and workflow
  • Genre select system for songwriting
  • AUv3 support for iOS integration
  • Extensive sound library with 6,000+ programs
Features
Read full description

More Powerful Than Ever, Quickly Turn Your Ideas Into Music KORG Gadget 3 - A Complete, Seamlessly Integrated Music Production Ecosystem KORG Gadget has received numerous awards from around the world: • Apple: "App Store Best of 2014" in Japan • #1 in the Top Paid Music iPad App category* • TECH AWARD 2015 "Best Music Production App" • MusicTech's "Gear of the Year: Best App" Gold Award • “Musikmesse international press award 2016” Mobile Music App * USA, UK, Japan, Germany, France, Italy and much more! KORG Gadget is the ideal all-in-one music production software and plug-in suite featuring over 40* small synthesizers/drum machines (“gadgets”), which can be freely combined to create music driven by a powerful yet intuitive user interface. The range of products includes the award-winning iOS version, a Mac version that includes all functions and plug-ins, and a plug-in version that can be used with your favorite DAW on Mac/PC. Now in its third generation, more powerful than ever, the workflow is now more intuitive and easier to use than ever before and there are plenty of new features and new gadgets. KORG Gadget 3 offers an expanded variety of even more features to quickly turn your ideas into music, including two new gadgets, five insert effects (IFX), a new genre select system, and AUv3 support. In addition, the user interface has been brushed up to make the Gadget Browser, IFX page, and Play page even more intuitive. KORG Gadget 3 is the perfect tool to quickly turn your ideas into music. What's New in KORG Gadget 3 • Gadget Instrument Collection with a total over 6,000 sound programs • New gadgets: Santa Ana* (Guitar) and Sydney* (Sampler) • Improved user interface, making the workflow more intuitive than ever • A genre select function that allows you to create songs from your favorite patterns • 5 new IFX including an 8-Band EQ, Transient Shaper, Stereo Image, Auto Pumper, Pitch Shifter • The Play page: easy arpeggiator use and chord entry • A whole new sound browser that lets you select gadgets by the timbre you want • AUv3 support on iOS, allowing gadgets to be used in other music apps like Garageband, Logic Pro • A huge collection of over 40* gadget instruments Overwhelming sound. Immersive, intuitive and powerful user interface. Unprecedented and innovative quality. KORG Gadget 3 is a collection of over 40* gadget instruments, including compact synthesizers, drum machines, samplers, and audio and MIDI utilities. It has sophisticated parameters that make it easy for you to get to the sound they want, so you can create your own sounds instantly. The new Sound Browser allows you to get to your favorite sounds in the quickest time possible. It is perfectly suited for dance music as well as rock, pop, jazz, and other music sounds and genres. • Get your songwriting ideas with Genre Select The new "Genre Select" feature allows you to select your favorite genre and sound, and then start songwriting by freely combining patterns. 5 x 5 pads are all assigned with phrases created by gadgets, so you can start songwriting by freely combining your favorite patterns. You can start creating a song from a project in which each track's gadgets and scenes have been developed. Choose from the standard genre packs and enjoy a different approach to music production. • Tons of sounds readily available with the New Browser To make it easier than ever to find the desired gadget instrument, we have revised the Gadget Browser and added various functions. New features include displaying gadgets by instrument category, a Favourites function that allows you to group your favorite gadgets, and a search function that allows you to freely search for sounds in each gadget. Using the program search function, it is now possible to quickly and easily preview and search for the sound you wanted from a vast array of sounds. * Some gadgets are available as in-app purchases (IAP) or by purchasing other KORG apps. More info at korg.com

About

VinylCrate

Features
Read full description

VinylCrate is a calm, private home for your record collection. Catalog each pressing with the detail collectors care about, file records into crates, log every spin, and watch your collection value and listening stats grow. WHAT YOU GET - Record catalog: artist, title, year, label, catalog number, format, and speed, with separate media and sleeve grades - Crates: group records into named, colour-coded crates and filter your shelf with a tap - Search and sort: find any record by artist, title, or label, and sort by recently added, artist, title, or value - Spin log: log every play with a date, a rating, and a note, in a warm timeline grouped by day - Want list: keep the records you are hunting, with a priority and a target price, and move one into your collection the day it turns up - Value notes: record what you paid and what each copy is worth, and see your collection value and your gain - Listening stats (Lifetime): your weekly rhythm, your most played records, and records and value in every crate - Collection report (Lifetime): a clean PDF of your shelf and a CSV of the whole catalog, through the share sheet - Covers: add your own photo to any record, or keep the clean generated sleeve - iCloud sync: your whole collection syncs privately across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac FREE AND LIFETIME Free includes up to 25 records with full pressing detail, crates, search and sort, the spin log, the want list, and value notes. The one time Lifetime unlock adds unlimited records, the listening stats screen, and the collection report. ONE TIME PURCHASE VinylCrate Lifetime is a single purchase of $12.99 USD. It is not a subscription. Pay once, keep it forever. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your collection syncs privately across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac through your own iCloud account. We never see it. No separate account, no ads, no tracking. A Delete All My Data control removes everything from your devices and iCloud whenever you want. Terms of Use (Apple Standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

KORG Gadget 34 screens
VinylCrate4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: VinylCrate at Free against KORG Gadget 3's $39.99. KORG Gadget 3's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

VinylCrate is free to download; KORG Gadget 3 costs $39.99 up front. KORG Gadget 3 sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and VinylCrate sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

KORG Gadget 3 ships an update monthly, VinylCrate every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
KORG Gadget 3 versus VinylCrate: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKORG Gadget 3VinylCrate
Price$39.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (2.9K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews75.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings2.9K — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.9 GB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKORG INC.InnovaLabWorks

Bugs and requests

KORG Gadget 3

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Playback issues with latest update
  • Imported samples limited to 5 seconds
  • Bilbao sampler crashes when importing WAV files
  • Gadget instruments not showing up in AUv3 lists

Requested features

8 requests
  • Add more acoustic drum and bass sounds
  • Implement MIDI out functionality
  • Allow customizable scales and tunings
  • Add a proper sampler with more advanced features
  • Improve copy/paste and track management capabilities
Show 3 more
  • Implement a linear song mode for non-grid-based compositions
  • Add more effects like halftime, sample degrader, etc.
  • Allow using AUv3 effects within Gadget

VinylCrate

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

KORG Gadget 3

One-time10
  • Bilbao$9.99
  • Abu Dhabi$9.99
  • Madrid$14.99
Show 7 more
  • Gladstone$14.99
  • Kamata$14.99
  • Lisbon$14.99
  • Vancouver$14.99
  • Stockholm$14.99
  • Otorii$14.99
  • Santa Ana$14.99
1 purchases

VinylCrate

One-time1
  • VinylCrate Lifetime$12.99

Questions

Is KORG Gadget 3 free?
KORG Gadget 3 costs $39.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is VinylCrate free?
VinylCrate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do KORG Gadget 3 or VinylCrate have ads?
Neither KORG Gadget 3 nor VinylCrate shows ads.
Which is updated more often, KORG Gadget 3 or VinylCrate?
KORG Gadget 3 ships an update monthly, and VinylCrate every 3 weeks. Most recently, KORG Gadget 3 was updated on November 8, 2026 and VinylCrate on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons