Comparison

e vs Ridgewalk

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

Head to head
About

e

Create retro-style music with a sampling keyboard featuring tempo-based looping. Record, manipulate, and play back samples with various effects and flexible playback modes. Integrate with other audio apps and control parameters via MIDI.

Highlights
  • Retro sampling keyboard
  • Tempo-based looping
  • Reverb, bit crusher, resonant filter
  • Multiple loop and start/stop modes
  • MIDI control and Core MIDI support
  • AUv3, Audiobus, Inter App Audio integration
Features
Read full description

Elsa is a retro style sampling keyboard with tempo based looping. Record, save, load, reverse samples with a multi octave on screen keyboard or plug in your core midi device of choice, soft- or hardware. Elsa comes with three built in effects, a reverb, a resonant filter and a sample rate/bit crusher. Samples are looped in three different modes, one off, forward and/or forward-reverse. The start and end of playback also comes in three modes, one set of start and stop for all, one set per note and/or one set per octave, allowing for many different types of samples. Additionally at playback time, sample length can also be controlled by a set of sample dividers, 1-8. Elsa supports connections with AudioCopy, AudioBus, Inter App Audio and AUv3. Plus all audio parameters can be modulated by MIDI. +++ Sample keyboard +++ Tempo based looping +++ ADSR +++ Bit/sample crush +++ Reverb +++ Resonant filter: low, band or high pass +++ Record, trim, normalise, reverse, zoom +++ Chromatic and scale keyboard +++ 3 loop modes (one off, forward, forward-reverse) +++ 3 start/stop modes (one for all, one per note, one per octave) +++ Playback length dividers (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8) +++ Arpeggiator +++ Presets: save/load settings +++ Audio connections: AUv3, Audiobus, Inter App Audio +++ Midi: Core Midi, Bluetooth Midi, AUv3 Midi +++ Ableton Link

About

Ridgewalk

Explore sound with a granular looper and AUv3 plugin. Create infinite soundscapes by manipulating microscopic audio moments in real-time. Record, overdub, and reimagine audio with flexible microloopers and advanced controls.

Highlights
  • Granular looping engine
  • Real-time audio manipulation
  • AUv3 plugin compatibility
  • Infinite soundscape creation
  • Advanced recording and overdubbing
  • Microlooper control
  • Sample import
Features
Read full description

Ridgewalk is a standalone app and AUv3 plug-in. Ridgewalk lets you explore sound in unique ways not possible before. Meander between microscopic moments in a sample to create an infinite soundscape, or stretch or compress audio in realtime, all while recording and reacting to new input instantly. Ridgewalk is both a looper and a granular engine. Output is generated by a set of independent microloopers that traverse a single buffer of audio. The audio buffer can be freely recorded to, overdubbed over, and reverted to a previous version, and the microloopers will transition smoothly and instantly. With control over the microloopers’ size, behavior, and movement throughout the buffer over time, you’re free to reimagine and reinterpret audio like never before - all in realtime. Ridgewalk is designed as a modular tool for flexible usage. It is equally comfortable at the heart of your composition, collaborating with you as you perform, or as a finishing touch to provide a unique complementary atmosphere to deepen your mix. Ridgewalk is fully compatible with modulators such as Ableton CV or Bitwig LFOs to broaden horizons even further. Ridgewalk has the following controls available: Recording: Record via your choice of two unique techniques. Choose between automatic recording via input volume detection and a classic latching recording technique that can record infinitely. Buffers can be up to 60 seconds or 16 bars. Overdubbing: Freely overdub on top of existing audio with two methods. Choose between a traditional feedback dub or a unique sidechain dub which compresses existing audio against new input. Playback will smoothly transition to new recordings instantly. Layers: Each overdub creates a new layer, which you can then move between smoothly and revert to previous versions of audio. Full recall: All recorded audio will be saved and reloaded when reopening a project. Sample importing: Rather than record, Ridgewalk can import samples directly. Volume controls: Independent volume trim controls for dry and wet volume. Playback: Looper playback can be played and paused independently of input and recording. Playback will instantly reflect any changes to recorded audio. Hold time: Looper playback can be automatically paused after a defined time since starting. This allows Ridgewalk to act like a strange reverb or delay. Reverse: Playback can be reversed and audio can be recorded in reverse as well. Looper size: Loopers can span from microscopic fragments of the buffer to the full size, and can be synchronized with your BPM. Looper amount: Up to 7 microloopers are available, which move together in concert with one another. Drift: Looper size and positioning can be randomly and independently desynchronized to add variations and unpredictability. Blur: A one-stop-shop for increasing ambience: this controls looper crossfading as well as introduces reverb. Repitch: Playback can be repitched from ±2 octaves. Random movement (Wander): Looper positioning can be set to randomly wander the sample over time via Brownian motion. Sequential movement: Looper position can move linearly through a sample over a time defined in seconds or synchronized to your BPM. Manual looper positioning: Loopers can be positioned manually via tap or click, turning Ridgewalk into a performative instrument. Instant playback: Ridgewalk can start playing back from recorded audio as soon as it is able, turning its granular looping algorithm into a live effect. Transport syncing: Ridgewalk can be synced with your DAW’s transport to automatically start/stop playback or recording.

Screenshots

e4 screens
Ridgewalk2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: e at $5.99 against Ridgewalk's $9.99. Ridgewalk's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 87%). On rating, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

e costs $5.99 and Ridgewalk $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for e against 4.9 for Ridgewalk. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 31 and 27 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 87% of e's written reviews are positive against 100% of Ridgewalk's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

e ships an update every 3 weeks, Ridgewalk fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
e versus Ridgewalk: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametereRidgewalk
Price$5.99 — better$9.99
Rating4.9 (31 ratings) — better4.9 (27 ratings)
Positive reviews87.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings31 — better27
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size43 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperErik SigthAqeel Aadam

Customer experience

e

All ratings31 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews31 reviews
Positive87.1%
Neutral12.9%
Negative0.0%

Ridgewalk

All ratings25 ratings
Positive96.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative4.0%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

e

No in-app purchases

None

Ridgewalk

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is e free?
e costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ridgewalk free?
Ridgewalk costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, e or Ridgewalk?
e is rated higher. e averages 4.9 out of 5 from 31 ratings, while Ridgewalk averages 4.9 from 27 ratings.
Do e or Ridgewalk have ads?
Neither e nor Ridgewalk shows ads.
Which is updated more often, e or Ridgewalk?
e ships an update every 3 weeks, and Ridgewalk fortnightly. Most recently, e was updated on October 21, 2026 and Ridgewalk on October 22, 2026.

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