On a tight budget? Here is a compilation of some of the best cheap looper pedals on the market. These include some off-brand, white label products, but also some older model loopers that you can find at a significant discount. Be sure to read the considerations listed on the bottom of this page for guidance.
EDITOR’S PICK: On a budget, I would buy the TC Electronic Ditto Looper. Although TC Electronic is a major brand, the Ditto was released in 2013 and can be had at a discount. It’s easy to use, has excellent sound quality, and can still be spotted on pro pedal boards. Read my full review here.
- Mooer Groove Loop X2 Review
If you’re a guitarist on a budget who is interested in creating loops at home or to use in smaller live settings, you might be interested in the Groove Loop X2 by Mooer Audio. This is a stereo looper and drum machine pedal that combines two essential tools for guitarists. In this review, I will share my experience with this pedal and why I think it is a great addition to your arsenal of guitar gear, especially for home use. Check Amazon Price - Lekato Looper Review
The Lekato Looper pedal is a white label (generic) looper / tuner pedal that Amazon can sellers buy in bulk from China, rebrand, and resell as their own. That said, you get a ton of bang for your buck with this looper. It’s loaded with features and will easily have you jamming solos and working out songs at home. If you can put up with potential quality control issues and a lack of customer support, this is one of the best (all things considered) cheap looper pedals you can find. Plus, you get a built-in tuner so it’s like getting two pedals in one!Check Amazon Price - Donner Circle Looper Pedal Review
If you’ve been shopping around for loopers for a little while, you’ll have undoubtedly noticed it can get real expensive if you don’t want a crappy pedal. Boss essentially rules the game through sheer numbers, and the new “flagship,” the RC-600, costs almost $700. No matter how much you love looping, that starts to sting a little. But what are your alternatives? Can you even get a looper for $150 or less without being limited in some way as with something like the Ditto? Are there any choices that aren’t painfully stripped-down or painfully expensive? Enter the Donner Circle Looper. Check Amazon Price - Outlaw Effects Lasso Looper Review
There are two extremes when it comes to looper pedals. On one side, you have things like the Boss RC-300, which cram as much functionality in as possible with the aim of providing every feature you could possibly need in a single (often obnoxiously large) unit. On the other, you have pedals like the Ditto from TC Electronic, which scale things back to the key offering, in the name of reducing the footprint of the pedal (not to mention the price) while still providing the core functionality you’re looking for. Check Amazon Price - Acoustic Loop1 Review
You don’t need a vast array of buttons and 15 footswitches to produce a truly amazing looper pedal. From the very simple options like the TC Electronic Ditto to the more complex but still compact options like the RC-3 from Boss, there are plenty of looper pedals out there that provide excellent performance while still keeping the footprint small and the operation intuitive and simple. This is a specific market, though – some guitarists who like loopers need something multi-track and with a dizzying array of footswitches and dials. Check Guitar Center Price - NUX Loop Core Review
The NUX Loop Core is a clone of the Boss RC-3 Loop Station, and is basically just as good. The only reservation I might have is when it comes to quality control in manufacturing and customer support, but I’m just speculating. Honestly, the Loop Core is pretty great. You’ll notice the solid metal body construction, except for the battery compartment which is plastic. Like the Boss RC-3, it has all the essentials that I look for in a looper including a built-in selection of drum patterns, the ability to store multiple phrases, USB connectivity, stereo ins/outs, and the option to add external footswitches. Check Amazon Price - TC Electronic Ditto Looper Review
When you’re shopping around for loopers, you’ll undoubtedly see models with as many dials as the interior of a space shuttle. In that respect, the TC Electronic Ditto Looper is a breath of fresh air. It features only one dial and one footswitch, stripping down the overly techy looper layout to its bare minimum functions. You might be worried about lost functionality, but simple design and great sound quality still makes it an extremely appealing option. But can it really compete with the technological might of other, bigger loopers on the market?Check Amazon Price
Considerations When Buying a Cheap Looper Pedal
Sound Quality
Many professional pedals were previously released with what was termed “CD Quality” audio. This typically means the pedal can record and play back in 16-bit audio with a 44.1 kHz sample rate. This audio quality is very good and is more than suitable for jamming at home and potential some live use. However, newer pedals have 24 bit audio, which plays back your loops with a bit more clarity. If you can find a looper with at least 24 bit audio, you could potentially use it for recording and live use, as well as home practice. The best of the best are now using 32-bit audio, but the difference over 24 bit isn’t that much. You can save some money looking for a 16-bit looper, and if you find one with 24-bit playback at a discount, that’s great. Again, the TC Electronic Ditto is a good example of an older pedal with 24-bit high quality audio playback. In my opinion, it’s one of the best cheap looper pedals you can find today.
Rhythm Backing
Many loopers these days come with built-in drum rhythm patterns. This is really fun to use because it gives you a little bit of the feel of playing with a live drummer. Unless you’re willing to spend a bit more money, the drum rhythms you’ll get on cheap looper pedals aren’t all that great. Nevertheless, they can still be really fun to jam with and can still give you a feeling of playing with a drummer so that you can work on your timing, similar to working with a metronome. You’ll usually pay a little more for a looper with drum rhythms, but it might be worth it if you think you’d enjoy looping with drum rhythms. Examples, of cheap looper pedals with drum rhythms include the NUX Loop Core and the Donne Circle Looper.
Number of Loops
Another consideration when looking for a cheap looper pedal is the number of loops you can control independently, and whether those loops can be played together or sequentially. When would you use two loops? For example, you might be sketching out a song and have different looped parts for the verse and the chorus. Keep in mind that as you add these types of features, you are likely going to pay a little more for the pedal and possibly sacrifice quality in another area. I would recommend prioritizing sound quality and ease-of-use over too many features if you are trying to save money on your looper. You can always upgrade later if you decide you really like looping.
Memory
Note that some pedals have, for example, 99 memory slots to store loops to call up again later. This might be useful, for example, if you are planning to use your looper for a live set and have pre-planned loops for your songs. Pedals without memory can be cheaper and still used for making loops on-the-fly. It’s just that you’ll need to make your loops while each time you play. Again, a looper with some memory adds to the cost, but could be worth it if you think you’ll want to store the loops you’ve created.
Manufacturer – Warranty and Customer Service
Keep in mind that when you buy from a recognized brand, you’ll pay a little more money, but you’ll also get better quality control in manufacturing and customer support if you have a problem. You can save a TON of money getting a no-name looper, but if you do, buy it from somewhere with a return policy in case you get a lemon. There are a lot of people who buy cheap pedals only to find out they have really bad noise issues. Sometimes you have to return one or two until you get a good one.
NOTE: The above list of cheap looper pedals is not in any particular order.
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