A tight budget and a great echo aren’t the trade-off they used to be. Several pedals under $100 now rival units that cost twice as much.
The catch is that delays aren’t all chasing the same thing. Some go for warm vintage analog repeats, others for pristine digital clarity, and a few try to do both.
So the real work is matching a pedal to the sound in your head. Slapback, ambient wash, and tape-style echo each point you somewhere different.
We narrowed the field of delay pedals at this price to four that earn a board spot. The chart below ranks them on tone, delay time, modes, and footprint.
Quick Comparison Chart
| # | Product | Our Rating | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
TC Electronic Flashback Mini | ★★★★★ | Check Price |
| 2 |  |
JHS Pedals 3 Series Delay | ★★★★☆ | Check Price |
| 3 |  |
Mooer Reecho Digital Delay | ★★★★☆ | Check Price |
| 4 |  |
Animals Pedal Relaxing Walrus Delay | ★★★★☆ | Check Price |
Small Boxes, Serious Echo
The TC Flashback Mini wins by borrowing its big brother’s TonePrint system, so a budget pedal downloads artist-designed delays. The JHS 3 Series is the only USA build at this price.
The Mooer Reecho and Animals Relaxing Walrus round out the field, one in a full metal shell, the other voiced analog-warm despite its cartoon looks.
1. TC Electronic Flashback Mini
TC Electronic Flashback Mini
Ultra-compact delay with TonePrint technology, audio tapping, and true bypass for clean, downloadable echo tones anywhere on your board.
Pros
- Tiny enclosure saves serious pedalboard space
- TonePrint loads custom delay voicings from your phone
- Hundreds of free downloadable effects
- True bypass preserves your dry signal
Cons
- Single knob limits hands-on tweaking
- No dedicated tap-tempo footswitch
The Flashback Mini takes the acclaimed Flashback delay engine and crams it into one of the smallest enclosures you’ll find anywhere. Despite the tiny footprint, TonePrint technology lets you load custom delay voicings designed by pro players directly from your phone, and there are hundreds of free effects available to download.
With true bypass keeping your dry signal clean, this best mini delay pedal is the easiest unit here to recommend for almost any rig.
2. JHS Pedals 3 Series Delay
JHS Pedals 3 Series Delay
US-made delay offering 80ms to 800ms of time with a toggle between clearer digital and darker analog-voiced repeats.
Pros
- Hand-built in Kansas City for boutique quality
- Type toggle switches between digital and analog character
- Analog mode delivers classic bucket-brigade runaway
- Covers slapback through long ambient washes
Cons
- Only three controls keep it simple
- Priciest pedal in this roundup
Hand-built in Kansas City, the JHS 3 Series Delay brings boutique pedigree to an affordable footprint. It serves up 80ms to 800ms of delay time, taking you from tight slapback to long ambient washes of pad-like echo, and a Type toggle flips between a clearer digital-voiced delay and a darker analog-voiced one.
Max out the Repeats knob in analog mode and you get that classic bucket-brigade runaway oscillation that players love to chase.
3. Mooer Reecho Digital Delay
Mooer Reecho Digital Delay
Micro-sized delay with three modes covering analog, real echo, and tape echo inside a rugged full metal shell.
Pros
- Analog, real echo, and tape echo in one box
- Tiny footprint conserves pedalboard space
- Full metal shell shrugs off gigging abuse
- True bypass keeps your tone intact
Cons
- Delay time tops out at 780ms
- Knobs feel cramped on the small chassis
If you want three flavors of delay without buying three pedals, the Mooer Reecho is a remarkable value. It packs analog, real echo, and tape echo modes into a micro enclosure, so you can jump from rockabilly slapback to washed-out ambient trails by twisting a single switch.
The full metal shell holds up to gigging, true bypass protects your tone when it’s off, and the 5ms to 780ms range covers most musical situations.
4. Animals Pedal Relaxing Walrus Delay
Animals Pedal Relaxing Walrus Delay
Compact analog-voiced delay built for warm, natural repeats from subtle slapback to longer ambient echo trails.
Pros
- Warm, natural-sounding analog-style echo
- Compact enclosure fits any board
- Straightforward Time, Repeats, and Mix layout
- Eye-catching custom artwork
Cons
- Frequently sells out
- Sparse published spec sheet
The Relaxing Walrus is the quirky outlier of the group, leaning on analog-voiced repeats for warm, natural-sounding echo rather than a long feature list. Its simple Time, Repeats, and Mix controls make it easy to dial in everything from subtle slapback to longer ambient tails, and the custom artwork gives it a personality most budget pedals lack.
The main catch is availability, as it sells out more often than the rest of this list.
Video Reviews
More demos worth a watch:
Final Thoughts
For most players, the TC Electronic Flashback Mini is the standout pick. It delivers studio-quality delay tones, takes up almost no pedalboard space, and the TonePrint system means the pedal can keep evolving long after you buy it.
That combination of sound, size, and flexibility is tough to beat under $100.
If you want something with more hands-on character and you don’t mind spending a little extra, the JHS 3 Series Delay is the boutique choice, with its switchable digital and analog voicings covering a huge range of sounds. Budget-minded players chasing multiple delay types in one box should look hard at the Mooer Reecho, which punches well above its price.
Once you have your delay sorted, it’s worth rounding out the board. Take a look at our guides to reverb under $100, looper pedals under $100, and overdrive pedals under $100 to keep building your tone without overspending.
New to effects entirely? Start with our breakdown of what guitar pedals to start with.
