Comparison

PartyPulse vs STAELLA

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

Head to head
About

PartyPulse

Transform your space into a dynamic light show that reacts to ambient music. Customize colors, shapes, and movements to set the perfect party mood. Extend the experience by mirroring to a larger screen.

Highlights
  • Music-reactive light show
  • Customizable colors, shapes, and movements
  • Camera integration for custom images
  • AirPlay and video cable support for larger displays
  • Ambient music detection
Features
Read full description

Get your party pulsing with this new app from Stratospherix. PartyPulse responds to the music that your iPad or iPhone hears and converts it into a multi-coloured light show. Select colours, shapes and movement styles to match the mood, turn the lights down and the music up. Use the camera to create new images for the show. The best bit is that you can AirPlay to AppleTV or connect your iPad to a TV via a video cable to make the effect go large, dimming the screen on the device to keep the party going longer. Have ideas for new shapes and options? Let us know via @stratospherix or support@stratospherix.com. Note that PartyPulse listens for ambient music for its light show - you’ll need something else to play music on!

About

STAELLA

Create dynamic, real-time music visualizations with customizable effects. Import audio from various sources, record your creations, and share them on social media. Offers advanced control with MIDI integration and keyboard shortcuts.

Highlights
  • Real-time audio-reactive visuals
  • Customizable effects and colors
  • Import music from playlists, mic, or simulation
  • One-touch video recording
  • MIDI device integration
  • Keyboard shortcuts for control
  • Gesture controls
Features
Read full description

Real-time music visualization. 30 Visuals × 78 Shapes — every play, a different piece. ■ Design the visuals from a free combination 4 categories with 30 Visuals and 78 Shapes, Knobs, Text, backgrounds, 10 Screen Effects and 10 Wallpaper Blends. Layer them into anything from a club-style spectrum to an ambient nebula. Visuals and Shapes switch on the beat of the song. On HDR displays, glows and gradients render with brightness beyond SDR. ■ Preset sharing Save the look you made as a preset and share it with a code or a link. ■ Two recording modes for different intents Recording keeps every knob move and Visual switch you make. Export locks the UI so a stable, hands-off render finishes on its own. Before exporting, you can also edit the show along the flow of the song, like in a video editor. Both hide the UI, support up to 4K with HDR export, and can auto-record a full song in Playlist mode. ■ Four audio sources Files (music on device; iOS also imports from the iTunes library) Microphone (low-latency input) Simulation (visuals keep moving with no source) AUv3 (visualize plugin audio) ▸ Time-synced lyrics Songs available in a supported lyric database can display lyrics in time with the music. Song title and artist name too. You can also show lyrics you typed yourself. ▸ External display output (AirPlay / HDMI adapters) Connect a TV or projector via iOS Screen Mirroring (AirPlay) or an HDMI adapter. The visuals go full screen while the UI stays on your device. ■ Play with whatever's in your hand Touch and flick iPad + Magic Keyboard shortcuts MIDI controllers (long-press any knob to assign, BLE MIDI supported) Gamepad (D-pad, buttons, sticks) ■ Where to use it · VJ sets at clubs, live shows and streams · Music videos and lyric videos for social · Screen visuals for a room or a party ■ Notes · DRM-protected tracks (e.g. Apple Music) can't be played. · For issues or requests, reach out via in-app feedback or support. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

PartyPulse3 screens
STAELLA4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PartyPulse at none against STAELLA's 7. PartyPulse also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (56% vs 45%). STAELLA's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 35 months) and ratings volume (1.7K vs 5). On price 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

Both are free to download. STAELLA sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. PartyPulse asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

STAELLA holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: STAELLA has 1.7K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 56% of PartyPulse's written reviews are positive against 45% of STAELLA's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PartyPulse ships an update every 35 months, STAELLA every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
PartyPulse versus STAELLA: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPartyPulseSTAELLA
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.6 (5 ratings)3.9 (1.7K ratings) — better
Positive reviews55.6% of reviews — better44.7% of reviews
Number of ratings51.7K — better
Update frequencyEvery 35 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.2 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB256 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStratospherix Ltdmonocro

Customer experience

PartyPulse

All ratings5 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative40.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive55.6%
Neutral11.1%
Negative33.3%

STAELLA

All ratings1,689 ratings
Positive71.3%
Neutral6.3%
Negative22.4%
Written reviews609 reviews
Positive44.7%
Neutral14.4%
Negative40.9%

Bugs and requests

PartyPulse

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

STAELLA

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes on launch
  • Music playback issues and controls not working
  • Inability to import user's own music files
  • Exported videos have poor quality and audio sync issues

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for streaming services
  • Improve export and download options
  • Expand customization and control over visuals
  • Implement portrait mode and different aspect ratios
  • Add ability to layer and blend multiple visuals

In-app purchases

None

PartyPulse

No in-app purchases

7 purchases

STAELLA

Subscriptions2
  • STAELLA Premium3 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • STAELLA Premium$49.991 Year
One-time5
  • Toolkit pro$9.99
  • STELLA$9.99
  • TERRA$9.99
Show 2 more
  • MACHINA$9.99
  • NEX$9.99

Questions

Is PartyPulse free?
PartyPulse is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is STAELLA free?
STAELLA is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PartyPulse or STAELLA?
STAELLA is rated higher. PartyPulse averages 3.6 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while STAELLA averages 3.9 from 1.7K ratings.
Do PartyPulse or STAELLA have ads?
STAELLA shows ads; PartyPulse does not.
Which is updated more often, PartyPulse or STAELLA?
PartyPulse ships an update every 35 months, and STAELLA every 2 months. Most recently, PartyPulse was updated on November 1, 2026 and STAELLA on November 2, 2026.

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