Comparison

variant vs V4M

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

Head to head
About

variant

Experience a unique audiovisual artwork that generates ever-changing music and imagery. Interact by tapping to trigger musical fragments and responsive visuals, or drag to steer the visuals. Build complex combinations of sound and visuals through interactive controls.

Highlights
  • Generative audiovisual artwork
  • Interactive music generation
  • Evolving visual imagery
  • User input for control
  • Screenshot functionality
  • Indeterminate audio engine display
Features
Read full description

variant:SONiC is an audiovisual artwork that creates beautiful, ever-changing music and imagery. The app combines user input and built-in randomness to create images and music that will continually change, grow and evolve, offering a new and different experience every time. For users of all ages, variant:SONiC is a chance to explore and experience a unique work of generative art. variant:SONiC was commissioned by the American Composers Orchestra for the 2015 SONiC Festival. The musical composition is built entirely from individual notes played by different participants in the festival, including: Andy Akiho Alarm Will Sound (Miles Brown, Michael Clayville, Erin Lesser, Courtney Orlando, Jason Price) Clarice Assad Christopher Cerrone The Crossing Melody Eötvös Angelica Negron Nieuw Amsterdams Peil (Gerard Bouwhuis, Heleen Hulst) Nina C. Young To interact with variant:SONiC, tap the screen; each tap will trigger a randomly selected fragment of the musical composition, as well as a visual element that responds to it. You can steer the visuals by dragging after tapping, and you can trigger up to 10 sounds at one time. To repeat a sound, keep your finger held down and that sound will loop. By using some fingers to loop sounds and others to trigger individual elements, you can build up complex combinations of sound and visuals. You can view the indeterminate audio engine by tapping the dot in the lower right. The display shows the different elements of the musical composition as they are loaded by the engine through a combination of chance and user input. The center button opens a menu of settings for the app, and the button to the right allows you to take screenshots of the visuals, automatically saving them to your photo library. The Variant apps are a new series of generative audiovisual artworks from Interval Studios featuring visuals by Joshue Ott and music by Kenneth Kirschner. Each Variant features a unique visual composition by Ott based on his superDraw visual performance software, as well as a new indeterminate musical composition by Kirschner. Each Variant app also offers a different set of interactive controls for the user, ranging from the ability to subtly influence the development of the piece to total interactive control over both visuals and sound. All of the Variants are generative artworks: through a varying combination of built-in randomness and user input, each Variant will continually grow and evolve over time without ever directly repeating itself either visually or musically, offering the user an ever-changing, ever-evolving audiovisual experience.

About

V4M

Create dynamic live visuals for DJ sets and streams. Mix multiple layers of video, images, and text, with options to import your own content. Output to external displays for professional-looking events.

Highlights
  • Live visual mixing
  • Multiple mixable layers (video, image, text)
  • Import custom content (PRO subscription)
  • Output to TV/projectors
  • Over 30 free video loops
  • Customizable text display
Features
Read full description

Mix visuals live like a professional VJ on your iPhone or iPad with “V4M: Visuals for Music”, the VJ app that pushes your device to the limit. With a Lightning Digital AV Adapter or via wireless Apple TV sync you can even cast your live output video to your TV, club projectors or festival LED walls! V4M is the only visual mixing VJ app on the App Store that has been used to mix professional visuals at ALL of these locations (and we can prove it—because it was filmed in action at all of them!): — Prestigious Clubs’ LED walls — Multiple Pubs and Bars — Giant Festival Projector Screens — Live Streaming backdrop on real Radio Shows and DJ Sets Especially ideal for DJs that film and stream their live sets from home or from their studio and want to have some dynamic visuals in the background, bouncing and reacting to the music they’re playing, but don't want to buy all the expensive VJ kit and visual mixers! Just connect the V4M mix to a TV screen or projector in the background to turn the stream into an epic set! V4M is suitable to deliver a semi-professional VJ mix for any live event or concert, but at the same time it is so easy to use that any amateur can turn their house party into a truly memorable gig. ######################### NEW FEATURE ADDED! for all *V4M PRO* users: ######################### MIX YOUR OWN CONTENT from your device’s gallery! Subscribe to V4M PRO and import your own videos, images & logos into the mix!!! ######################### If you’d like to dive into the app’s controls and features, then let’s get technical... Your interface includes up to five mixable layers that blend into the final output: two video channels, one image layer, one text layer, and a special effects button-pad. What can you do in each mixing channel? — 2 VIDEO MIXING CHANNELS — Each video channel has intuitive sliders to control speed, opacity, and sensitivity. You can also assign blend modes and layer styles to shape your visuals exactly the way you want. The app includes over 30 exclusive video loops for free, and a Video Shop where you can browse and purchase additional Video Loop Packages from an ever-expanding library. This allows you to build a custom collection that matches your unique style. With the latest update, users with a PRO subscription can also import their own video content—unlocking endless creative possibilities with a library made entirely by you. — 1 IMAGE CHANNEL — The image layer includes six free image packages (over 100 images) that can be mixed into your output video. You can adjust the size, opacity, and sensitivity of your chosen image, which appears above the video layers. For themed events, visit the Image Shop to discover more packs. And if you’d like to use your own logos or custom graphics, subscribe to V4M PRO. — 1 TEXT CHANNEL — Display any custom text directly on your screens. You can edit the size, color, and font style from a curated selection of modern typographies, and control the layer’s sensor and opacity sliders for dynamic, real-time effects. — 1 SPECIAL EFFECTS BUTTON-PAD — V4M comes with 20 free special effects that make live mixing even more exciting. The button-pad on the main screen features seven effect buttons, and you can choose which effects to assign from the FX+ selection window. Simply drag your chosen effects to the buttons, save your setup, and perform. The effects are applied live to your full visual output. If, despite all these possibilities, you still feel you’re missing a game-changing feature for your visual sets, contact the Visuals 4 Music team and share your ideas. You might just see your suggestion appear in a future update! Legal notice: when downloading the V4M app, you confirm that you understand and accept our Privacy Policy (https://visuals4music.com/privacy-policy/) and our Terms of Use (https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/). Happy mixing!

Screenshots

variant4 screens
V4M4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: variant at none against V4M's 11. variant also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 17.2). On price, review sentiment, ads 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. V4M sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. variant asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

variant ships an update monthly, V4M every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
variant versus V4M: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametervariantV4M
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (9 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings9 — better—
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS8.0 — better17.2
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB9 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperInterval StudiosIeva Voskane

Customer experience

variant

All ratings9 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral11.1%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

V4M

Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

variant

No in-app purchases

11 purchases

V4M

Subscriptions1
  • V4M Professional Plan$19.991 Month
One-time10
  • FREE Halloween Sample Teaser 1Free
  • Sound Pictograms Megapack$0.99
  • Abstract Colors vol.1$4.99
Show 7 more
  • Rainbow Beast Matrix$4.99
  • TV Heads by Volumetricks$4.99
  • Planet Hallow. by Volumetricks$4.99
  • Volumetricks: Glow in the Dark$4.99
  • Ars Obscura by Volumetricks$9.99
  • Halloween Neon by Volumetricks$9.99
  • Black Magic by Volumetricks$14.99

Questions

Is variant free?
variant is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is V4M free?
V4M is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do variant or V4M have ads?
Neither variant nor V4M shows ads.
Which is updated more often, variant or V4M?
variant ships an update monthly, and V4M every 4 months. Most recently, variant was updated on November 1, 2026 and V4M on October 30, 2026.

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