# Heavy Brass vs VB3m

The clearest difference is price: Heavy Brass at $9.99 against VB3m's $14.99. VB3m's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 4.2) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On review sentiment, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Heavy Brass costs $9.99 and VB3m $14.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

VB3m holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 37 and 40 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 81% of Heavy Brass's written reviews are positive against 78% of VB3m's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Heavy Brass ships an update every 2 months, VB3m fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on June 11, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Heavy Brass | VB3m |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$9.99** | $14.99 |
| Rating | [4.2 (37 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/heavy-brass/id1037802910/reviews) | **[4.5 (40 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vb3m/id1560880479/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 37 | **40** |
| Positive reviews | **81.3% of reviews** | 78.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Size | 353 MB | 24 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Christian Schoenebeck d/b/a Crudebyte](https://appshunter.io/developer/428367741) | [Genuine Soundware](https://appshunter.io/developer/1560880481) |

## What reviewers say

### Heavy Brass

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/heavy-brass/id1037802910)

This virtual instrument app provides realistic trumpet, trombone, and saxophone sounds for music production and live performance. It offers a wide variety of articulations and sound categories, supporting integration with other music apps and external MIDI controllers.

**Highlights:** Trumpet, Trombone, Saxophone sounds, Multiple brass section samples, Switchable and crossfadeable articulations, Audio Unit v3, Inter-App Audio, Audiobus support, External MIDI keyboard and controller support, Integrated effects with presets, MIDI player and recorder

**In-app purchases:** none


### VB3m

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vb3m/id1560880479)

This app is a virtual tonewheel organ emulator, meticulously recreating the sound and functionality of the classic Hammond B3. It offers advanced features like dual manuals, pedalboard, physical modeling, and a versatile rotary speaker effect, all controllable via MIDI.

**Highlights:** Dual manuals and pedalboard, Physical modeling engine, Rotary speaker effect, Tube overdrive simulation, MIDI CC mapping, AUv3 plugin support

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎶 Authentic organ sound
- ✨ Excellent sound quality
- 💻 Great for live performances
- 💡 Incredible value for price
- 🚀 Fast and stable performance

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Graphics are pixelated/blurry
- 🔋 High battery drain
- 🐞 Sound gets stuck
- 🔌 Issues with GarageBand integration
- 📉 Not as good as dedicated hardware

**Reported bugs**

- Sound gets stuck
- Non funziona più (stops working)
- Non riesco più a sentire il suono (no sound after iPad update)
- Sounds get stuck, developer not responding
- UI is pixelated and needs a refresh

**Requested features**

- Add parametric EQ
- Adjustable sustain
- Adjustable Leslie transition speed
- Save drawbar registrations
- Reverse color keys for quick access


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Heavy Brass free?

Heavy Brass costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is VB3m free?

VB3m costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Heavy Brass or VB3m?

VB3m is rated higher. Heavy Brass averages 4.2 out of 5 from 37 ratings, while VB3m averages 4.5 from 40 ratings.

### Do Heavy Brass or VB3m have ads?

Neither Heavy Brass nor VB3m shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Heavy Brass or VB3m?

Heavy Brass ships an update every 2 months, and VB3m fortnightly. Most recently, Heavy Brass was updated on June 11, 2026 and VB3m on September 22, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*