Theremin Touch vs Relic Waves
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Theremin Touch
Experience the unique sound of a classic electronic instrument with this vintage-styled simulator. It offers multiple oscillator wave shapes, adjustable frequency ranges, and built-in effects for a realistic playing experience. Optimized for touch and Apple Pencil on compatible devices.
- Vintage theremin emulation
- Onboard delay and reverb FX
- 4 oscillator wave shapes
- Adjustable frequency range
- Touchpad for frequency and volume control
- Apple Pencil support (iPad only)
- Built-in tuner
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The Theremin is one of the earliest electronic musical instruments, created by Leon Theremin in the late 1920's. Theremin Touch is a vintage styled theremin simulator designed to emulate the sound and spirit of the theremin. This single oscillator, monophonic synthesizer with real world style control features - onboard delay and reverb FX - 4 different oscillator wave shapes - adjustable frequency range for a more stable and playable instrument - 1 to 7 octave range (approx.). 32.703Hz (C1) to 4.186KHz (C8) - touch pad to control frequency and volume - works with Apple Pencil (iPad only) - tuner - customisable look - built with AudioKit With its beautiful vintage audio look, "Theremin Touch" provides the closest experience to playing a theremin on iOS.
Relic Waves
Generate unique Lo-Fi sounds, pads, and effects using advanced synthesis algorithms. Explore billions of sonic possibilities with intuitive controls and real-time recording. Perfect for musicians and sound designers seeking experimental audio.
- Billions of unique Lo-Fi sounds
- Random sound generation with search
- Multiple keyboard input options
- Real-time audio recording to WAV
- Export to WAV, SunVox, and clipboard
- MIDI control and processing
- iOS Audio Unit Extension (AUv3)
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Relic Waves is a generator of Lo-Fi noises, pads and effects based on unique synthesis algorithms from NightRadio. More than 4 billion samples from the depths of the Mathematical Universe! Features: * search for new sounds with three buttons: next random set, edit code, previous set; each set of 12 sounds corresponds to a code of 8 characters; * three types of keyboards for live performing: on-screen buttons, PC keyboard, MIDI input; * several processing parameters + control via MIDI; * real-time audio recording to WAV (32-bit); * export to: WAV (one file or a set), SunVox (samples + effects in one file), text clipboard; * the LCK button freezes individual samples - they will not change during the search for new sets; * iOS Audio Unit Extension (AUv3). Double clicking on a parameter opens a window for setting the exact value. If you enable the Hold option, the notes will play endlessly, without reacting to key release (noteOff) events; turning the note on again works like turning it off; there are two ways to enable this option: 1) using the Hold parameter in the "MIDI Mapping" window; 2) by pressing the HOLD button, which appears in place of LCK while playing the musical keyboard: press HOLD, release the desired notes - then the released notes will continue to play.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Relic Waves at 5.0 against Theremin Touch's 4.0. Relic Waves also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 65%) and price ($1.99 vs $2.99). Theremin Touch's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 11 months). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Theremin Touch costs $2.99 and Relic Waves $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Relic Waves holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 15 and 43 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of Theremin Touch's written reviews are positive against 100% of Relic Waves's.
Theremin Touch ships an update every 2 weeks, Relic Waves every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Theremin Touch | Relic Waves |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | $1.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.0 (15 ratings) | 5.0 (43 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 64.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 15 | 43 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 11 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | John McMillan | Alexander Zolotov |
Customer experience
Theremin Touch
Relic Waves
In-app purchases
Theremin Touch
No in-app purchases
Relic Waves
No in-app purchases









