Comparison

SoundForest vs Aparillo

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

Head to head
About

SoundForest

Instantly compose music by tapping on unique musical creatures that represent notes. Create hypnotic tunes and build a musical ecosystem with various environments and pitch levels. Explore endless song possibilities with this intuitive mini music maker.

Highlights
  • Instant music loop composition
  • 160 unique musical elements
  • 4 distinct musical environments
  • Adjustable pitch levels
  • Create quick loops or mini songs
  • Endless song creation possibilities
Features
Read full description

SoundForest is a mini music maker that allows you to instantly compose a song using a collection of musical creatures. Compose a loop by tapping animal instruments and mix them into a hypnotic tune. Make a musical ecosystem with SoundForest. FEATURES: * Instantly compose awesome music loops * 160 elements, each a unique music note * 4 musical environments (SoundForest, ElectroJungle, SynthSavanna, EchoOcean) * 6 pitch levels for each music note * Make a quick loop or compose a mini song * Endless song possibilities TUTORIAL: 1. Listen to whatever the Alien says. 2. Creating music is best with headphones 3. Swipe and tap on the music note bar to select a music note 4. Tap on the song grid to add the music note to your song 5. Tap on the sky to pause or play your song 6. Double tap the sky to change you song's speed 7. Swipe the song grid over to make your song longer 8. Tap the menu button to return to the song modules 9. Tap a blank circle to create a new song 10. Swipe for more environments Visit Soundforestapp.com for more information.

About

Aparillo

This advanced FM synthesizer creates complex soundscapes, atmospheres, and a wide range of timbres for film, TV, and games. It features two interacting FM synths, integrated effects, and an intuitive 'Orbiter' for one-touch sound morphing. Seamlessly integrate with your mobile studio setup via MIDI and Audio Unit v3 support.

Highlights
  • 16-voice FM Synthesizer
  • Complex sound design
  • Integrated FX (Filter, Delay, Reverb, Spacializer)
  • Orbiter for sound morphing
  • Standalone & Audio Unit v3 support
  • MIDI and Ableton Link integration
  • iCloud Preset Sync
Read full description

The Cinematic Machine Aparillo is an advanced 16 voice FM synth tailored for complex sound structures , majestic motions, moving and evolving soundscapes and atmospheres that are perfect for film, TV or games. It‘s not limited to the conventional fm sounds but also delivers a huge range of styles from basses to brasses, pads to leads to even percussion. ••• SYNTH ••• It is based on two interacting FM Synthesizers capable of forming the most complex timbres. A clever arrangement of synthesis, wave shaping, filtering, FX and modulation unfolds into a serious sound design tool for epic sonic creation. Aparillo uses many parameters that can be modulated for individual adjustments PER voice. Each of the sixteen voices interact with almost two dozen targets in a variety of ways for a continuous transformation and to create endless rhythms and melodic progressions. ••• FX ••• The integrated effects include a free-signalflow Filter/Spacial Comb device, a polyphonic Auto Pan with multiple waveforms, the obligatory Delay, our finest Reverb algorithm, and a Sugar Bytes innovation, the Spacializer. This is a very special breed of delay based effect, which can work as a delay, reverb or tuned comb filter and can add room, plucked strings or even pinged percussion to your sound. ••• ORBITER ••• The superstar of Aparillo is the Orbiter, an instinctual "mass-controller" you move through Aparillo's endless sonic universes for one-touch sound morphing. That finally gives you unlimited control over new grounds of sound manipulation. Aparillo for iPad will seamlessly integrate with your mobile studio setup. We built in MIDI support (Virtual, Network, External, Bluetooth), Audio Unit v3 and Ableton Link. Syncing your presets to use them accross other devices couldn't be easier with iCloud. Enjoy Aparillo, the more you dig into it the more you fall in love with it! Features: • Standalone & Audio Unit v3 • FM Synthesizer with 16 Voices • Formant Shifting, Wave Folding & Shifting • Multi-Mode Filter with Spacializer • Orbiter for one-touch Sound Morphing • 500 handpicked Presets • Ableton Link Support • Full MIDI Support (Virtual, Network, External, Bluetooth), MIDI Learn & Host Automation • Preset iCloud Sync • Preset Share

Screenshots

SoundForest4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Aparillo at 4.9 against SoundForest's 4.2. Aparillo also leads on review sentiment (89% vs 67%). SoundForest's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. SoundForest sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Aparillo sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Aparillo holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 447 and 506 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of SoundForest's written reviews are positive against 89% of Aparillo's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SoundForest ships an update every 2 months, Aparillo every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
SoundForest versus Aparillo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSoundForestAparillo
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (447 ratings)4.9 (506 ratings) — better
Positive reviews67.3% of reviews88.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings447506 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPad
Requires iOS7.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size89 MB51 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJustin AlexanderSugar Bytes GmbH

Customer experience

SoundForest

All ratings447 ratings
Positive79.9%
Neutral9.2%
Negative11.0%
Written reviews199 reviews
Positive67.3%
Neutral15.1%
Negative17.6%

Aparillo

All ratings506 ratings
Positive97.4%
Neutral1.2%
Negative1.4%
Written reviews114 reviews
Positive88.6%
Neutral6.1%
Negative5.3%

User reviews

SoundForest

From 447 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Cute and creative visuals
  • 🎶 Diverse and fun sound palette
  • 💰 Affordable unlock of full features
  • 👍 Easy to use and intuitive interface
  • 🤩 Engaging and entertaining music creation

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
  • 🔌 Ads not working to unlock features
  • 💳 In-app purchases not working as expected
  • 🔍 Limited ability to delete/modify songs
  • 🔊 Audio quality/tuning issues

Aparillo

From 506 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful sound design capabilities
  • 👍 Intuitive and creative interface
  • 🎨 Cinematic and otherworldly sounds
  • 💡 Innovative orbit and spatial features
  • 🔥 Excellent presets and sound quality

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and stability issues
  • 🔍 Lack of clear documentation and tutorials
  • 📱 UI not optimized for larger iPad screens
  • 💰 Paid upgrade required for full functionality

Bugs and requests

SoundForest

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Repeated tutorial loops
  • Restore purchases button not working
  • Compatibility issues on newer devices
  • Audio not working with headphones
  • Crashes when trying to unlock features

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to export/share created songs
  • Option to create longer/more complex songs
  • More themes, environments, and sound options
  • Customization and personalization features
  • Community features to discover and collaborate

Aparillo

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Saved patches not compatible across versions
  • Orbiter parameters not accessible on latest iOS

Requested features

4 requests
  • More preset packs and sound libraries
  • Improved MIDI and automation support
  • Custom tuning and scale options
  • Expanded keyboard and note range

In-app purchases

1 purchases

SoundForest

One-time1
  • Unlock Everything$1.99
1 purchases

Aparillo

One-time1
  • Aparillo Full Version$24.99

Questions

Is SoundForest free?
SoundForest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Aparillo free?
Aparillo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SoundForest or Aparillo?
Aparillo is rated higher. SoundForest averages 4.2 out of 5 from 447 ratings, while Aparillo averages 4.9 from 506 ratings.
Do SoundForest or Aparillo have ads?
Neither SoundForest nor Aparillo shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SoundForest or Aparillo?
SoundForest ships an update every 2 months, and Aparillo every 4 months. Most recently, SoundForest was updated on October 15, 2026 and Aparillo on October 17, 2026.

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