# Groovebox vs SynthMaster One for iPhone

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Groovebox at 4.8K against SynthMaster One for iPhone's 332. Groovebox also leads on review sentiment (79% vs 66%). SynthMaster One for iPhone's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Groovebox sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and SynthMaster One for iPhone sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Groovebox against 4.7 for SynthMaster One for iPhone. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Groovebox has 4.8K ratings behind it against 332, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 79% of Groovebox's written reviews are positive against 66% of SynthMaster One for iPhone's.

Groovebox ships an update every 6 weeks, SynthMaster One for iPhone every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Groovebox | SynthMaster One for iPhone |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (4.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/groovebox-beat-synth-studio/id1242847278/reviews) | **[4.7 (332 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/synthmaster-one-for-iphone/id1490902617/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **4.8K** | 332 |
| Positive reviews | **79.2% of reviews** | 66.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 44 MB | 297 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **10.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Focusrite Audio Engineering](https://appshunter.io/developer/321949338) | [KV331 Audio](https://appshunter.io/developer/944155925) |

## What reviewers say

### Groovebox

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/groovebox-beat-synth-studio/id1242847278)

Create electronic music with this mobile studio app. Features inspiring synths, drum machines, and world-class instruments. Easily build beats, melodies, and arrange tracks for production.

**Highlights:** Beat and synth music studio, Touchable instruments for melodies and beats, Five powerful instruments: Drumbox, Horizon, MiniMon, RetroBass, Poly-8, Arrange tracks with sections, Record synth parameters as automation, Ableton Link and Ableton Export for collaboration, Expandable instruments and sound packs

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Trap Bass | Free | one-time |
| Sequential Arps | Free | one-time |
| Ambient Hip Hop | Free | one-time |
| Dirty 909 | Free | one-time |
| Hip Hop Orbit | Free | one-time |
| Hypnotic Bass | Free | one-time |
| Golden Era Bass | $0.99 | one-time |
| Neuro Leads | $0.99 | one-time |
| Composed Melodics | $0.99 | one-time |
| Drum Booster | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Refreshing simplicity
- 🚀 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🚀 Excellent sound quality
- 🚀 Flexible and powerful
- 🚀 Inspiring and creative

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and crashes occasionally
- 🔒 No iCloud sync or cloud backup
- 🔒 Limited export options
- 🔒 Lack of MIDI support
- 🔒 Clunky piano roll and note editing

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when exporting projects
- Playback issues with certain patterns
- Disappearing UI elements when scrolling
- Inconsistent behavior when changing sections

**Requested features**

- Add song mode and ability to chain sections
- Improve piano roll and note editing
- Implement MIDI support and mapping
- Add more export options like MIDI and multi-track
- Implement iCloud sync and cloud backup


### SynthMaster One for iPhone

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/synthmaster-one-for-iphone/id1490902617)

This powerful wavetable synthesizer app offers an intuitive workflow for creating new sounds. It features a rich library of wavetables, inspiring factory presets, and real-time modulation feedback for sound design.

**Highlights:** Wavetable synthesis, 300 factory presets, AUv3 support, Files App integration, Real-time modulation feedback, Semi-modular architecture, 32-step arpeggiator/sequencer

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BigTone Club Construction Set | $4.99 | one-time |
| True Trance Sounds Volume 1 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Vandalism Future House | $4.99 | one-time |
| NatLife Retrowave Sounds Vol.1 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Demis Hellen Euphoric Trance | $4.99 | one-time |
| NatLife Progressive&Deep Vol.1 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Vandalism Shocking Future Bass | $4.99 | one-time |
| Venus Theory Trap Sounds | $4.99 | one-time |
| Desktop Presets Upgrade | $9.99 | one-time |
| SM One Expansions Bundle | $24.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ✨ Excellent sound quality
- 🤩 Incredible features for free
- 👍 Easy to use interface
- 🎛️ Versatile sound design capabilities
- 🎵 Great for GarageBand integration

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- 🔌 Issues with GarageBand integration
- 💸 In-app purchase problems
- 🔄 Presets not saving
- 📉 App appears abandoned

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when loading saved presets
- App crashes when setting default sound
- AUv3 option disappears in GarageBand
- Inability to reload user patches without crashing
- Inability to purchase certain IAP packs

**Requested features**

- Fix in-app purchase issues
- Improve GarageBand AUv3 stability
- Enable saving of custom presets
- Address crashing when loading presets
- Fix note pitch issues


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Groovebox free?

Groovebox is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is SynthMaster One for iPhone free?

SynthMaster One for iPhone is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Groovebox or SynthMaster One for iPhone?

SynthMaster One for iPhone is rated higher. Groovebox averages 4.7 out of 5 from 4.8K ratings, while SynthMaster One for iPhone averages 4.7 from 332 ratings.

### Do Groovebox or SynthMaster One for iPhone have ads?

Neither Groovebox nor SynthMaster One for iPhone shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Groovebox or SynthMaster One for iPhone?

Groovebox ships an update every 6 weeks, and SynthMaster One for iPhone every 2 months. Most recently, Groovebox was updated on October 29, 2026 and SynthMaster One for iPhone on October 24, 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.*