Speak Unit vs Marimba
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Speak Unit
This audio extension synthesizes speech for music production. Input up to twelve phrases, each triggered by a specific musical note, to add robotic vocals to your compositions. It's ideal for creating unique vocal effects in music software.
- Speech synthesis audio extension
- Phrase input up to twelve entries
- Note-triggered phrase playback
- Voice selection
- Standalone app for auditioning
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Speak Unit is a speech synthesiser audio extension for use in Garageband and other compatible music software. You enter up to twelve phrases that are each triggered by a unique note. Ideal if you need robotic vocal for your musical compositions, or any other creative uses. To use - Add the Speak Unit audio extension instrument to a track in your music software - Select a note using the up and down buttons on the Speak Unit's chest. - Enter a phrase - Choose a voice - Press the save button to store the phrase in the Speak Unit ready for synthesising. - Press the speak button if you wish to audition the phrase. - Play or sequence that note to play the phrase in your composition. The stand alone app can be used to speak the phrases triggered by a row of note buttons.
Marimba
This app offers a high-quality sampled marimba instrument for iOS devices. It functions as a standalone application or an AUv3 plugin, featuring adjustable keyboard settings and built-in effects like reverb and delay. It supports external MIDI input for enhanced musical expression.
- Standalone app and AUv3 plugin
- High-quality sample-based marimba
- Configurable keyboard
- Reverb and delay effects
- MIDI input support
- Mac support
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Marimba is a polyphonic sampled AUv3 instrument and standalone app for iPhone and iPad. It features a configurable keyboard, reverb and delay effects. It can be played using an external midi keyboard over Wifi or Bluetooth, or loaded in your favourite AUv3 compatible DAW, such as Garageband. Features • Standalone app and AUv3 • High quality sample based marimba instrument • Configurable keyboard key count • Reverb • Delay • Midi input support • Mac support System Requirements: iOS 15.0 or later
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Marimba at every 10 months against Speak Unit's every 52 months. Marimba also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Speak Unit's advantage is ratings volume (9 vs 1) and price ($0.99 vs $2.99). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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
Speak Unit costs $0.99 and Marimba $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Marimba holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Speak Unit has 9 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Speak Unit ships an update every 52 months, Marimba every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and August 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Speak Unit | Marimba |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 — better | $2.99 |
| Rating | 4.8 (9 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 9 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 52 months | Every 10 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 153 MB | 92 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Rick Peacock | Mellowmuse Ltd |
Customer experience
Speak Unit
Marimba
In-app purchases
Speak Unit
No in-app purchases
Marimba
No in-app purchases
