S vs Branches
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
S
This semi-modular synthesizer app for iPad offers a hands-on sound design experience with a single-screen interface for intuitive patching. It delivers a warm, vintage sound inspired by 1970s synthesizers, featuring dual oscillators, resonant filters, and multiple modulation sources.
- Single-screen interface
- Fast, hands-on patching
- Vintage 1970s synth sound
- Dual oscillators
- Resonant ladder filter
- Multiple modulation sources
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S-Modular is a semi-modular synthesiser for iPad, designed for fast, hands-on patching without clutter. Everything is presented on a single screen, making sound design immediate and intuitive. Simply drag from one jack to another to create connections. S-Modular delivers a distinctive vintage sound inspired by classic 1970s synthesis — warm, rich, and full of character. Features Dual oscillators 24 dB/oct ladder filter Resonant high-pass and low-pass filters Two LFOs Four-step CV sequencer Four-track mixer Audio and CV splitter Two AHR envelope generators Delay effect
Branches
This semi-modular synthesizer offers a "west coast" style of sound design, inspired by classic synthesizers. It functions as a standalone app with MIDI input or as an AUv3 plugin within a DAW, allowing for complex sound creation and experimentation.
- Semi-modular synthesis engine
- Standalone app and AUv3 plugin support
- West coast style sound processing
- Duophonic synthesis with dual MIDI channels
- Generative melody capabilities
- Waveform fading and wave folding
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Branches is a semi-modular synthesizer inspired by classics of the past. It runs both as a standalone instrument with support for external MIDI input or as a plugin (AUv3) in your favorite DAW app. Audio from the oscillators are permanently hardwired into the lowpass gates and the default patch is setup to receive MIDI and trigger the lowpass gate for the complex oscillator. This way you can get up and running fast and are then free to experiment with your own patching. Branches is utilizing what is sometimes referred to as a "west coast" style of processing which in this case means timbre is adjusted by adding harmonics to a basic sine wave. One of the oscillators does this by fading between multiple waveforms freely, the other does it by employing a wave folder and blending it with another user selectable waveform. The first one can also modulate either frequency or amplitude of the second. Branches support MIDI input on two channels. This allows you to control each oscillator and low pass gate individually if you please, acting as a duophonic synthesizer. Utilizing the rest of the modules opens up a world of different possibilities - generative random melodies, timbre changing over time, modulation from your host app etc.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Branches at 3.9 against S's 2.6. Branches also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 7 months) and review sentiment (44% vs 31%). S's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $5.99) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.6). 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
S costs $2.99 and Branches $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Branches holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 2.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11 and 12 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 31% of S's written reviews are positive against 44% of Branches's.
S ships an update every 7 months, Branches every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and June 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | S | Branches |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 — better | $5.99 |
| Rating | 2.6 (11 ratings) | 3.9 (12 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 31.3% of reviews | 44.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 11 | 12 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Paul Betowski | Willow & Oak AB |
Customer experience
S
Branches
In-app purchases
S
No in-app purchases
Branches
No in-app purchases









