S vs VAMonoMkII
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
VAMonoMkII
This app is a virtual analog bitimbral synthesizer for iOS and macOS. It offers two 8-voice synthesizers with extensive modulation, classic analog filter models, and built-in effects. Create and export music with its sequencer and audio visualization tools.
- Virtual analog bitimbral synthesizer
- Dual oscillators with variable waveforms
- Transistor Ladder and Sallen-Key filter models
- Built-in effects suite (delay, reverb, chorus, etc.)
- 16-bar sequencer with piano roll and automation
- Audio Unit Extension (AUv3) support
- Ableton Link and MIDI 2.0 compatibility
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VAMonoMkII is a virtual analog bitimbral synthesizer for iPhone, iPad and Mac. It features two 8 voice synthesizer, effects, sequencer and audio visualization tools. It operates as a stand alone or as an AudioUnit Extension (AUv3). Stand Alone supports Ableton Link, MIDI and audio file export. The bitimbral synthesizer consists of two synthesizer, which features two oscillators, two ADSR envelopes, resonant high pass and low pass filter and an amplifier per voice. The oscillators features continuously variable wave shape and wide variety of modulation. The filters are modeled on Transistor Ladder filter circuit and the Sallen-Key filter circuit for classic analog sound. The Effects include delay, chorus, flanger, reverb, eq and compressor. The sequencer features piano roll and parameter automation editor to program 16 bar pattern per clip. Project files can be saved in iCloud Drive, so that the project can be accessed from iPhone, iPad or Mac. - Main Features - Virtual analog bitimbral synthesizer Two type of Lowpass filter, Transistor Ladder model and Sallen-key model. Maximum 8 voice polyphony. it depends on performance of the device it is running. Operate as monophonic or polyphonic. Patch points for modulation. Support MIDI 2.0 User Interface built by SwiftUI for improved performance. Built-in Sequencer. 16 bar patterns per clip. Total 8 clips. Piano Roll and Parameter automation. Support Audio Unit Extension (AUv3) Works on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Support iCloud Drive to share project files between the platforms. Audio Export. Linear PCM format (AIFF, WAV and CAF) and compressed format (AAC) Support Ableton Link, Bluetooth MIDI, MIDI In / Out. 360 bitimbral presets and more. - System Requirements - A13 Fusion or above is recommended. AudioUnit Extension (AUv3) requires host application which support AudioUnit Extension. AudioUnit Extension is supported by Apple Logic and Apple Garage Band on iOS and macOS. For any other DAW, it depends on the application and some of them don’t support AudioUnit Extension. Sound may be distorted if CPU of the device doesn't have enough power. If it happens reduce number of voices.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: S at $2.99 against VAMonoMkII's $14.99. S also leads on review sentiment (31% vs 0%). VAMonoMkII's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 2.6). On ratings volume, update cadence, 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
S costs $2.99 and VAMonoMkII $14.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
VAMonoMkII holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11 and 4 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 31% of S's written reviews are positive against 0% of VAMonoMkII's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
S ships an update every 7 months, VAMonoMkII every 11 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | S | VAMonoMkII |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 — better | $14.99 |
| Rating | 2.6 (11 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 31.3% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 11 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months — better | Every 11 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 16 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Paul Betowski | Ryo Togawa |
Customer experience
S
VAMonoMkII
In-app purchases
S
No in-app purchases
VAMonoMkII
No in-app purchases









