Comparison

Holon vs Relic Waves

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

Head to head
About

Holon

This app transforms your movement through cities into a dynamic, real-time musical score. It uses your physical location and activity to generate interactive synth music, encouraging outdoor exploration and turning listeners into performers.

Highlights
  • Human-powered music generation
  • Encourages outdoor activity
  • Zero UI for minimal distraction
  • Environmentally responsive music
  • Real-time synth music creation
  • Optional AirPods and Apple Watch integration
Features
Read full description

Holon makes the city your instrument. It turns your movement in the environment into a synthetic, interactive score that reflects your context, supports your activities and alerts you to changes in the surrounding area. Holon uses physical computing and a geospatial dataset to synthesize music on the iPhone in real time from your data - no streaming or AI involved, just pure DSP and logic. What Holon Does: * Human powered music. Every action generates dynamic, improvised synth music in real time. * Encourages outdoor activities. Holon doesn’t work in your apartment or by shaking your phone around. Move through streets, parks, and transit systems to make the music happen. * Stays out of your way. Zero UI means less screen time, no distractions. * Uses places and spaces to modify the music you make. The environment isn’t background - it’s the score. * The more and further you move, the more things happen in the music. Use your musical agency instead of skipping and swiping. Why Holon Exists:
 Music has been reduced to a commodity and a background activity for consumerism. Holon isn’t here to help you chill when you swipe, scroll and buy more stuff, or improve your focus when working for the Man. Holon is here to break away from the static, one-way relationship of streaming services and to put the human in the loop - yourself. Forget emoting celebrities with their false sincerity, throw overproduced passive soundscapes and statistical algorithms on the dung heap of history. Holon turns listeners into performers and unlocks the musical potential of places. How to Use: * Go outside - Holon needs space to function, just like you. Different districts, parks, bridges, shops, street furniture - all contribute to the musical output. Strolling around your apartment or shaking your phone won’t do. * Put the phone in your pocket or on your dashboard. * Walk, run, drive - the world is now the interface, space is the machine. * Use the big button in the middle to power Holon off when not in use - Auditory AR can be a battery-intensive process! * Optional Apple AirPods support for head-controlled musical interactions! * Optional Apple Watch support for heart rate-synced music (biofeedback) *the Watch app may take a moment to install* Requirements:
 * Available in over 1000 regions in more than 100 countries. * Check coverage or request a new area at holonic.systems/holon. * Best experienced with headphones. Ensure adequate battery level for extended use. * A data plan is required to access our geospatial engine but use of data is low. Holon: Become part of the circuit and… Become Sound™

About

Relic Waves

Generate unique Lo-Fi sounds, pads, and effects using advanced synthesis algorithms. Explore billions of sonic possibilities with intuitive controls and real-time recording. Perfect for musicians and sound designers seeking experimental audio.

Highlights
  • Billions of unique Lo-Fi sounds
  • Random sound generation with search
  • Multiple keyboard input options
  • Real-time audio recording to WAV
  • Export to WAV, SunVox, and clipboard
  • MIDI control and processing
  • iOS Audio Unit Extension (AUv3)
Features
Read full description

Relic Waves is a generator of Lo-Fi noises, pads and effects based on unique synthesis algorithms from NightRadio. More than 4 billion samples from the depths of the Mathematical Universe! Features: * search for new sounds with three buttons: next random set, edit code, previous set; each set of 12 sounds corresponds to a code of 8 characters; * three types of keyboards for live performing: on-screen buttons, PC keyboard, MIDI input; * several processing parameters + control via MIDI; * real-time audio recording to WAV (32-bit); * export to: WAV (one file or a set), SunVox (samples + effects in one file), text clipboard; * the LCK button freezes individual samples - they will not change during the search for new sets; * iOS Audio Unit Extension (AUv3). Double clicking on a parameter opens a window for setting the exact value. If you enable the Hold option, the notes will play endlessly, without reacting to key release (noteOff) events; turning the note on again works like turning it off; there are two ways to enable this option: 1) using the Hold parameter in the "MIDI Mapping" window; 2) by pressing the HOLD button, which appears in place of LCK while playing the musical keyboard: press HOLD, release the desired notes - then the released notes will continue to play.

Screenshots

Holon4 screens
Relic Waves1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Holon at Free against Relic Waves's $1.99. Holon also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 11 months). Relic Waves's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). On ads, monetization model, device support and iOS requirement 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

Holon is free to download; Relic Waves costs $1.99 up front. Holon sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Relic Waves asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Relic Waves holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 14 and 42 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Holon's written reviews are positive against 100% of Relic Waves's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Holon ships an update every 3 months, Relic Waves every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on August 5, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Holon versus Relic Waves: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHolonRelic Waves
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating4.5 (14 ratings)5.0 (42 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1442 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 11 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size144 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHolonic Systems OyAlexander Zolotov

Customer experience

Holon

All ratings14 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral7.1%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral8.3%
Negative16.7%

Relic Waves

All ratings42 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Holon

One-time2
  • Apple Watch supportFree
  • Movesense SupportFree
None

Relic Waves

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Holon free?
Holon is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Relic Waves free?
Relic Waves costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Holon or Relic Waves?
Relic Waves is rated higher. Holon averages 4.5 out of 5 from 14 ratings, while Relic Waves averages 5.0 from 42 ratings.
Do Holon or Relic Waves have ads?
Neither Holon nor Relic Waves shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Holon or Relic Waves?
Holon ships an update every 3 months, and Relic Waves every 11 months. Most recently, Holon was updated on August 5, 2026 and Relic Waves on September 27, 2026.

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