Comparison

Holon vs GORILLA SYNTH

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

GORILLA SYNTH

This app offers a punchy, analog-style subtractive synthesizer for iOS, designed for fast sound design and expressive musical performance. It provides studio-quality sound with a clean interface, ideal for sketching ideas, producing tracks, or live playing.

Highlights
  • Dual oscillators with sub and noise
  • Classic ladder filter
  • Dual ADSR envelopes
  • Duophonic mode with glide
  • LFO modulation
  • Touch-optimized controls
  • AUv3 instrument support
Features
Read full description

GORILLA - Analog-Style Subtractive Synth GORILLA is a focused, punchy analog-style subtractive synthesizer designed for fast sound design and expressive play on iOS. Built for musicians, producers, and sound designers, Gorilla delivers studio-quality sound in a clean, performance-ready interface — whether you’re sketching ideas, producing tracks, or playing live. Key Features: - Dual oscillators with sub and noise - Classic ladder filter - Dual ADSR envelopes (Filter + Amp) - Duophonic mode with glide - LFO for pitch, filter, and PWM modulation - Touch-optimized performance controls - Built-in spectrum / EQ visualizer - AUv3 instrument support - CoreMIDI & Bluetooth MIDI - Designed for iPhone and iPad Gorilla is intentionally focused — no clutter, no distractions. Just fast access to powerful sound shaping and expressive control. Designed for mobility. Built for creation.

Screenshots

Holon4 screens
GORILLA SYNTH4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Holon at Free against GORILLA SYNTH's $4.99. Holon also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.2). GORILLA SYNTH's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and rating (4.9 vs 4.5). On ratings volume, ads, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Holon is free to download; GORILLA SYNTH costs $4.99 up front. Holon sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. GORILLA SYNTH asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

GORILLA SYNTH holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 14 and 21 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Holon's written reviews are positive against 88% of GORILLA SYNTH's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Holon ships an update every 3 months, GORILLA SYNTH every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 15, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Holon versus GORILLA SYNTH: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHolonGORILLA SYNTH
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating4.5 (14 ratings)4.9 (21 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews87.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1421 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.2
Further details — not scored
Size144 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHolonic Systems OySteffen Mølgaard Larsen

Customer experience

Holon

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

GORILLA SYNTH

All ratings21 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral4.8%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive87.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Holon

One-time2
  • Apple Watch supportFree
  • Movesense SupportFree
None

GORILLA SYNTH

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Holon free?
Holon is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is GORILLA SYNTH free?
GORILLA SYNTH costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Holon or GORILLA SYNTH?
GORILLA SYNTH is rated higher. Holon averages 4.5 out of 5 from 14 ratings, while GORILLA SYNTH averages 4.9 from 21 ratings.
Do Holon or GORILLA SYNTH have ads?
Neither Holon nor GORILLA SYNTH shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Holon or GORILLA SYNTH?
Holon ships an update every 3 months, and GORILLA SYNTH every 3 weeks. Most recently, Holon was updated on September 15, 2026 and GORILLA SYNTH on September 23, 2026.

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