Comparison

Bloom vs Poly 2

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

Head to head
About

Bloom

Create music and visual art by simply touching the screen. This app offers 10 unique 'worlds' with evolving sounds, shapes, and colors, allowing anyone to generate elaborate patterns and melodies without prior musical experience.

Highlights
  • Touch-based music creation
  • Generative visual art
  • 10 unique sound and visual worlds
  • Egalitarian and user-friendly interface
  • Infinite compositions
  • No musical ability required
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Brian Eno and Peter Chilvers are pleased to announce Bloom: 10 Worlds – a developed, augmented and expanded new edition of 2008’s game-changing original Bloom app, which explored uncharted territory in the realm of applications and was dubbed “The First Great iPhone App” by Gizmodo. Requiring no musical or technical ability, the egalitarian and user-friendly Bloom app enabled anyone of any age to create music, simply by touching the screen. Part instrument, part composition and part artwork, Bloom’s innovative controls allowed users to create elaborate patterns and unique melodies by simply tapping the screen. A generative music player took over when Bloom was left idle, creating an infinite selection of compositions and their accompanying visualisations. Bloom: 10 Worlds is a reimagining of the original – not simply a remaster. If the original Bloom was a single, then this would be an album. The widely broadened palette of sounds and images can be experienced via 10 new ‘worlds’, each exploring a new direction for Bloom. The first world the user encounters is an echo of the original app, with circles appearing where the user taps. Each subsequent world unlocks automatically, introducing new combinations of sounds, shapes, colours and rules of behaviour. Praise for the original Bloom “The very first iPhone apps were universally dull. And then Bloom came out. It was immediately obvious that something special was happening. The app was interesting on an artistic level – one that made you reconsider the relationship between technology and music. It raised the bar for musical iPhone apps.” Gizmodo “Hypnotic and ludicrously addictive.” The Guardian “A relaxing alternative to just about anything else you can do with an iPhone.” Wired Eno began collaborating with musician / software designer Peter Chilvers on Will Wright’s computer game Spore. Their shared interest in generative music rapidly lead to the development of a prototype for Bloom in 2008. In the intervening decade, they experimented further with the field, expanding their catalogue of apps with Trope, Scape and Reflection. In that time Chilvers has also acted as an engineer and technical advisor to Eno on a number of other projects. A series of multi-speaker installations around the world laid the groundwork for 2016’s The Ship, and they premiered Bloom: Open Space, a mixed reality installation in Amsterdam in 2018. In addition to his work with Eno, Chilvers co-founded the Burning Shed label and online store, toured with Underworld’s Karl Hyde as keyboardist and musical director, and has recorded instrumental albums and collaborations with vocalist Tim Bowness.

About

Poly 2

This app generates evolving musical patterns and melodies using polyrhythms. It offers extensive sound manipulation with a sampler, multiple effects, and the ability to store numerous configurations. Users can also import their own sounds and integrate with other music production tools.

Highlights
  • Generative polyrhythm sequencing
  • Up to 8 simultaneous sounds
  • Sampler with envelopes and filters
  • Randomize capabilities
  • Built-in delay, reverb, distortion, and EQ FX
  • AUv3, Audiobus, and IAA support
  • Import custom samples
Features
Read full description

Poly 2 is a generative sequencer that creates evolving patterns and melodies based on the power of polyrhythms. Check out the promo video: https://youtu.be/ovCXtBynEkw Features: - Up to 8 different sounds at any time - Store up to 16 different configurations for each project - A sampler that includes envelopes, filters, loop crossfading, an LFO and more - Randomise capabilities - Delay, reverb, distortion and EQ FX - Over 100 samples included for free - 13 premade collections of sounds - 13 example projects - AUv3 support, both MIDI and Audio - Audiobus and IAA - Ableton Link - MIDI notes in / out, MIDI CC in / out and MIDI clock in - Import your own samples via iOS Files or WIFI transfer

Screenshots

Bloom4 screens
Poly 24 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Poly 2 at Free against Bloom's $7.99. Poly 2 also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.3) and review sentiment (84% vs 65%). Bloom's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and chart position (#126 vs unranked). On ads 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

Poly 2 is free to download; Bloom costs $7.99 up front. Poly 2 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Bloom asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Poly 2 holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Poly 2 has 686 ratings behind it against 65, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of Bloom's written reviews are positive against 84% of Poly 2's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bloom ships an update every 3 months, Poly 2 every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Bloom versus Poly 2: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBloomPoly 2
Price$7.99Free — better
Rating4.3 (65 ratings)4.8 (686 ratings) — better
Positive reviews65.4% of reviews84.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings65686 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#126 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS11.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size70 MB153 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOpal LimitedJames Milton

Customer experience

Bloom

All ratings65 ratings
Positive81.5%
Neutral9.2%
Negative9.2%
Written reviews52 reviews
Positive65.4%
Neutral17.3%
Negative17.3%

Poly 2

All ratings686 ratings
Positive95.0%
Neutral2.6%
Negative2.3%
Written reviews63 reviews
Positive84.1%
Neutral4.8%
Negative11.1%

User reviews

Bloom

From 65 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✨ Beautiful visuals
  • 🎶 Diverse sound library
  • 🧘 Relaxing and meditative
  • 💡 Innovative generative music
  • 🎨 Visually appealing

Room to improve

  • 💸 Too expensive
  • 🎛️ Little interaction
  • 🔊 Harsh sounds
  • 🤷 Limited control
  • 📉 Lost its vibe

Poly 2

From 686 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Unique, creative, and powerful tool
  • 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
  • 🎨 Excellent for ambient, experimental, and generative music
  • 🎹 Great for drum grooves and rhythmic patterns
  • 💻 Seamless integration with external hardware and software

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
  • 🔇 Lack of sustain/voice ring-out when transport is stopped
  • 📺 Small interface elements can be difficult to use on iPad
  • 🔌 Compatibility issues with some third-party apps

Bugs and requests

Bloom

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Looping and autoplay adjustment issues
  • Playback halts when app goes to background (fixed in later reviews)
  • No background audio (fixed in later reviews)
  • No AirPlay capability (mentioned in older reviews)
  • Does not play via AirPlay (mentioned in older reviews)
Show 1 more
  • No settings menu (mentioned in older reviews)

Requested features

12 requests
  • Share creations with friends
  • Option to evolve composition through worlds
  • Google Chromecast support
  • Bass world
  • Record and export audio
Show 7 more
  • Control density of notes
  • Combination mode for sounds
  • Apple TV support
  • AirPlay support
  • Record feature
  • Freestyle mode with more options
  • DAW integration (AUM, GarageBand)

Poly 2

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • In-app purchase not working for some users
  • MIDI connectivity issues with certain apps
  • Crashes upon opening for some users

Requested features

8 requests
  • Ability to preview samples before importing
  • Autoslice/autochop functionality for samples
  • Support for larger sample imports and automatic slot filling
  • Granulizer effect
  • Note repeat and vinyl effects
Show 3 more
  • More built-in effects and processing options
  • Ability to create and arrange full songs
  • M1 Mac compatibility

In-app purchases

None

Bloom

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Poly 2

One-time1
  • Pro mode$11.99

Questions

Is Bloom free?
Bloom costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Poly 2 free?
Poly 2 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Bloom or Poly 2?
Poly 2 is rated higher. Bloom averages 4.3 out of 5 from 65 ratings, while Poly 2 averages 4.8 from 686 ratings.
Do Bloom or Poly 2 have ads?
Neither Bloom nor Poly 2 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bloom or Poly 2?
Bloom ships an update every 3 months, and Poly 2 every 4 weeks. Most recently, Bloom was updated on September 26, 2026 and Poly 2 on September 25, 2026.

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