Comparison

Aparillo vs SynthMaster 2

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

Head to head
About

Aparillo

This advanced FM synthesizer is designed for creating complex, evolving soundscapes and atmospheres ideal for film, TV, and games. It offers deep sound design capabilities with two interacting synthesizers, integrated effects, and an intuitive 'mass-controller' for one-touch sound morphing. Seamlessly integrate it into your mobile studio setup with extensive MIDI and syncing options.

Highlights
  • 16-voice FM Synthesizer
  • Formant Shifting, Wave Folding & Shifting
  • Multi-Mode Filter with Spacializer
  • Orbiter for one-touch Sound Morphing
  • 500 handpicked Presets
  • Full MIDI Support
  • Preset iCloud Sync
Read full description

The Cinematic Machine Aparillo is an advanced 16 voice FM synth tailored for complex sound structures , majestic motions, moving and evolving soundscapes and atmospheres that are perfect for film, TV or games. It‘s not limited to the conventional fm sounds but also delivers a huge range of styles from basses to brasses, pads to leads to even percussion. ••• SYNTH ••• It is based on two interacting FM Synthesizers capable of forming the most complex timbres. A clever arrangement of synthesis, wave shaping, filtering, FX and modulation unfolds into a serious sound design tool for epic sonic creation. Aparillo uses many parameters that can be modulated for individual adjustments PER voice. Each of the sixteen voices interact with almost two dozen targets in a variety of ways for a continuous transformation and to create endless rhythms and melodic progressions. ••• FX ••• The integrated effects include a free-signalflow Filter/Spacial Comb device, a polyphonic Auto Pan with multiple waveforms, the obligatory Delay, our finest Reverb algorithm, and a Sugar Bytes innovation, the Spacializer. This is a very special breed of delay based effect, which can work as a delay, reverb or tuned comb filter and can add room, plucked strings or even pinged percussion to your sound. ••• ORBITER ••• The superstar of Aparillo is the Orbiter, an instinctual "mass-controller" you move through Aparillo's endless sonic universes for one-touch sound morphing. That finally gives you unlimited control over new grounds of sound manipulation. Aparillo for iPad will seamlessly integrate with your mobile studio setup. We built in MIDI support (Virtual, Network, External, Bluetooth), Audio Unit v3 and Ableton Link. Syncing your presets to use them accross other devices couldn't be easier with iCloud. Enjoy Aparillo, the more you dig into it the more you fall in love with it! Features: • Standalone & Audio Unit v3 • FM Synthesizer with 16 Voices • Formant Shifting, Wave Folding & Shifting • Multi-Mode Filter with Spacializer • Orbiter for one-touch Sound Morphing • 500 handpicked Presets • Ableton Link Support • Full MIDI Support (Virtual, Network, External, Bluetooth), MIDI Learn & Host Automation • Preset iCloud Sync • Preset Share

About

SynthMaster 2

This powerful software synthesizer offers a vast array of sound design capabilities, including multiple oscillator modes, extensive modulation options, and a wide selection of filters. Explore over 1000 factory presets or create your own unique sounds. Available as a standalone app or AUv3 plugin.

Highlights
  • Multiple oscillator modes (Basic, Additive, Wavetable, Vector)
  • Extensive modulation architecture
  • 6 filter categories
  • Import custom wave files
  • 1000+ factory presets
  • Standalone app and AUv3 plugin
Read full description

KV331 Audio is proud to announce the availability of their award winning software synthesizer SynthMaster 2.9 on iOS platform. As being the first app developed using KV331 Audio’s new cross-platform UI framework, SynthMaster 2 runs as a standalone app or AUv3 plugin on iPads with iOS 11 and above. SynthMaster 2 supports native resolutions of various iPad devices. User interfaces are provided for 9.7, 11 and 12.9 inch iPads in 4 different skins (Blue, White, Dark, Proto). Separate interfaces are provided for the AudioUnit plugin as well. SynthMaster 2 comes with 1000 factory presets designed by world class sound designers such as BigTone, Nori Ubukata, NatLife and Yuli Yolo. Thanks to the comprehensive preset browsing features, users can easily filter presets by author name, bank name, instrument type or preset name and find the sounds that they are looking for. There’s also an IAP Shop, which lets users purchase additional sounds: 1. "Desktop Presets Upgrade": This IAP adds all factory presets in SynthMaster 2.9, increasing the total preset count to 2000. 2. "All Expansions Bundle": This IAP adds all current 38 SynthMaster preset expansion banks. Sound Engine: At the heart of SynthMaster 2’s powerful sound engine lies its oscillators, modulators, and filters. Oscillators: The oscillators can operate in 4 different modes to generate sound: 1. In Basic mode, the oscillator plays single cycle waveforms or samples. With the Oscillator Unison turned on, up to 8 voices per oscillator can be played. 2. In Additive mode, 8 Basic oscillators can be stacked up to create richer tones. 3. In Wavetable mode, the oscillator can play wavetables with up to 256 frames. 4. In Vector mode, 4 Basic oscillators are mixed in 2 dimensions. Modulators: Modulators are simply basic oscillators that can be added to other oscillators or modulate other oscillators’ or modulators’ phases. By connecting modulators to other oscillators or modulators, complex FM tones can be synthesized. Importing Wave Files into SynthMaster: While designing sounds, users can easily import wave files into SynthMaster 2. SynthMaster 2 can categorize those files into waveforms, wavetables or multi samples and import them accordingly. Filters: Once the sound is generated by the oscillators it goes through SynthMaster’s filters, which can operate in 6 different categories: Digital, VAnalog, Ladder, Diode Ladder, State Variable and Bite. Custom distortion can be applied before or after the filters as well. Modulation Architecture: SynthMaster 2 features a comprehensive modulation architecture with a wide range of modulation sources: 1. MIDI controls 2. Macros controls 3. 4 ADSR envelopes per layer 4. 4 Multisegmented envelopes per payer 5. 4 LFOs per layer 6. 4 Sequencers per layer 7. 4 Keyscalers per layer There’s real-time visual feedback that lets users see how modulation sources and targets are changing when a note is being played. This is extremely helpful when designing sounds with SynthMaster 2. New modulations can be created easily by dragging and dropping a modulation source onto a knob or slider control. Users can easily see which controls are modulated by a modulation source by clicking on that source. Controls that are being modulated by that source will display modulation amounts. By long pressing a control, the modulation amount can be edited without the need to go through the mod matrix. Arp/Sequencer: SynthMaster features a comprehensive arpeggiator / sequencer with 32 steps. Users can easily create sequences by recording steps one by one. Effects: Each of the 2 layers in SynthMaster has 5 insert effect slots. 13 different types of effects can be instantiated in any of those slots. There are also 2 global effect send busses which can be used to create more complex effect routings.

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Aparillo at Free against SynthMaster 2's $14.99. Aparillo also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (89% vs 68%). SynthMaster 2's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months) and iOS requirement (15 vs 17.6). On rating, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Aparillo is free to download; SynthMaster 2 costs $14.99 up front. Aparillo sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and SynthMaster 2 sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Aparillo against 4.8 for SynthMaster 2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 507 and 474 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 89% of Aparillo's written reviews are positive against 68% of SynthMaster 2's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Aparillo ships an update every 4 months, SynthMaster 2 every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Aparillo versus SynthMaster 2: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAparilloSynthMaster 2
PriceFree — better$14.99
Rating4.9 (507 ratings) — better4.8 (474 ratings)
Positive reviews88.6% of reviews — better68.5% of reviews
Number of ratings507 — better474
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPadiPad
Requires iOS17.615 — better
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB918 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSugar Bytes GmbHKV331 Audio

Customer experience

Aparillo

All ratings507 ratings
Positive97.4%
Neutral1.2%
Negative1.4%
Written reviews114 reviews
Positive88.6%
Neutral6.1%
Negative5.3%

SynthMaster 2

All ratings407 ratings
Positive94.3%
Neutral2.2%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews111 reviews
Positive68.5%
Neutral16.2%
Negative15.3%

User reviews

Aparillo

From 507 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful sound design capabilities
  • 👍 Intuitive and creative interface
  • 🎨 Cinematic and otherworldly sounds
  • 💡 Innovative orbit and spatial features
  • 🔥 Excellent presets and sound quality

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and stability issues
  • 🔍 Lack of clear documentation and tutorials
  • 📱 UI not optimized for larger iPad screens
  • 💰 Paid upgrade required for full functionality

SynthMaster 2

From 474 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Best synth on iPad
  • 👍 Delicious sound
  • 👍 Tremendously powerful synth
  • 👍 Great synth with complex possibilities and great sound(s)
  • 👍 Perfeito

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Auswahl der Modulationsquellen funktioniert nicht richtig
  • 🐛 Echt schlecht
  • 🐛 Broken Preset System for a powerful synth
  • 🐛 Please fix the OSC behavior on Square and Saw
  • 🐛 Preset issues

Bugs and requests

Aparillo

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Saved patches not compatible across versions
  • Orbiter parameters not accessible on latest iOS

Requested features

4 requests
  • More preset packs and sound libraries
  • Improved MIDI and automation support
  • Custom tuning and scale options
  • Expanded keyboard and note range

SynthMaster 2

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Presets not loading correctly
  • Modulation not working after loading project
  • Skin resets to default
  • App crashes frequently

Requested features

2 requests
  • Pitch bend/glide for imported samples
  • Integration with AUM audio mixer

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Aparillo

One-time1
  • Aparillo Full Version$24.99
10 purchases

SynthMaster 2

One-time10
  • BigTone Analog Basics 02$4.99
  • BigTone Analog Basics$4.99
  • BigTone Signature Sounds Vol.1$4.99
Show 7 more
  • NU Sounds of the World$4.99
  • Historical Synth Giants Vol.4$4.99
  • Historical Synth Giants Vol.1$4.99
  • Historical Synth Giants Vol.2$4.99
  • Japan Vintage$4.99
  • Desktop Presets Upgrade$9.99
  • All Expansions Bundle$49.99

Questions

Is Aparillo free?
Aparillo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SynthMaster 2 free?
SynthMaster 2 costs $14.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Aparillo or SynthMaster 2?
Aparillo is rated higher. Aparillo averages 4.9 out of 5 from 507 ratings, while SynthMaster 2 averages 4.8 from 474 ratings.
Do Aparillo or SynthMaster 2 have ads?
SynthMaster 2 shows ads; Aparillo does not.
Which is updated more often, Aparillo or SynthMaster 2?
Aparillo ships an update every 4 months, and SynthMaster 2 every 3 weeks. Most recently, Aparillo was updated on November 2, 2026 and SynthMaster 2 on November 3, 2026.

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