Comparison

PolyPhase vs LoopBud

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

Head to head
About

PolyPhase

Create complex, interwoven melodies and rhythms with a generative sequencer. Control note generation, randomize sequences, and integrate with external MIDI hardware or the included wavetable synthesizer. Save and recall your creations with presets and snapshots.

Highlights
  • Generative melody creation with phase offsets
  • 8 independent sequencers with customizable properties
  • Draw own notes or use intelligent randomization
  • Wavetable synthesizer with FX
  • MIDI output and input support
  • Global Key/Scale filtering and Chord Masks
  • Save/Load presets and Snapshots
Read full description

PolyPhase is a generative sequencer! Melodies on a Master Track are created on the fly & copied, with phase offsets, to Follower Tracks. This structure, along with the interplay of various probabilities, leads to interwoven melodies and rhythms. You can disable the generation of notes & draw your own, or select some of the randomization functions Send MIDI to external hardware, other iOS instruments, or use the included wavetable synthesizer! - 8 independent Sequencers with their own rate, direction, transposition & other properties - Disable the generation of notes to draw your own, or use some of the intelligent functions provided - Random Euclid & Drum Sequences - The Wavetable Synth + FX lets you use PolyPhase even if you don't own any external Instruments - Filter notes to a Global Key / Scale and toggle Chord Masks - Save / Load Presets - Snapshots for install recall of your Sequences - Intelligently Randomize and Morph your Sequences & Synth sounds - Accepts external MIDI clock & can provide clock to other devices - Audiobus (Audio / State) & Inter-App Audio support - Link Support

About

LoopBud

Record, loop, and jam with unlimited MIDI patterns and bars. Features two recording modes, quantization, and tempo control for live performance effects. Export MIDI for further editing in other applications.

Highlights
  • Unlimited MIDI patterns and bars
  • Add and New recording modes
  • Quantization with adjustable levels
  • Tempo control for live effects
  • Single bar focus for recording/looping
  • MIDI export for external editing
Features
Read full description

LoopBud is a super simple yet very powerful MIDI recorder and looper. You can work with unlimited patterns. Although the 4-bar loops are very fun, you can work with an unlimited number of bars on each pattern! LoopBud has two record modes, Add mode and New mode. The "add mode" keeps adding new notes on each loop-cycle. The "new mode" clears out the previous recording and lets you record freshly on each cycle. You can work very fast with those modes. If you make a mistake, don't worry, you can use the "undo" option and get everything back! LoopBud has quantization enabled by default. You can toggle quantizing by pressing the "quantize" button on the top-left side. You can also set the level of quantization from the settings menu. If you want to speed up or slow down the clock, you can do so by pressing the "clock" button on the top-left side. You can achieve different effects on your live performances without a new recording. You can also focus on a single bar by pressing the bar measure on the top. You can either record or loop a single bar - which is a unique feature of LoopBud. In the settings menu, you can edit the piano roll's lowest and highest notes. The notes on the piano roll is not editable. However, you can export MIDI from the settings menu, and do editing on your favorite piano roll editor app! LoopBud is not an audio app, it's a MIDI app. You need to connect a MIDI input and a MIDI output for LoopBud to work. You can do so from the settings menu in the standalone app. You can use the MIDI matrix editor on your DAW if you are using the AUv3 plugin. LoopBud also supports Ableton Link on the standalone app.

Screenshots

LoopBud4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: LoopBud at $5.99 against PolyPhase's $19.99. LoopBud also leads on device support (3 vs 1). PolyPhase's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 3.8) and review sentiment (76% vs 63%). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

PolyPhase costs $19.99 and LoopBud $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PolyPhase holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 26 and 14 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of PolyPhase's written reviews are positive against 63% of LoopBud's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
PolyPhase versus LoopBud: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPolyPhaseLoopBud
Price$19.99$5.99 — better
Rating4.6 (26 ratings) — better3.8 (14 ratings)
Positive reviews76.2% of reviews — better62.5% of reviews
Number of ratings26 — better14
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS10.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size35 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMarcos KohlerCem Olcay

Customer experience

PolyPhase

All ratings26 ratings
Positive88.5%
Neutral7.7%
Negative3.8%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive76.2%
Neutral14.3%
Negative9.5%

LoopBud

All ratings14 ratings
Positive64.3%
Neutral14.3%
Negative21.4%
Written reviews16 reviews
Positive62.5%
Neutral18.8%
Negative18.8%

In-app purchases

None

PolyPhase

No in-app purchases

None

LoopBud

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PolyPhase free?
PolyPhase costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is LoopBud free?
LoopBud costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PolyPhase or LoopBud?
PolyPhase is rated higher. PolyPhase averages 4.6 out of 5 from 26 ratings, while LoopBud averages 3.8 from 14 ratings.
Do PolyPhase or LoopBud have ads?
Neither PolyPhase nor LoopBud shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PolyPhase or LoopBud?
PolyPhase ships an update every 3 weeks, and LoopBud every 3 weeks. Most recently, PolyPhase was updated on October 7, 2026 and LoopBud on October 8, 2026.

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