CrushStation vs Music Pulse
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CrushStation
This audio effect plugin offers a wide range of overdrive and distortion, from subtle saturation to extreme fuzz. Experiment with octaves, sag, and EQ to shape your sound for guitars, vocals, drums, or synths. It functions as both a standalone app and an Audio Units AUv3 plugin.
- Wide drive range (saturation to fuzz)
- Unique sag control for broken sounds
- Mixable pitch-shifted octaves
- Grit control for low-end distortion
- Three-band EQ for tone shaping
- Performance ribbon for real-time control
- HotSwitch for instant setting changes
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CrushStation is an overdrive/distortion effects plug-in with controls that drive your tone anywhere from a creamy saturation to a brutal sonic assault, with everything in between. Originally from the Eventide H9 Harmonizer pedal, CrushStation has been refined for experimentation on numerous sound sources from your iPhone or iPad. Crush some octaves into the mix, or turn up the Sag to bring the whole sound to its knees. An added bonus, CrushStation is a true stereo distortion. CrushStation is an extremely versatile plugin, capable of adding spice and flair to a variety of production styles. Perfect for drum dirt, the Grit control adds preamp-style distortion that can help bring out kicks in the mix. Vocals benefit from the subtle distortion along with lower octaves for unique pitch blending effects. Further fine tune your sound using the three-band EQ which can help tame cymbals and vocal sibilance. Sure it rips for guitars and basses, but when you need a little warmth and saturation, add gusto to any synth. Features: - DRIVE ranges from subtle boost/overdrive to full on distortion with GRIT and SUSTAIN controls to push it into fuzz territory. - Unique SAG control - inspired by the result of power rail sag of dying analog gear - produces sputtering, crushed, and broken sounds. - Mix in lower and higher pitch-shifted OCTAVES, pre-distortion and compression. - GRIT creates low-end, gritty, chugging sounds. - Individual EQ controls to perfectly craft your tone, emphasize harmonics, or punch through the mix. - GATE your signal for taming the output of the distortion OR combine high threshold gating with MIX for parallel gated crunch. - The performance RIBBON provides real time, dynamic and fluid control to morph back and forth between the settings of your choice. - HOTSWITCH allows you to switch between two different distinct settings within the same preset at the push of a button. - Mixlock keeps the MIX constant so you can easily audition presets. - Available as an Audio Units AUv3 plug-in and Standalone App.
Music Pulse
Transform ambient sound into dynamic visual displays like VU meters and light shows. Customize themes, colors, and text for a personalized audio-visual experience. Audio is processed locally for privacy.
- VU meters and LED displays
- Frequency spectra and light effects
- Customizable themes and colors
- Adjustable sensitivity
- Add custom text overlays
- Offline audio processing
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Give sound a visual form with Music Pulse. Place your phone or tablet near the music, enable the microphone, and explore VU meters, spectra and glowing scenes that react to sound. EXPLORE THREE COLLECTIONS Browse square previews in Initial, Halloween and Christmas packs. Discover 18 initial designs, five Halloween scenes and five Christmas visualizers with snow, glowing lights and warm fireplace effects. MAKE IT YOURS Adjust sensitivity, choose colors in supported themes, and add your own text. Double-tap to hide the controls and enjoy the visuals. ACCESS AND ADS Voluntarily watch a rewarded video to enter a pack. Use and switch its themes without another video until you leave the pack. Returning to the pack selector ends access; entering any pack again requires another rewarded video. Banners appear only in pack and theme selectors. No ads appear during visualization. No account or in-app purchases are required. AUDIO PROCESSED LOCALLY Microphone audio is processed on your device. It is not saved as a recording or uploaded to our servers. Advertising may process data as described in the privacy policy. Music Pulse uses the microphone. It is not a music player and does not directly capture internal audio from other apps. Its meters are visual effects, not calibrated measuring instruments. Some themes contain flashing lights and rapid changes in brightness.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Music Pulse at Free against CrushStation's $14.99. Music Pulse also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). CrushStation's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (11 vs 2). On review sentiment, in-app purchases 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
Music Pulse is free to download; CrushStation costs $14.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Music Pulse holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CrushStation has 11 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
CrushStation ships an update every 3 months, Music Pulse fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | CrushStation | Music Pulse |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $14.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.6 (11 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 11 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 23 MB | 118 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Eventide | Adrian Fernandez |
Customer experience
CrushStation
Music Pulse
In-app purchases
CrushStation
No in-app purchases
Music Pulse
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is CrushStation free?
Is Music Pulse free?
Which has better reviews, CrushStation or Music Pulse?
Do CrushStation or Music Pulse have ads?
Which is updated more often, CrushStation or Music Pulse?
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