Mix Bus Compressor vs LoFiFx
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Mix Bus Compressor
This audio plugin offers ultra-transparent compression with exceptionally low harmonic distortion. Its unique design provides immediate response without adding latency or phase distortion, making it ideal for real-time audio processing. The scalable interface ensures a clear visual experience on all iOS devices.
- Ultra-low harmonic distortion
- Unique envelope follower
- Immediate response time
- No added latency
- No phase distortion
- Scalable user interface
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This compressor has the lowest total harmonic distortion of any plugin we have seen, including desktop units. At the heart of it is a unique envelope follower design that makes it possible to compress the signal without creating distortion harmonics. On the spectrum of compressor tone that ranges from "vintage analog" to "pristine digital", this plugin sits at the extreme end of low-noise digital clarity, but it is different from other low-noise digital designs because it doesn't use digital look-ahead. Therefore its response time is immediate, it adds no extra delay to the signal chain, and it works great for processing real-time performance effects. It uses no oversampling so there is no phase distortion or loss of high-frequency energy from anti-aliasing filters. It also uses no digital-style filters (FIR filters) and no digital look-ahead, so it adds no additional latency to the signal chain. Although it is not a model of an existing piece analog hardware, every component of its signal path is realizable in the analog domain. We think of it as a digital model of our ideal analog compressor: it could exist as an analog circuit but would be very expensive to build with physical analog electronic parts. The user interface is 100% scalable, designed specifically for iOS, so it looks beautiful at any screen size or orientation, from tiny portrait views in AUM on iPhone to the largest full-screen views on iPad Pro.
LoFiFx
This audio effect plugin offers a collection of tools designed to add warmth, stereo movement, and unique tonal characteristics to any sound. It features a diode-based clipper, independent stereo pitch modulation, randomized panning, vintage reverb, and versatile filtering options.
- Diode-based clipper for crunchy tones
- Independent stereo pitch modulation (Wobble)
- Randomized stereo panning (Sway)
- Vintage-flavored reverb with adjustable size and decay
- Low-pass and high-pass filters
- LFO for modulation effects
- Output stage clipper for limiting
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Lo-Fi Multi-Effects Plugin (AUv3) LoFiFx is an audio effect plugin that can run standalone, or in any AU compatible host application such as Logic or GarageBand. Overview LoFiFx is a collection of effects often used in the production of lo-fi music, although you might find it useful on just about any sound source. LoFiFx works particularly well on sounds that you may feel are a little dry or lifeless, by adding warmth, increased stereo spread and movement, and at times, unpredictable tonal changes. Parameters Active - Toggles the effect On or Off. Crunch - sends a variable amount of gain into a virtual diode-based clipper. Diodes are often used in simple guitar overdrive pedal circuits, and when pushed, produce an unrefined crunchy tone - hence the name. Wobble - applies a randomised rate and depth pitch modulation effect that can sound similar to a faulty tape recorder at higher settings. The LoFiFx wobble effect is different from most tape emulations as the left and right channels wobble independently. Sway - varies the amount of randomised panning. Similar to the Wobble effect, this does not occur at a set rate or depth, so it can be used to add a sense or unpredictable movement in the stereo field. Reverb - adds a bit of vintage-flavoured reverb to the mix. As the parameter is increased past half-way, the size and decay of the reverb also increase. A low-cut filter is also applied to the signal sent to the reverb which helps retain clarity on drum and bass sounds. LPF - sets the frequency of a lowpass / high-cut filter. HPF - sets the frequency of a highpass / low-cut filter. Note that the LPF and HPF frequencies overlap, so at some settings, you might find the overall output is being reduced significantly as the filters are in series. If you want to prevent this, make sure the LPF frequency is higher than the HPF / the HPF frequency is lower than the LPF. Basically what gets through the two filters depends on the size of the gap between the two frequency values so they can be combined to create a simple bandpass filter. LFO - sets the destination of a triangle waveform LFO. In addition to classic LPF / HPF sweeps, assigning the LFO to the Crunch parameter can create an interesting tremolo effect. Rate - sets the rate of the LFO. Depth - sets the depth of the LFO. Drift - introduces a variable amount of rate and depth modulation. Adding drift is a handy way of making the LFO cycle less obvious and predictable. LoFiFx has a built-in clipper at the output stage so can be used as a utility effect to brick-wall limit any incoming signal to 0dB. This isn't going to replace your favourite mastering plugin anytime soon and it gets very crunchy when pushed. If the name sounds familiar, LoFiFx is an original design based on the LOFIFX module developed for Voltage Modular by Waverley Instruments. For more info and support please visit: www.waverley-instruments.com/robjackson
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: LoFiFx at 5.0 against Mix Bus Compressor's 3.9. LoFiFx also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 6 weeks) and price ($1.99 vs $5.99). Mix Bus Compressor's advantage is iOS requirement (10.2 vs 12.0). On ratings volume, ads, 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
Mix Bus Compressor costs $5.99 and LoFiFx $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
LoFiFx holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 3 respectively.
Mix Bus Compressor ships an update every 6 weeks, LoFiFx daily. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Mix Bus Compressor | LoFiFx |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $5.99 | $1.99 — better |
| Rating | 3.9 (8 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 8 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Daily — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 10.2 — better | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 25 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Blue Mangoo Consulting Company Limited | Rob Jackson |
Customer experience
Mix Bus Compressor
LoFiFx
In-app purchases
Mix Bus Compressor
No in-app purchases
LoFiFx
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Mix Bus Compressor free?
Is LoFiFx free?
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