Mix Bus Compressor vs LevLr2
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
Read full descriptionHide full description
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.
LevLr2
This audio effect plugin offers dual-stage compression, limiting, and optional clipping for music production. It provides granular control over dynamics, is CPU-light, and has virtually zero latency, making it suitable for both studio and live use.
- Dual-stage compression and limiting
- Optional clipping stage (soft/hard)
- Parallel compression
- Low CPU usage
- Virtually zero latency
- Gradual A/B fading
Read full descriptionHide full description
LevLr2 Dynamics Processor Plugin (AUv3) LevLr2 is an audio effect plugin that can run standalone, or in any AU compatible host application such as Logic Pro or GarageBand. To configure audio settings in standalone mode, tap the Settings button. Please note that the input will be muted by default to avoid nasty feedback! Overview The LevLr2 "leveller" is a dual stage compression and limiting processor with optional clipping stage. I created LevLr2 after receiving messages from people who really liked the simplicity of LevLr, but wanted a bit more control over its internal workings. LevLr2 combines two dynamics processors and has options to select ratios for both compression and limiting, and adds "parallel compression" plus hard and soft clipping functions. While LevLr2 isn't intended to replace your favourite mastering signal chain, it's relatively much lighter on CPU and adds virtually zero latency, so is also suitable for live use. The super fast attack times under the hood also makes LevLr2 great on drums, especially when using parallel compression. For a super-simple lightweight "mastering suite" you could partner LevLr2 with SimplEQ. LOOK AFTER YOUR EARS / SPEAKERS! LevLr2 can make things VERY LOUD, so please be careful with extreme / high values or when using the Randomize function! Controls Active - Toggles the effect On or Off. You can use this control to A/B your settings with the original signal and this will fade gradually between the two with no distracting pops or clicks! Comp - Activates the compressor stage by selecting a compression ratio. Typically lower values are more subtle. In - Determines how hard you drive the compressor. You can also think of this as the compressor threshold, so for example, at 6dB on the In slider, the threshold of the compressor will be -6dB. The compressor also applies makeup gain automatically based on restoring a 0dB level signal after it has been compressed. Mix - Sets the balance between the incoming and compressed audio. At zero, this will be the same as if the compressor was bypassed, and at 100% is the compressed signal only. A good parallel compression effect can be achieved by setting the Comp ratio and In high and the Mix to around 50%. Limit - Activates the limiter stage by selecting a limiter ratio. Typically lower values are more subtle and the highest value is close to "brick wall" limiting. In - Determines how hard you drive the limiter. You can also think of this as the limiter threshold, so for example, at 3dB on the In slider, the threshold of the limiter will be -3dB. The limiter also applies makeup gain automatically based on restoring a 0dB level signal after it has been limited. Clip - Adds an optional Soft or Hard clipper after compression and limiting. The clipping will be more noticeable once you've applied some compression and limiting and depending on the settings, can add subtle warmth to aggressive crunch! Out - Applies a final stage gain trim to the output at the very end of the internal signal chain. In theory, the LevLr2 output should never exceed 0dB, but if you're driving levels really hard, you may want to back this off to around -0.2dB to avoid inter-sample peaks (ISPs) further downstream when recording or mixing-down for example. For more info and support please visit: www.waverley-instruments.com/robjackson
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: LevLr2 at 5.0 against Mix Bus Compressor's 3.9. LevLr2 also leads on price ($1.99 vs $5.99). Mix Bus Compressor's advantage is ratings volume (8 vs 1) and iOS requirement (10.2 vs 12.0). On update cadence, 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 LevLr2 $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
LevLr2 holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mix Bus Compressor has 8 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Mix Bus Compressor ships an update every 6 weeks, LevLr2 every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 11, 2026 and August 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Mix Bus Compressor | LevLr2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $5.99 | $1.99 — better |
| Rating | 3.9 (8 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 8 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #194 | #185 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 10.2 — better | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 25 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Blue Mangoo Consulting Company Limited | Rob Jackson |
Customer experience
Mix Bus Compressor
LevLr2
In-app purchases
Mix Bus Compressor
No in-app purchases
LevLr2
No in-app purchases









