Comparison

SynthShred vs Polywave

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

Head to head
About

SynthShred

This app is a virtual musical instrument offering a vast library of sound presets, including pianos, guitars, and synths. It provides customizable guitar tunings and a selection of musical scales with root key adjustments for easier playing. Enjoy expressive sound shaping with built-in effects and multiple playing modes.

Highlights
  • 139 sound presets
  • 29 guitar tuning presets
  • 14 musical scales
  • Diatonic surface option
  • Monophonic and Polyphonic Mode
  • Reverb and Echo effects
Read full description

SynthShred is musical instrument containing 139 sound presets including piano, guitars, ethnic instruments, chromatic percussions, strings, pipes, synth pads, reed instruments, brass, organs, ensemble, bass, synth leads and many more. SynthShred comes with 29 guitar tuning presets including standard guitar, all fourths, drop tunings, open tunings, major minor tunings and many more. SynthShred also contains 14 mostly used musical scales including Major, Minor, Harmonic Minor, Pentatonic and many more. SynthShred provides the ability to change the root key for the the selected scale to be in the key every time. The diatonic surface option will remove the notes from the surface that are not part of the scale. It's easier for the player to be in key. SynthShred features includes: - Expressive physical guitar surface - Monophonic and Polyphonic Mode - Diatonic surface - Adjustable string and fret counts - 139 sound presets - 29 unique guitar tuning presets - 14 commonly used scales - Modulation slider - On screen Reverb and Echo effects controls - Sustain button for acoustic instruments Available for iPhone, iPad and iPods for free. Minimum Requirements: iOS 9.0 or later.

About

Polywave

Create unique, evolving sonic experiences with a novel wavetable sequencer inspired by vintage synths. Draw your own waveforms, explore a vast library, and connect to external keyboards or DAWs. Record your creations directly within the app.

Highlights
  • Wavetable sequencer
  • Custom waveform drawing
  • Expansive waveform library
  • 100+ factory presets
  • MIDI and Audio Unit support
  • Live recording module
  • 8-voice polyphony
Features
Read full description

From Fingerlab (multiple-time winner of Music App of the Week, 2012 Apple Design Award) and Jordan Rudess (keyboardist of Dream Theater), comes Polywave — a revolutionary wavetable sequencer synthesizer for iPhone, iPad & Mac. Inspired by the legendary Korg Wavestation, Polywave lets you draw your own waveforms with your finger and create unique, ever-evolving sounds that are truly yours. Draw your own waveforms directly on screen 100+ factory presets: leads, pads, loops & FX Connect any MIDI keyboard or load as AUv3 in your DAW Live recording built-in Free version includes 12 factory presets and a selection of core features. Get the Full Version IAP to unlock everything. Features: • 8-voice polyphony & 6 octaves • Wavetable & waveform sequencer • VCO & FM Oscillators • FM Modulation & Detune • ADSR Envelope editor • Moog Ladder filter with ADSR • 2 LFOs with custom modulation waveform • LFO Sync & Loop mode • Waveform drawing editor & library (100 waveforms) • Preset Randomizer & export/import • 5 FX: Tube Amp, Vibrato, Chorus, Delay & Reverb • Live recording & export • Full MIDI & MIDI Mapping support • AudioBus & Inter-App Audio (iOS) • Full AudioUnit AUv3 support • iCloud Family Sharing Questions or feedback? We'd love to hear from you: contact@fingerlab.net Stay tuned! The Fingerlab Team

Screenshots

SynthShred4 screens
Polywave4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Polywave at 80% against SynthShred's 50%. Polywave also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.4). SynthShred's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (200 vs 34). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. SynthShred sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Polywave sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Polywave holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SynthShred has 200 ratings behind it against 34, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of SynthShred's written reviews are positive against 80% of Polywave's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SynthShred ships an update every 4 days, Polywave every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
SynthShred versus Polywave: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSynthShredPolywave
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (200 ratings)4.7 (34 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews80.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings200 — better34
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS9.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size141 MB44 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYugal SharmaFingerlab

Customer experience

SynthShred

All ratings200 ratings
Positive84.0%
Neutral7.0%
Negative9.0%
Written reviews46 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral8.7%
Negative41.3%

Polywave

All ratings34 ratings
Positive91.2%
Neutral2.9%
Negative5.9%
Written reviews25 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral8.0%
Negative12.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

SynthShred

One-time1
  • Full Upgrade to SynthShred Pro$3.99
1 purchases

Polywave

One-time1
  • Full Version$7.99

Questions

Is SynthShred free?
SynthShred is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Polywave free?
Polywave is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SynthShred or Polywave?
Polywave is rated higher. SynthShred averages 4.4 out of 5 from 200 ratings, while Polywave averages 4.7 from 34 ratings.
Do SynthShred or Polywave have ads?
Neither SynthShred nor Polywave shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SynthShred or Polywave?
SynthShred ships an update every 4 days, and Polywave every 4 months. Most recently, SynthShred was updated on September 24, 2026 and Polywave on September 23, 2026.

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