Comparison

M vs Cantus

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

Head to head
About

M

This app automatically composes original music based on your chosen settings for duration, tempo, and style. You can refine compositions by liking or disliking sections, and export generated music in MP3, MIDI, or sheet music formats. It's designed for content creators, producers, and music enthusiasts.

Highlights
  • Automated music composition
  • Customizable duration, tempo, and style
  • Like/Dislike feedback for refinement
  • Export in MP3, MIDI, and PDF formats
  • Track Editor for rewriting sections
  • Separate track generation (melody, harmony, bass, percussion)
Features
Read full description

For best results, please use headphones/speakers and stable broadband connection. M-Gen is a unique app that automatically composes musical content for: - Content creators - Music producers - Games creators - Students of music - Music lovers Simply tap the red button and send the generated music to your Email account or Google Drive in the following formats: - MP3 - for listening or mixing - MIDI - for using with DAW software - PDF - for reading and playing sheet music Please use earphones/speakers for best results. Also, this app has NO ADS! ==========FREE FUNCTIONALITY========== - endless source of musical compositions and ideas - keep tapping the red button until you hear something you like - use the Setup Wizard to adjust duration, tempo and style of song - use Track Editor to have tracks re-written until you love the song - select melody/harmony/bassline/percusion/effects tracks to be generated separately or together as a song - use Like/Dislike buttons whilst listening to rewrite sections of a song - select the number of instrumental layers in each track (4 max, 8 for percussion) - select key/tempo/soundset/style - select structure of song using chorus/verse/middle-eight sections - name and then store up to 5 generated songs on your device for later listening ==========IN-APP PURCHASES========== - Downloads Pack (one-off payment) - send MP3, MIDI and PDF (sheet music) files of the generated music to your Email account or Google Drive. - Library Expansion (one-off payment) - increase the number of slots in your device's M-Gen library so you can store more songs for later listening - 'License Pack' (subscription) - License to use M-Gen music in your own work and distribute it on a commercial basis M-Gen ("Music Generator") creates random yet tonally and rhythmically integrated songs based on a number of settings you can play with in the Setup section together with user feedback on previous songs. You can use the Setup Wizard in the Play tab to quickly and easily configure duration, speed and style of the song. During playback, you can tap like/dislike buttons. Disliked sections can be rewritten by M-gen, keeping the rest of the song intact. Liked sections will provide M-Gen with clues as to how you like your songs to sound that will be used when composing future songs or song parts. The algorithms used by M-Gen are always evolving and improving to include more possible musical structures and methods of composition. The app has no advertising and there's no need to set up an account. Simple! ==========MIDI TRACKS========== In your DAW, the following generated tracks use these MIDI track numbers: Percussion - 10 Bassline - 11 Harmony - 12 Melody - 13 Effects - 14 Enjoy!!!

About

Cantus

This interactive tool helps musicians explore harmony and chord voicings on a virtual piano. It allows users to visualize how notes move within chords, understand modal relationships, and develop a feel for harmony through focused practice.

Highlights
  • Interactive chord and voicing exploration
  • Piano keyboard visualization
  • Modal and scale-based harmony practice
  • Voice-leading movement analysis
  • Tone.js audio playback
  • Account-free operation
Features
Read full description

Cantus - Voicing Lab is an interactive harmony and chord-voicing tool by Nathaniel School of Music for pianists, composers, producers, and music theory students. Explore how notes move inside chords, hear voicings in context, and study color, tension, and modal relationships from the keyboard. Cantus is designed as a focused practice lab: pick a sound, inspect the voice leading, and build intuition for how harmony feels under your hands. FEATURES * Interactive chord and voicing explorer * Piano keyboard visualization * Modal and scale-based harmony practice * Voice-leading movement and pinboard-style comparison * Tone.js audio playback * Self-hosted fonts and bundled web assets * Works without an account BY NATHANIEL SCHOOL OF MUSIC Built for practical harmony learning, composition practice, and deeper chord fluency.

Screenshots

M4 screens
Cantus3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Cantus at 5.0 against M's 2.5. Cantus also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 5) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). M's advantage is ratings volume (4 vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. M sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per month. Cantus asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Cantus holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

M ships an update every 3 weeks, Cantus every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
M versus Cantus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMCantus
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.5 (4 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 5 days — better
Ads—No
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNick Carter-BondJason Zachariah

In-app purchases

5 purchases

M

Subscriptions2
  • Commercial Use License$3.491 Month
  • Sharing Pack$4.491 Month
One-time3
  • Library Expansion (+50 slots)$2.99
  • Library Expansion (+100 slots)$4.99
  • Downloads Pack$6.99
None

Cantus

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is M free?
M is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cantus free?
Cantus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, M or Cantus?
Cantus is rated higher. M averages 2.5 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Cantus averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Which is updated more often, M or Cantus?
M ships an update every 3 weeks, and Cantus every 5 days. Most recently, M was updated on October 9, 2026 and Cantus on October 21, 2026.

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