Phosphor 3 vs Lines
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Phosphor 3
This app recreates a vintage digital synthesizer, offering a faithful emulation of a classic sound engine. It includes modern features like MPE, extensive modulation, and a new UI for sonic exploration.
- Vintage digital synthesizer emulation
- Additive synthesis engine
- MPE support
- Extensive modulation routing
- Preset manager
- Tuning tables
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Glow in the dark synthesis. Phosphor 3 is a dual-oscillator additive synthesizer that puts the raw building blocks of sound at your fingertips. Draw, randomize, or select up to 64 harmonics per oscillator, then shape them with envelopes, LFOs, cross-modulation, and a flexible mod matrix. Originally inspired by the alphaSyntauri, a rare digital additive synth from the early 1980s, Phosphor 3 takes that concept far beyond its origins with modern MPE expression, polyphonic modulation, and a full effects engine. --- Additive Oscillators Two identical additive oscillators, each with up to 64 individually editable harmonics. Start from classic shapes: sawtooth, triangle, square, or draw your own harmonic spectrum directly in the partial editor. The intelligent randomizer generates musically useful timbres with variable rolloff, density, and formant peaks, so every click produces something worth exploring. Choose 16, 32, or 64 partials per oscillator to balance complexity against CPU. Each oscillator has independent level, pan, transpose, fine tune, a noise generator with lo-fi downsampling, and cross-modulation (FM) for pushing timbres into harsher, more complex territory. Modulation Two ADSR envelopes with adjustable attack, decay, and release curves. Two LFOs with four waveforms (pulse, sine, saw, random), tempo sync, and the option to run polyphonically, a separate LFO per voice, or globally. An 8-source modulation matrix routes velocity, pressure, pitch bend, mod wheel, CC 74, triggered random, and both LFOs to destinations across the oscillators and effects. Effects Stereo delay with independent left/right time, feedback, and cross-channel feedback for ping-pong and rhythmic patterns. Tempo sync locks delay times to your DAW. Dual band-pass filters after the delay let you carve the wet signal into resonant, frequency-specific textures. Expression Full MPE support with per-note pitch bend, pressure, and slide across 16 polyphonic voices. Mono legato and mono retrigger modes with adjustable portamento. Unison mode for thick, detuned stacks. A scrollable 128-key on-screen keyboard with velocity from touch position, pitch bend from horizontal drag, and channel pressure from vertical drag, no hardware controller required. Tuning MTS-ESP client support for real-time microtuning from any MTS-ESP master. TUN file import for custom scales. Standard 12-TET with adjustable A4 reference. Supports AUv3 for use in GarageBand, AUM, Cubasis, and other AUv3-compatible hosts.
Lines
This audio effect plugin transforms any signal into a wide spectrum of sounds, from lo-fi to distortion and feedback. It can also function as an experimental synthesizer, creating rhythms and soundscapes even without input.
- Creative signal mangling
- Experimental synthesizer
- Feedback-based sound design
- Wide range of audio effects
- Rhythm and soundscape generation
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Lines is an effect plugin that crosses borders: it can be used as a creative mangler of all kinds of signals, ranging from lo-fi telephone sounds, lush phasing, warm distortions, crushing feedback, ring modulation and unique frequency shifting. But even without any input, it can be an experimental synthesizer based on feedback, allowing for a wide range of inspiring rhythms, pulses, and organic soundscapes. If you combine input and internal engines an unheard spectrum of sounds appears.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Phosphor 3 at $5.99 against Lines's $19.99. Lines's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and review sentiment (100% vs 79%). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Phosphor 3 costs $5.99 and Lines $19.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Lines holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 11 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Phosphor 3's written reviews are positive against 100% of Lines's.
Phosphor 3 ships an update every 11 months, Lines every 13 months. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.
| Parameter | Phosphor 3 | Lines |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $5.99 — better | $19.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (9 ratings) | 5.0 (11 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 78.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 9 | 11 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 11 months — better | Every 13 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 27 MB | 29 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Audio Damage, Inc. | AudioThing Ltd. |
Customer experience
Phosphor 3
Lines
In-app purchases
Phosphor 3
No in-app purchases
Lines
No in-app purchases









