Comparison

Phil X vs ARGate

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

Head to head
About

Phil X

Access exclusive content from a musician, including live streams, photos, videos, and early ticket access. Connect with other fans and enjoy special offers. Unlock premium content through subscriptions and support the artist with virtual gifts.

Highlights
  • Live broadcasts
  • Exclusive photos and videos
  • Unique music and audio content
  • Early access to tickets
  • Fan community features
  • Special offers and competitions
  • Virtual gift purchases
Features
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Go backstage and behind-the-scenes with Phil X in his exclusive mobile app. Sign up to enjoy: • Live broadcasts • Exclusive photos and videos • Music & audio you won’t find anywhere else • Early access to tickets • Meeting fellow fans • Special offers and competitions • And much more... SUBSCRIPTIONS The app offers subscriptions to unlock premium digital content. • Payment will be charged to Apple Account at confirmation of purchase • Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. • Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period • Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. IN-APP PRODUCTS The app offers the option to purchase virtual coins and use them to send animated gifts to the artist during live broadcasts • Payment will be charged to Apple Account at confirmation of purchase • Each user will have a digital wallet where they can check their 'coin' balance and purchase more coins • Each user's wallet is linked to their app account, thus re-installing the app or logging in on a different device won't make them lose their current coins Our Full EULA is available here: https://www.fan.direct/platform-user-agreement/.

About

ARGate

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ARGate Attack / Release Gate Plugin (AUv3) ARGate is an audio effect plugin that can run standalone, or in any AU compatible host application such as Logic Pro or GarageBand. Overview - more than just a noise gate... ARGate is an audio gate utility with a few twists, with the addition of attack and hold times, plus support for hysteresis. At its core, ARGate uses an AHR (attack-hold-release) envelope to control gain adjustment of an incoming audio signal, with support for different threshold values to open and close the gate (hysteresis). ARGate can function as a noise gate for instrument or vocal audio tracks, but can also be used as an "auto-swell" effect on instruments such as electric guitar so you can leave that bulky volume pedal at home! ARGate can even be used to "tighten-up" drum and percussion loops by gating out the quieter elements. A G R Indicators Above the view selector are 3 indicators to show what state the gate is in: Attack, Gate (open) and Release. Each indicator will light when in that particular state. Please note these are not interactive buttons that you click on, even though they share the same fabulous color scheme :-) Note - if you see the R indicator flickering a lot, please consider increasing the Hold time slightly, as described below. Controls Active - Toggles the effect On or Off. Threshold - Sets the dB level of the signal required to open the gate. At its lowest setting, the gate will let pretty much everything through, and at the highest setting, none shall pass! For background noise reduction, set the Threshold to minimum, then slowly increase it until you see that the G indicator is not opening when there is only background noise in the input. Hysteresis - This sets the difference between the open gate and close gate threshold which is useful when you want to hear more of the decay sound once the gate has been triggered. The default of -6dB is a good place to start - this means that the close threshold will be 6dB less than the threshold to open the gate. This feature tends to avoid the "fluttering" effect you sometimes get with more basic noise gates. Reduction - Sets the amount of gain reduction applied when the gate is closed. At its lowest setting, this is effectively silence and is probably the setting you want to use in most applications. Alternatively, you might just want to attenuate background noise by a certain amount so the result doesn't sound obviously gated. Attack - Choose between a linear or exponential attack curve, then set an attack time. At zero, the gate will open as soon as the Threshold is hit. For auto-swell type effects, a long attack time around 1000ms and an exponential curve can work well. Hold - Sets a variable hold time which can also be useful for avoiding gate "fluttering" and works in tandem with the Hysteresis control. This time is essentially how long the input level has to remain below the close threshold (open threshold + hysteresis) before going into release mode. If the input level goes above the close threshold, then the hold timer is reset. This feature is especially useful for vocal and instrument gating, but can also be used to achieve some interesting rhythmic effects on drum loops and the like. Release - Chose between linear or exponential release curve, then set a release time. An exponential release curve might work better on percussive sounds if you need the gate to really "snap" shut. The minimum release time of 10ms is there to avoid pops or clicks when the gate closes. For more info and support please visit: www.waverley-instruments.com/robjackson

Screenshots

Phil X3 screens
ARGate4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Phil X at Free against ARGate's $1.99. ARGate's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). On update cadence, ads 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

Phil X is free to download; ARGate costs $1.99 up front. Phil X sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. ARGate asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Phil X ships an update every 2 months, ARGate every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Phil X versus ARGate: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhil XARGate
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating3.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS14.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size38 MB12 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperAccess Experiences LtdRob Jackson

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Phil X

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription$4.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription$49.991 Year
One-time6
  • 100 coins$1.99
  • 500 coins$5.99
  • 1000 coins$9.99
Show 3 more
  • 2500 coins$19.99
  • 5000 coins$34.99
  • 10000 coins$54.99
None

ARGate

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Phil X free?
Phil X is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ARGate free?
ARGate costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Phil X or ARGate have ads?
Neither Phil X nor ARGate shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Phil X or ARGate?
Phil X ships an update every 2 months, and ARGate every 6 weeks. Most recently, Phil X was updated on September 30, 2026 and ARGate on September 18, 2026.

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