Comparison

Polywave vs Stand Partner

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

Head to head
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

About

Stand Partner

This music app analyzes your instrumental or vocal performances, displaying pitch, timing, and accuracy note by note. It also functions as a digital music stand for reading, marking up, and playing sheet music.

Highlights
  • Note-by-note performance analysis
  • Digital music stand
  • Chromatic tuner
  • Recording and review
  • Score annotation and transposition
  • Metronome with subdivisions
  • Library for takes and scores
Features
Read full description

Record a take on any instrument, or sing one, and the app draws it out note by note: the pitch of each one, how far it sat from centre, and where the pulse pushed or dragged. And the Score tab is a music stand: put your part on it and read it full screen, mark it up, and play from it. WHAT IS IN IT • Tuner: a fast, steady chromatic tuner for any instrument or voice, with the A adjustable from 400 to 450 Hz. • Record: a count-in, a take, and a review of every note in it. Takes are kept the moment they finish. • Score: photograph your part, or import a PDF or MusicXML, and read it full screen. Turn pages with a tap, a swipe or a pedal, half a page at a time if you like, or let them turn by themselves; lock the page for a performance. Annotate with a pencil or a finger — nibs, widths, colours, lasso, undo — and transpose an engraved part to any key. Record a take without leaving the page. • Coach: what has improved since the last take, and what has not. • Metronome: subdivisions, accents, tempo ramps. • Library: every take and every score, in folders and setlists. FOR EVERY INSTRUMENT Strings, winds, brass, voice, piano: if it plays a pitch, Stand Partner can hear it. Choose your instrument once and the tuner, the ranges and the review fit it. NOTHING LEAVES YOUR DEVICE There is no account, no server, and no analytics. Recordings, photographs of your music and everything the app works out from them are stored on this device only. After the app has loaded it makes no network requests at all. The app is open source, so that claim can be checked.

Screenshots

Polywave4 screens
Stand Partner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Stand Partner at none against Polywave's 1. Stand Partner also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Polywave's advantage is ratings volume (34 vs 2). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Polywave sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Stand Partner asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Stand Partner holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Polywave has 34 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Polywave ships an update every 3 months, Stand Partner every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Polywave versus Stand Partner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPolywaveStand Partner
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (34 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings34 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size44 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFingerlabIan Karoly

Customer experience

Polywave

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

Stand Partner

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Polywave

One-time1
  • Full Version$11.99
None

Stand Partner

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Polywave free?
Polywave is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Stand Partner free?
Stand Partner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Polywave or Stand Partner?
Stand Partner is rated higher. Polywave averages 4.7 out of 5 from 34 ratings, while Stand Partner averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Polywave or Stand Partner have ads?
Neither Polywave nor Stand Partner shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Polywave or Stand Partner?
Polywave ships an update every 3 months, and Stand Partner every 3 weeks. Most recently, Polywave was updated on November 3, 2026 and Stand Partner on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons