Polywave vs Stand Partner
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Wavetable sequencer
- Custom waveform drawing
- Expansive waveform library
- 100+ factory presets
- MIDI and Audio Unit support
- Live recording module
- 8-voice polyphony
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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
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. Polywave sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Stand Partner asks for nothing beyond the download.
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.
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.
| Parameter | Polywave | Stand Partner |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (34 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 34 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 44 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Fingerlab | Ian Karoly |
Customer experience
Polywave
Stand Partner
In-app purchases
Polywave
- Full Version$11.99
Stand Partner
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Polywave free?
Is Stand Partner free?
Which has better reviews, Polywave or Stand Partner?
Do Polywave or Stand Partner have ads?
Which is updated more often, Polywave or Stand Partner?
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