Comparison

Pure Upright vs MathRonome

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

Head to head
About

Pure Upright

This app offers a virtual upright piano experience with a unique Morph Pad for blending timbres. It functions as a standalone app or AUv3 plugin and connects to MIDI controllers for professional sound creation.

Highlights
  • Morph Pad for timbre blending
  • Standalone app and AUv3 plugin
  • MIDI controller connectivity (USB, Bluetooth)
  • Customizable reverb, EQ, and delay
  • Sympathetic resonance and key noise
  • Flexible tuning options
  • Velocity response customization
Read full description

An upright piano sits perfectly in pop, R&B, Hip-Hop, and many more modern music genres. That’s why it’s heard in countless iconic tracks throughout musical history with the upright at the heart of the song. You don’t always need the splendor of a grand piano but the character and immediacy of an upright piano. Pure Upright captures the uniquely recognizable sound of the upright piano and makes it as wonderfully playable as our acclaimed Pure Piano for iOS. Similar to an XY pad in its flat, tactile nature, the Morph Pad offers up nine different core upright piano timbres, including Vintage, Intimate, Reverse, Gated, and Pad, to name a few. The “pure” Upright sits untouched at the heart and center of the space, surrounded by eight more presets for you to explore as you guide your finger seamlessly through the wide-ranging tonal palette of the piano. As you do so, the various timbres blend together, allowing you to create your own sounds comprising combinations of neighboring presets for you to save and recall. Pure Upright works as a standalone app or as an AUv3 plug-in within your DAW of choice, and extensive connectivity options allow you to easily connect to your keyboard controller via USB, direct, or Bluetooth MIDI to experience the sound of a professional grand piano through your headphones or speakers. The app also supports a direct connection to your Mac using Inter Device Audio (IDAM). This enables you to easily integrate Pure Upright into your desktop projects by sending MIDI and receiving audio with one single cable, as well as network MIDI and Inter-App Audio for triggering the piano from other apps that you might have installed. Equipped with customizable reverb, EQ, and delay, sound creation becomes even more creative. Simply unlink any of the audio effects from the Morph Pad to dial in your own settings. Maybe you want to add a long reverb tail to add some extra atmosphere, tweak the EQ a little or add some delay to a particular sound. It’s up to you. If all that isn’t enough, the app includes sympathetic resonance which you can adjust along with the pedal and key noise to taste, and there’s a host of flexible tuning options for when you need them. The stretched piano tuning is how a piano technician would tune the piano. The equal temperament tuning, on the other hand, is best for when layering Pure Upright with sounds like electric pianos, pads, or strings. Also provided is the ability to transpose the piano which comes in very useful if you are working with a vocalist who wants to sing in a different key! For the best experience with Pure Upright, we highly recommend using a controller keyboard to trigger the notes so that it feels like you’re playing a real upright piano. The on-board velocity response page allows you to match the dynamic response of Pure Upright to your keyboard controller and your playing style so that you can achieve the right velocity response for you and the song you’re playing. Pure Upright is designed and developed by Hamburg-based e-instruments, renowned for their high-end digital recreations of acoustic instruments. Feature Overview: - Interactive Morph Pad - Explore the different characteristics of the upright piano - Nine different sounds - Navigate and blend between nine core sounds - Studio Quality Audio at Ultra-low Latency - Extensive Connectivity - Connect via USB, direct, or Bluetooth MIDI. Inter Device Audio (IDAM), Network MIDI, and Inter-App Audio also fully supported - Standalone and AUv3 plug-in compatible - Zynaptiq QREV Reverb - Have fun adding extra atmosphere and depth to your sound - 3-Band EQ and Delay - Get creative with customizable EQ and Delay, or use the Morph Pad as a macro control - Save, Load & Share Your Own Sound Presets - Sympathetic Resonance - Silent Key Press - Flexible Tuning Options - Customizable velocity curve - 24-bit, 44.1 kHz - 1.1GB installation

About

MathRonome

This app provides a visual metronome with two independent, orbiting rhythms. It helps musicians, teachers, and students develop rhythmic understanding through visual cues and customizable beat patterns. Explore complex polyrhythms and improve your internal clock.

Highlights
  • Two independent visual metronomes
  • Customizable beat patterns
  • Visual and auditory beat feedback
  • Subdivision range up to 32
  • Background audio playback
  • Adjustable tempo and volume
Features
Read full description

MathRonome is a polyrhythmic visual metronome designed for musicians, music teachers, and students. Watch two independent rhythms orbit in sync, hear every beat, and build your rhythmic vocabulary from simple time-keeping to complex polyrhythms. FEATURES • Two independent metronomes (M1 & M2) with visual ring animation • Subdivisions from 2 to 5 (free) or 2 to 32 (Pro) • Common Pulse — hear and see the pulse both layers share, with the moments they meet accented on the dial • Divisible Beats — long-press any beat to split it into equal sub-beats (triplets, quintuplets, sixteenths) and toggle each one • Toggle individual beats on/off to create custom patterns • Randomize beat patterns for sight-reading practice • 1 sound preset (free) or 4 presets: Percussion, Drums, Marimba, Piano (Pro) • Adjustable tempo from 1 to 120 RPM • Independent volume and mute controls per metronome • Background audio — keep practicing while using other apps • Bluetooth audio latency compensation slider • Interactive tutorial with step-by-step guidance • Works on iPhone and iPad PRO UPGRADE ($2.99, one-time) • Full subdivision range: 2 to 32 • All 4 sound presets • Swap M1 and M2 subdivisions instantly • Switch Mode: automatically alternate between metronomes Perfect for: • Music students learning polyrhythms (3:4, 5:7, etc.) • Teachers demonstrating rhythm concepts visually • Drummers and percussionists building independence • Any musician wanting to strengthen their internal clock No subscription. No ads. One optional upgrade. New in 1.2: Common Pulse. Switch on the pulse the two layers share and watch the polyrhythm resolve — a subtle shaker marks the smallest beat both rhythms have in common, dots around the dial show where each layer falls, and the moments where they meet ring out a little louder and brighter. The clearest way yet to hear, and see, two rhythms lock together.

Screenshots

Pure Upright4 screens
MathRonome4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: MathRonome at Free against Pure Upright's $29.99. MathRonome also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 75%) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). Pure Upright's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (75 vs 1). On rating, 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

MathRonome is free to download; Pure Upright costs $29.99 up front. MathRonome sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Pure Upright asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Pure Upright against 5.0 for MathRonome. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pure Upright has 75 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 75% of Pure Upright's written reviews are positive against 100% of MathRonome's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pure Upright ships an update every 3 months, MathRonome monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Pure Upright versus MathRonome: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPure UprightMathRonome
Price$29.99Free — better
Rating4.9 (75 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings75 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.2 GB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developere-instruments lab GmbHPUJA MUZIK PRODUKSIYON ORGANIZASYON TURIZM TICARET LIMITED SIRKETI

Customer experience

Pure Upright

All ratings75 ratings
Positive96.0%
Neutral4.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews16 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral18.8%
Negative6.3%

MathRonome

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Pure Upright

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

MathRonome

One-time1
  • Unlock MathRonome$2.99

Questions

Is Pure Upright free?
Pure Upright costs $29.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is MathRonome free?
MathRonome is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pure Upright or MathRonome?
MathRonome is rated higher. Pure Upright averages 4.9 out of 5 from 75 ratings, while MathRonome averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Pure Upright or MathRonome have ads?
Neither Pure Upright nor MathRonome shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pure Upright or MathRonome?
Pure Upright ships an update every 3 months, and MathRonome monthly. Most recently, Pure Upright was updated on November 3, 2026 and MathRonome on October 31, 2026.

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