Comparison

VAPoly vs TB Lowtone

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

Head to head
About

VAPoly

This virtual analog synthesizer offers 8-voice polyphony with built-in effects, a sequencer, and parameter automation. It functions as a standalone app or an Audio Unit Extension, supporting iCloud Drive and various MIDI and audio export options.

Highlights
  • Virtual analog 8-voice polyphony
  • Built-in effects (delay, chorus, reverb, etc.)
  • 16-bar sequencer with parameter automation
  • Oscillators with modulation capabilities
  • Standalone app and AUv3 extension
  • iCloud Drive support for cross-device projects
Features
Read full description

VAPoly is a virtual analog 8 voice polyphonic synthesizer for iPhone, iPad and Mac. VAPoly features built-in effects, built-in sequencer, parameter automation, oscilloscopes and spectrum analyzer. VAPoly works as a stand alone or as an Audio Unit Extension (AUv3). Stand Alone supports Ableton Link, Bluetooth MIDI, MIDI IN/OUT and audio file export. The synth features two oscillators, two ADSR envelopes, a high pass filter, a low pass filter and an amplifier per voice. The oscillators are capable of wide variety of modulation to shape the sound. The low pass filter is modeled on cascaded OTA filter circuit for classic analog sound. The Effects include delay, chorus, flanger, reverb, eq, and compressor. The sequencer offers ability to program 16 bar pattern per clip for total 16 clips and parameter automation. Project files can be saved in iCloud Drive to work on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Main Features Virtual analog 8 voice polyphonic synthesizer Sequencer 16 bar patterns per clip. Total 16 clips. Parameter automation. Audio Export Linear PCM format (AIFF, WAV and CAF) and compressed format (AAC) Support iCloud Drive. Support Ableton Link, Bluetooth MIDI, MIDI In / Out. Support Audio Unit Extension (AUv3) Support Universal Purchase. VAPoly works on iPhone, iPad and Mac. System Requirements - For iOS Devices, A10 Fusion or above is recommended. - AudioUnit Extension (AUv3) requires host application which support AudioUnit Extension. - AudioUnit Extension (AUv3) is supported by Apple Garage Band on iOS and macOS, and Apple Logic on Mac.  For any other DAW, it depends on the application and some of them don’t support AudioUnit Extension (AUv3).

About

TB Lowtone

This app is an innovative bass synthesizer and AUv3 plugin that uses loudness-domain harmonic synthesis for deeper, more consistent bass sounds. It features multiple oscillators, modulation options, and built-in effects, plus an AI randomizer for creating new patches.

Highlights
  • Loudness-domain harmonic synthesis
  • 3 analog-simulated oscillators
  • Voltage-controlled noise synthesizer
  • AI randomizer for patch generation
  • Extended LFOs and ADSR envelope
  • Pro quality effects (reverb, chorus, delay)
  • AUv3 plugin support
Read full description

TB Lowtone is an innovative bass synthesizer app and AUv3 plug-in featuring three analog-simulated, voltage-controlled oscillators with a large variety of waveform algorithms, continuous pulse-width modulation (PWM), Frequency Modulation (FM) and oscillator hard sync, complemented by a voltage-controlled noise synthesizer, parameter modulation a re-designed non-linear voltage controlled filter. TB Lowtone is the world's first bass synthesizer featuring loudness-domain harmonic synthesis, creating deeper, more consistent and production-ready bass sounds compared to conventional synthesizers operating in the (linear) amplitude domain. TB Lowtone also features an AI randomizer that generates new patches with a single click, and which learns from the patches you have already created to generate new, personalized patches! Loudness-domain synthesis Loudness perception of tones and harmonics is known to be highly non-linear and intricately frequency and level dependent. Equal loudness contours, or Fletcher-Munson curves demonstrate this drastic effect for sine tones, which is especially relevant for low frequencies. The loudness of a synthesizer bass note, and all its individual harmonics, will therefore depend strongly on what note you play on your synth's keyboard. To overcome the resulting inconsistencies in loudness and timbre, TB Lowtone features innovative, loudness-domain synthesis algorithms that adjust each harmonic individually to compensate for loudness deviations across frequency. Modulation and FX TB Lowtone provides two extended low-frequency oscillators (X-LFOs) featuring a wide range of waveforms. The LFOs can be beat and key synced, with a configurable onset delay and a specific number of cycles to run. In addition, a conventional ADSR envelope with configurable onset delay is provided. To top if all off, a gate editor designed to quickly put together modern production modulation patterns is available as well to modulate a range of VCO, VCN and VCF parameters. Reverb, chorus, and delay effects and a high-quality peak limiter are provided to produce production-ready sounds. Features: - 3 VCOs plus a VCN featuring a wide range of waveform algorithms - All VCOs support hard sync, pulse-width modulation (PWM) and frequency modulation (FM) - Lots of filter types for spectral shaping - 2 LFOs, one extra envelope and a gate editor for parameter modulation - Pro quality effects (reverb, chorus, delay, peak limiter) - Unique loudness domain synthesis algorithms - A smart randomiser that learns from your patches - AUv3 with resizable UI and dozens of color themes to choose from - Preset management including import and export options - Undo, redo, A/B switching What you should know: - Licenses acquired for this platform are not compatible with other platforms. - Audio Unit (AUv3) extensions require an iPad mini 2, iPad 4 or later models.

Screenshots

VAPoly4 screens
TB Lowtone2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: VAPoly at 5.0 against TB Lowtone's 4.4. TB Lowtone's advantage is price ($9.99 vs $14.99) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.2). On review sentiment, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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

VAPoly costs $14.99 and TB Lowtone $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

VAPoly holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 16 and 14 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 80% of VAPoly's written reviews are positive against 85% of TB Lowtone's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
VAPoly versus TB Lowtone: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVAPolyTB Lowtone
Price$14.99$9.99 — better
Rating5.0 (16 ratings) — better4.4 (14 ratings)
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews84.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings16 — better14
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.213.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRyo TogawaToneBoosters

Customer experience

VAPoly

All ratings16 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative0.0%

TB Lowtone

All ratings14 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral7.1%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive84.6%
Neutral15.4%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

VAPoly

No in-app purchases

None

TB Lowtone

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is VAPoly free?
VAPoly costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is TB Lowtone free?
TB Lowtone costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, VAPoly or TB Lowtone?
VAPoly is rated higher. VAPoly averages 5.0 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while TB Lowtone averages 4.4 from 14 ratings.
Do VAPoly or TB Lowtone have ads?
Neither VAPoly nor TB Lowtone shows ads.
Which is updated more often, VAPoly or TB Lowtone?
VAPoly ships an update every 3 months, and TB Lowtone every 3 months. Most recently, VAPoly was updated on September 20, 2026 and TB Lowtone on September 9, 2026.

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