Comparison

Progressions vs pUnKGeN

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

Head to head
About

Progressions

Generate unique chord progressions beyond traditional scales using mathematical algorithms. Control complexity and freedom to explore new harmonic territories. Features include arpeggiators, strumming patterns, and humanization for expressive musical output.

Highlights
  • Generate unique chord progressions
  • Adjust complexity and freedom levels
  • Block Chord, Arpeggiator, and Strummer modes
  • Supports open and closed chords with selectable voicings
  • Humanize chord and note timings
  • Integrated ARP and STRUM pattern editor
  • Sync multiple instances
Features
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Progressions is an AUv3 MIDI plugin for your favourite DAW. It can be used to generate a unique set of chords that are unrelated to traditional scales, which become predictable and repetative over time. Instead, Progressions uses a unique way of mathermaically generating a series of related chords using only a root note and mode (major or minor). Chord sequences are limited by the selected complexity and freedom levels, which mimic the way traditional composers of old would wander away from tonality and back again. The complexity level start off at Basic, which uses only the most common chords (I, IV, V and relative minor ii, iii, and vi triads). As you progress through the levels, you can add parallel majors and minors, sus and dom chords etc. At level 3 we start to introduce 6th and 7th chords, and then 9ths chords, all the way to 11ths, 13ths, Quartals and all their variations. The freedom level allows us to specify how far to drift away from tonality (the root), even allowing you to create never ending randomized soundscapes. Progressions allows you to quickly randomize a toolbox of chords, that can be played in a variety of modes (block chords, arpeggiated, or strummed). These can be synced to a host application, triggered remotely or pieced together into a song. Song mode allow you to change play modes on the fly as well as being able to control many features of the app in real time. Progressions supports open and closed chords with selectable voicings. It has an intelligent algorithm that attempts to align top notes of chords, add additional bass, and open chord padding to give equal weight to chords with only 3 notes. You can even play with rootless voicings. The Humanize section allows you to control chord and note timings, as well as set velocity variations to ensure things don't get too robitic. Progressions also features an integrated arpeggiator and strummming pattern editor. You can load up to 6 arp and 6 strum patterns at the same time and seemlessly switch between them manually, remotely, or using song mode. If you run multiple instances, Progressions allows you to sync your chord pads, song chain, arpeggiator / strum patterns between instances. Progressions can be loaded as a MIDI plugin or as an Instrument for those programs that don't support MIDI plugins (such as GB). Additionally when loaded as an instrument, you can use either internal sounds (soundfonts) or send MIDI directly to other MIDI instruments. Features • Block Chord, Arpeggiator and Strummer modes. • Supports open and closed Chords. • Varying complexity levels of chords. • Freedom levels control how far from the root key you can go. • Rootless voicing mode. • Open chord padding support. • Additional bass note mode. • Supports all common chord types. • Edit the preferred chord list to exclude certain chord types. • Input MIDI control for chords and play modes. • Automatic top note alignment of chords. • Hold Pedal support. • Built in ARP and STRUM editor. • Humanize options for chord and note velocity and timings. • Comprehensive Song Mode with 256 steps and looping. • Randomize chord progressions, arps and strumming patterns. • Route Chord/Arp/Strum modes & MIDI thru to any of 4 output ports. • Supports soundfonts when loaded as an Instrument plugin. • Sync multiple instances of Progressions. • AUv3 compatible MIDI plugin supporting Sync to Host.

About

pUnKGeN

Create heavy rock, thrash metal, punk, and goth style sequences and loops with a 6-channel pattern groovebox and guitar riff generator. Features independent effects, filters, tuning, and ducking for each track, with options to generate, modify, or manually enter riff patterns.

Highlights
  • 6-channel pattern groovebox
  • Guitar riff generator
  • Independent track effects
  • Manual note entry
  • Scale and shuffle patterns
  • Arpeggiate function
  • MIDI and Ableton Link support
Features
Currently charting
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Punk Syn Gen A 6 channel pattern groovebox and guitar riff generator for creating heavy rock, thrash metal, punk, and goth style sequences and loops. HEAVY METAL! Create mysterious 80s dark metal loops or create random riffs and drum loops with bass guitar licks. With 2 dedicated guitars, bass, synth and also drum tracks. Whether you play the guitar or not, use this app to come up with new ideas, ideas that you would never have dreamed of. ROCK ON! You can use this app as a guitar riff generator to make whole interesting goth or punk /thrash style sample loops. Every track has independent effects, filter, tuning and ducking ( similar to side chain compression) Generate, modify or manually enter riff patterns with "power" levels. Many different ways to generate or modify patterns that intelligently conform the patters for each instrument. Adding a note manually is easy. Place a note and adjust the power level from small strum, to powerchords for guitars. Power level in Guitar 1 allows you to add single note, single muted or power chords to create thrash riffs. Power level in synth gives you different pad type sounds. Two duplicate drum tracks with some basic drum kit sounds to give you some backing Bass Guitar power level goes from soft touch to slap bass. You can simply generate all day long with one button and it will create a scale, and riffs for every track. If you like the pattern but not the notes, choose your scale and rescale one or many tracks at the same time If you dont like the riff, shuffle it If you want an arpeggio but using a riff, make a riff pattern then press arpeggiate, cycles through arpeggio modes You can freely transpose the entire composition You can play one bar at a time or chain up to 4 bars Half or quarter the playback speed independently on each track so 64 steps plays slower equivalent to 256 steps. Thrash algorithm patterns have been influenced from bands like Metallica and Faith no More. In Fact Faith No More inspired us to use synth strings. Create ideas you wouldn't think of using scales and riffs. Whether you are a fan of Metallica riffs or punk, you can never tell what you'll get when it generates all tracks. Some chaos is also added to the generation of riffs. Many affects can be added from purposely adding bend, echo, reverb, extra distortion for even more thrash metal sound and resonating low pass filters to create mysterious and moody goth style patterns. This app is part of a family of apps: 6x808 - a drum sequencer, 2xb303 a TB303 sequencer, 7XdXfm - a 7 track-4 operator FM synth, 7XWave - a sample manipulation groovebox. Unique to this, the step edits are removed, and replaced with a dedicated piano roll for placing notes in a grid representing pitch and time. Like all the other apps, MIDI is included for sync as well as Ableton Link and Inter App Audio so you can route the audio to Audiobus/AUM Output note data on each channel too. You can sample whats playing anytime and it will record a sampled loop you can export to Audioshare or clipboard/email

Screenshots

Progressions4 screens
pUnKGeN4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: pUnKGeN at $2.99 against Progressions's $14.99. pUnKGeN also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 weeks) and chart position (#176 vs unranked). Progressions's advantage is rating (4.1 vs 3.2) and review sentiment (67% vs 44%). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

Progressions costs $14.99 and pUnKGeN $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Progressions holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Progressions has 34 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Progressions's written reviews are positive against 44% of pUnKGeN's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Progressions ships an update every 2 weeks, pUnKGeN every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Progressions versus pUnKGeN: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterProgressionspUnKGeN
Price$14.99$2.99 — better
Rating4.1 (34 ratings) — better3.2 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews — better44.4% of reviews
Number of ratings34 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank—#176 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size117 MB61 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer4Pockets.comRob Wilmot

Customer experience

Progressions

All ratings34 ratings
Positive79.4%
Neutral2.9%
Negative17.6%
Written reviews27 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral3.7%
Negative29.6%

pUnKGeN

All ratings5 ratings
Positive40.0%
Neutral40.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive44.4%
Neutral33.3%
Negative22.2%

In-app purchases

None

Progressions

No in-app purchases

None

pUnKGeN

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Progressions free?
Progressions costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is pUnKGeN free?
pUnKGeN costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Progressions or pUnKGeN?
Progressions is rated higher. Progressions averages 4.1 out of 5 from 34 ratings, while pUnKGeN averages 3.2 from 5 ratings.
Do Progressions or pUnKGeN have ads?
Neither Progressions nor pUnKGeN shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Progressions or pUnKGeN?
Progressions ships an update every 2 weeks, and pUnKGeN every 3 days. Most recently, Progressions was updated on October 16, 2026 and pUnKGeN on October 11, 2026.

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