Comparison

JAX ESSENTIALS vs Katana Tone Control

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

Head to head
About

JAX ESSENTIALS

This AudioUnit plugin creates multi-stage chorus effects for music production. It allows for micro pitch shifting and low-frequency oscillation to add depth and movement to audio signals, compatible across Apple devices.

Highlights
  • Multi-stage chorus modulation
  • Low-frequency oscillator control
  • Cross-device preset sharing
  • Includes ~200 factory presets
  • User-created preset import/export
  • Universal app for iOS, macOS, visionOS
Features
Read full description

( THIS IS AN AUDIOUNIT. AudioUnits are app extensions, requiring an audio host application to perform. ) Use the same AudioUnits across all modern Apple devices, including the iPhone , the Vision Pro and the Mac (Apple Silicon). Native MacOS apps like GarageBand, MainStage 3 and Logic Pro X are tested and supported. Any 3rd-party AUv3 supporting host should be able to host the plugin too. The JAX ESSENTIAL SERIES Chorus is a multi stage chorus modulation effect that uses multiple copies of the audio signal, micro pitch shifted, to produce all kinds of the famous chorus effect. A low frequency oscillator modulates depth and speed of the pitch shift on both stereo channels for various living and moving sound nuances. Make static sounding voices more interesting or create swirrling special effects. You may share the presets for this effect across all your supported devices. Around 200 factory presets are included, you can make and export/import your own. The manual is included and can be previewed on our support website. For advanced usage (i.e. mastering and exciting), we recommend to select the chorus from our SELECTIVE RANGE SERIES, which allows to limit the frequency range for processing. This build is truly 'universal', meaning, the audio unit is available for: - iOS (all actual iPhones) - iPadOS (all actual iPads) - macOS (Apple Silicon) - visionOS (Apple Vision Pro) Requirements: MacOS 10.15++ iOS 14.0++ Behaviour on all devices is identical. The parametric interface is resizeble and adopts to any screen size and orientation. This especially applies to Logic Pro X and all hosts with adjustable window sizes on all platforms. Display contrast can be adjusted freely and is now saved with each preset.

About

Katana Tone Control

Edit all settings of your guitar amplifier, including effects and channels, from your mobile device or computer. Organize your presets, switch tones on stage, and even control settings with your smartwatch. Syncs across devices via iCloud.

Highlights
  • Edit all amp and effect settings
  • Organize and import presets
  • Syncs via iCloud
  • On-stage setlist management
  • Apple Watch control
  • Full amp backup and restore
Features
Read full description

Edit every setting of your BOSS Katana MkII from your iPhone, iPad or Mac, run your setlists on stage, and switch channels from your Apple Watch. EDIT EVERYTHING • Amp character, gain, EQ and cab, plus every effect type for Booster, MOD, FX, Delay and Reverb, including types the amp's panel can't reach • Pedal FX, noise suppressor, EQs, Contour, panel colour banks and expression pedal targets • Drag the effects into any order • Undo, redo and A/B compare while you edit • All nine channels at a glance; save to any channel LIBRARY • Import .tsl patch files, or a whole folder at once • Tags, groups and search; duplicates are skipped • Syncs through iCloud across your iPhone, iPad and Mac • Share a patch by AirDrop, Messages or Mail ON STAGE • Setlists with songs of up to four parts (verse, chorus, solo), saved into one bank so a GA-FC switches them with no gap • A tempo per song sets your delays in time; Match Levels evens out the parts • Stage mode with big footswitches, and your own Bluetooth page-turners, keyboards or MIDI footswitches • Apple Watch, widgets, Control Center and Siri: "Switch to A2 in Katana Tone Control" ALSO • Back up the whole amp, all eight channels and the global settings, and restore it • Mac: connect your own AI app to set the amp to a song's tone CONNECTING Bluetooth through a BLE-MIDI adapter such as a CME WIDI, on iPhone, iPad and Mac. On a Mac, USB also works with BOSS's Katana driver installed. iPhone and iPad can't use the amp's USB. COMPATIBILITY Katana-50 MkII, Katana-100 MkII, Katana-100/212 MkII, Katana-Head MkII and Katana-Artist MkII. Katana Gen 3: shows the amp's settings and opens Gen 3 patches, read-only for now. Not the original Katana. PRICE Free to download with a 7-day free trial, then a one-off Unlock. No subscription. One purchase covers iPhone, iPad and Mac, and Family Sharing is on. BOSS and KATANA are trademarks of Roland Corporation. Katana Tone Control is an independent app and isn't affiliated with or endorsed by Roland or BOSS.

Screenshots

JAX ESSENTIALS4 screens
Katana Tone Control4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Katana Tone Control at Free against JAX ESSENTIALS's $4.99. Katana Tone Control also leads on update cadence (daily vs fortnightly). JAX ESSENTIALS's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 27.0). On 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

Katana Tone Control is free to download; JAX ESSENTIALS costs $4.99 up front. Katana Tone Control sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. JAX ESSENTIALS asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

JAX ESSENTIALS ships an update fortnightly, Katana Tone Control daily. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
JAX ESSENTIALS versus Katana Tone Control: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJAX ESSENTIALSKatana Tone Control
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating3.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS14.0 — better27.0
Further details — not scored
Size35 MB22 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJens GuellRHYME MASTER J TOASTERFACE

Customer experience

JAX ESSENTIALS

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Katana Tone Control

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

JAX ESSENTIALS

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Katana Tone Control

One-time2
  • 7-Day Free TrialFree
  • Unlock Katana Tone Control$9.99

Questions

Is JAX ESSENTIALS free?
JAX ESSENTIALS costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Katana Tone Control free?
Katana Tone Control is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do JAX ESSENTIALS or Katana Tone Control have ads?
Neither JAX ESSENTIALS nor Katana Tone Control shows ads.
Which is updated more often, JAX ESSENTIALS or Katana Tone Control?
JAX ESSENTIALS ships an update fortnightly, and Katana Tone Control daily. Most recently, JAX ESSENTIALS was updated on October 28, 2026 and Katana Tone Control on October 31, 2026.

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