Comparison

Textquencer Sequencer & Synth vs spectwhirl

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

Head to head
About

Textquencer Sequencer & Synth

Create music by typing text. Each letter corresponds to a note in a chosen scale, allowing for unique melodic sequences. Customize character mappings and randomize note velocities for dynamic compositions.

Highlights
  • Text-to-note sequencing
  • Custom character mapping
  • Scale-based note generation
  • Velocity and gate randomization
  • Internal synth (standalone)
  • AUv3 plugin support
Features
Read full description

Textquencer is a text-based MIDI sequencer. Each letter's alphabetical index is mapped to the note in the scale you are working.  For example in C-major scale, Letter A (index = 1) is Note C (first note in the scale) Letter B (index = 2) is Note D (second note in the scale) Letter C (index = 3) is Note E (third note in the scale) Letter H (index = 8) is Note C but an octave higher and so on. You can create custom character mapping for emojis, punctuation, symbols or any letters in any language. A custom character can mapped to - A specific MIDI note or, - A specific note in the scale like the first note in the scale, the third note in the scale etc. Unless a character is custom mapped, a letter in English alphabet or a number, it will be a rest in the sequencer. Also, you can randomise the velocity and gate lengths in each step if you want, You can enable it on the settings menu and set a randomization min-max range. Please note that Textquencer is a MIDI app. The standalone version has an optional internal synth where you can enable or disable on the settings menu. The AUv3 plugin requires an audio app for output. For the AUv3 functionality, it needs to be hosted within an app such as AUM, Loopy Pro, Cubasis, Logic Pro, Nanostudio, Drambo, or apeMatrix.

About

spectwhirl

This audio effect app transforms input sound into new textures and bell-like tones by extracting and manipulating sinewave components. It offers advanced control over delay lines, frequency shifting, and filtering, with gesture recording for parameter automation.

Highlights
  • Sinewave component extraction and grouping
  • Delay lines with feedback
  • Frequency shifter and sample-and-hold effects
  • Configurable filtering
  • Gesture recording for automation
  • Scene saving and management
Features
Read full description

"bells and whistles, literally" spectwhirl is a hybrid spectral audio effect. It can extract and rearrange sinewave components from input signal to make new sound textures and bell-like sounds. * input sound is converted to sinewave components that are divided into 4 groups: harmonic, inharmonic, 12-edo and other * each component is fed into a delay line with feedback * there is a group of frequency shifter and sample-and-hold effects before and after delay lines * each set of sinewave components can be filtered * all the parameters can be instantly automated with gesture recording !!! Please note that this effect consumes much CPU and requires a modern device. ====================== Quick Start: Top row of controls enables different parts of user interface: scenes editor ("scene"), controls switch ("edit") and "zoom" controls When "edit" is switch on, you can show or hide various controls (marked as "ctrl") and switch gesture recording automation for some of them (marked with ">") Main control surface displays sonogram with tracked elements. Colors are set accordingly to the group they are assigned (red-orange-green-blue are for harmonic, inharmonic, 12-edo and others). Each "lane" contains delay time controls. * Triangle facing left is for the start locator, it determines initial delay time * Square moves both start and end locators together * When left locator is first moved you can see the right locator with the same triangle. It shows the end of the selected region, the secondary delay time is determined by the difference between left and right locators * if you drag over the area of the region in a lane, the four-dotted/one circle indicator will change its appearance; this changes the arpeggio mode of the region. If set to leftmost position (one circle) the components go in-sync; if set to maximum value (shown as diagonal line with circles) - components are played sequentially * all settings can be stored as "scene" and multiple scenes can be switched sequentially; there is a set of button to move, add and delete scenes. All scenes will be stored as machine state; it can be exported / imported as a single file or as separate file with current scene in the "setup" view The standalone version always starts with output level set to -70 dB to avoid feedback

Screenshots

Textquencer Sequencer & Synth4 screens
spectwhirl4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Textquencer Sequencer & Synth at 100% against spectwhirl's 33%. Textquencer Sequencer & Synth also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.0). On price, 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

Textquencer Sequencer & Synth costs $4.99 and spectwhirl $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Textquencer Sequencer & Synth holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 5 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Textquencer Sequencer & Synth's written reviews are positive against 33% of spectwhirl's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Textquencer Sequencer & Synth ships an update monthly, spectwhirl every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Textquencer Sequencer & Synth versus spectwhirl: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTextquencer Sequencer & Synthspectwhirl
Price$4.99$4.99
Rating4.6 (7 ratings) — better4.0 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings7 — better5
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCem OlcayAlexey Nadzharov

Customer experience

Textquencer Sequencer & Synth

All ratings7 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral14.3%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

spectwhirl

All ratings5 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral33.3%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

None

Textquencer Sequencer & Synth

No in-app purchases

None

spectwhirl

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Textquencer Sequencer & Synth free?
Textquencer Sequencer & Synth costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is spectwhirl free?
spectwhirl costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Textquencer Sequencer & Synth or spectwhirl?
Textquencer Sequencer & Synth is rated higher. Textquencer Sequencer & Synth averages 4.6 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while spectwhirl averages 4.0 from 5 ratings.
Do Textquencer Sequencer & Synth or spectwhirl have ads?
Neither Textquencer Sequencer & Synth nor spectwhirl shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Textquencer Sequencer & Synth or spectwhirl?
Textquencer Sequencer & Synth ships an update monthly, and spectwhirl every 5 weeks. Most recently, Textquencer Sequencer & Synth was updated on November 6, 2026 and spectwhirl on November 3, 2026.

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