Comparison

Wires vs Combustor

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

Head to head
About

Wires

This audio plugin emulates a vintage wire recorder, transforming sound into lo-fi echoes and effects reminiscent of secret operations. It offers unique dubbing capabilities and can be used for creating atmospheric beats or experimental audio.

Highlights
  • Vintage wire recorder emulation
  • Lo-fi echo effects
  • Secret operation soundscapes
  • Unusual dubbing echoes
  • Atmospheric beat creation
  • AUv3 and Standalone formats
Features
Read full description

Made originally for military and secret service use across the Iron Curtain, in the hands of a few avant-garde musicians, the MN61 wire recorder became a magical lofi-tool and ghostly echo machine. Now this rare and rather finicky to operate piece of hardware is available for the first time as a faithful yet modern plugin. Transform your audio to the world of numbers stations and secret operations, dub out to very unusual echoes or make the most lofi beats to study too. Available as AUv3 and Standalone.

About

Combustor

This audio effect extension transforms tracks with a unique time-bending resonator. Create vibrant textures, subtle resonances, and dynamic sweeps. It's designed for electronic musicians and producers seeking to add wild or organic qualities to their sounds.

Highlights
  • Time bending resonator effect
  • Creates distorted textures and physical resonance
  • Envelope follower for dynamic control
  • MIDI input for melodic control
  • Performative interface
  • AUv3 compatible
Features
Read full description

*** Note: Combustor is an Audio Unit effect extension and requires an AUv3 compatible host app, like Logic Pro, Drambo or GarageBand. It does not run as a standalone app *** Combustor is a unique, wild resonating body fashioned to spice up or extremely transform your tracks. At the heart of Combustor is a custom time bending resonator that doesn't sound like anything you have heard before. You can create anything from vibrant, distorted texture, perfectly suited for "hardcore" electronic musicians, to subtle physical resonance, which is often lacking in synthesized sounds. Combustor contains an envelope follower, to create dynamic-controlled pitch or filter sweeps. It also has MIDI input, that controls resonator's pitch, to make something melodic and organic out of non-melodic sounds, like drums. With just a few knob turns, a boring sound can be turned into screaming madness that sounds like it went out of control. A simple and straightforward interface makes Combustor a performative tool that allows you to directly interact with your sound.

Screenshots

Wires1 screens
Combustor1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Combustor at $4.99 against Wires's $19.99. Combustor also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 10 months). Wires's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and review sentiment (89% vs 80%). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Wires costs $19.99 and Combustor $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Wires holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 20 and 20 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of Wires's written reviews are positive against 80% of Combustor's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Wires ships an update every 10 months, Combustor every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Wires versus Combustor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWiresCombustor
Price$19.99$4.99 — better
Rating5.0 (20 ratings) — better4.7 (20 ratings)
Positive reviews88.9% of reviews — better80.0% of reviews
Number of ratings2020
Update frequencyEvery 10 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size62 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAudioThing Ltd.BeepStreet

Customer experience

Wires

All ratings20 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive88.9%
Neutral11.1%
Negative0.0%

Combustor

All ratings19 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative10.0%

In-app purchases

None

Wires

No in-app purchases

None

Combustor

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Wires free?
Wires costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Combustor free?
Combustor costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Wires or Combustor?
Wires is rated higher. Wires averages 5.0 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while Combustor averages 4.7 from 20 ratings.
Do Wires or Combustor have ads?
Neither Wires nor Combustor shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Wires or Combustor?
Wires ships an update every 10 months, and Combustor every 2 months. Most recently, Wires was updated on October 27, 2026 and Combustor on October 30, 2026.

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