Comparison

Pulsar vs GateVerb

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

Head to head
About

Pulsar

This music app provides a virtual drum machine with 8 pads for improvising and playing along to built-in rhythm presets. It features real-time rhythm switching, tempo control, and various effects. It also supports Ableton Link and MIDI for seamless integration with other music software and hardware.

Highlights
  • 8-pad drum machine
  • Built-in rhythm presets
  • Real-time rhythm switching
  • Tempo and accent control
  • Drive, reverb, and filter effects
  • Ableton Link synchronization
  • MIDI In/Out support
  • AUv3 compatibility
Features
Currently charting
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Make beats anywhere with Pulsar-ES, an authentic preset drum machine expanded into a mobile groovebox for iPhone and iPad. Inspired by the rare Soviet/Ukrainian PULSAR hardware, Pulsar-ES keeps the original industrial rhythm-box character while adding the missing modern features producers expect: MIDI editing, deeper FX, Ableton Link sync, AUv3 workflow, and mobile project control. Play ideas fast on the 4x2 drum pad grid, then turn them into full patterns with the MIDI Clip Editor. Draw, move, and resize notes directly on the grid so your rhythm stays editable after the first take. Shape your sound with a hands-on FX rack built for quick decisions: - Filter with low-pass, band-pass, high-pass, and notch modes - Reverb with room, hall, and plate spaces - Overdrive with overdrive, distortion, fuzz, and tube modes - Delay with digital, tape, and ping-pong modes - Chorus and compressor for extra movement and control Pulsar-ES also supports Ableton Link sync, project save/load, rhythm presets, and a portrait layout designed for making music on the go. Start a beat, edit every note, shape it with FX, and keep your ideas moving.

About

GateVerb

This audio effect plugin offers a stereo reverb with a retro sound. It features pre and post-effect filters for tone shaping and a switchable gate for classic gated reverb or reverse reverb effects in real-time. Adjust size, damping, width, and wet/dry levels for customized audio.

Highlights
  • Stereo reverb with retro vibe
  • Pre and post-effect filters
  • Switchable gate processing
  • Gated reverb emulation
  • Reverse reverb emulation
  • Adjustable reverb size, damping, width
  • Adjustable wet/dry signal levels
Currently charting
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GateVerb Gated Reverb Plugin (AUv3) GateVerb is an audio effect plugin that can run standalone, or in any AU compatible host application such as Logic Pro or GarageBand. Overview GateVerb is a super-simple and CPU-friendly stereo reverb with a retro vibe. Pre and post-effect filters provide additional tone-shaping, and the switchable gate processing stage allows the recreation of the gated reverb sound made famous on many an 80's hit, as well as an emulation of a "reverse reverb" effect in realtime. And of course, you can simply switch off the gate, for those times when you just need a straightforward no-frills reverb. Controls Active - Toggles the effect On or Off. You can use this control to A/B your settings with the original signal and this will fade gradually between the two with no distracting pops or clicks! Reverb Controls Size - Varies the size of the emulated reverb from a small room to very large hall. Damping - Varies the amount of high frequency damping applied to the reverb tail. As damping is increased, the reverb effect becomes "softer". Width - Sets the stereo spread of the generated reverb from mono, to wide stereo. Wet - Sets the level of the generated reverb, including the filter processing. Dry - Sets the level of the dry / incoming audio signal. Filter Controls HPF - Sets the cutoff frequency of a high-pass filter, which is applied to the signal sent into the reverb processing. LPF - Sets the cutoff frequency of a low-pass filter, which is applied to the output of the reverb processing. Gate Controls Gate - Turns the gate processing stage On or Off. Like the Active control, this is a "soft" switch so you can A/B the effect. The gate processing is applied to the wet / reverb signal only. Smoothing - Sets how fast the gate processing responds to changes in the input signal. Lower settings correspond to a fast response time, whereas higher settings introduce a lag or damping effect to the responsiveness of the gate. Note that the smoothing time also affects the Attack and Release times, so if you need a really slow attack, try increasing the Smoothing too. Threshold - Sets the signal level required to "open" the gate. Note - If set too high, you might not hear any reverb at all, and if set too low, no gating effect will occur as the signal will be loud enough to keep the gate open all the time. Attack - Sets how quickly the gate opens once triggered. At the zero setting, the gate will open immediately, otherwise it opens up gradually, which can be used to create a swell / pseudo-reverse reverb effect. Sometimes, just having a little bit of a swell prevents the reverb from masking the attack of the dry signal which helps retain clarity. Alternatively, ramp-up the attack for spooky vocal effects! Release - Sets how quickly the gate closes after the attack stage. At zero, it will close very quickly, depending on the Response settings. Longer release times can be quite subtle and allows for some fine-tuning of the reverb tail. Somewhere in the middle is the classic 80's drum type gated reverb effect. For more info and support please visit: www.waverley-instruments.com/robjackson

Screenshots

Pulsar4 screens
GateVerb4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: GateVerb at 5.0 against Pulsar's 4.3. GateVerb also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 67%) and price ($1.99 vs $4.99). Pulsar's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). 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

Pulsar costs $4.99 and GateVerb $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

GateVerb holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 3 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Pulsar's written reviews are positive against 100% of GateVerb's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pulsar ships an update every 3 weeks, GateVerb every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and September 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Pulsar versus GateVerb: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPulsarGateVerb
Price$4.99$1.99 — better
Rating4.3 (7 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#188#186 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS13.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size61 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDmytro KiroRob Jackson

Customer experience

Pulsar

All ratings7 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative16.7%

GateVerb

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Pulsar

No in-app purchases

None

GateVerb

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pulsar free?
Pulsar costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is GateVerb free?
GateVerb costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pulsar or GateVerb?
GateVerb is rated higher. Pulsar averages 4.3 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while GateVerb averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Pulsar or GateVerb have ads?
Neither Pulsar nor GateVerb shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pulsar or GateVerb?
Pulsar ships an update every 3 weeks, and GateVerb every 2 months. Most recently, Pulsar was updated on September 18, 2026 and GateVerb on September 7, 2026.
Which is more popular, Pulsar or GateVerb?
Pulsar currently peaks at #188 in the App Store charts, and GateVerb at #186. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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