# Pulsar vs RetroSFX

The clearest difference is price: RetroSFX at $0.99 against Pulsar's $4.99. Pulsar's advantage is device support and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Pulsar costs $4.99 and RetroSFX $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Pulsar ships an update every 3 weeks, RetroSFX every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pulsar | RetroSFX |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **$0.99** |
| Rating | **[4.3 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pulsar-es-drum-machine/id1661825756/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **7** | — |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | — |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Size | 61 MB | 133 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | — |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dmytro Kiro](https://appshunter.io/developer/1621893756) | [Ali Taleb](https://appshunter.io/developer/1635037808) |

## What reviewers say

### Pulsar

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pulsar-es-drum-machine/id1661825756)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### RetroSFX

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retrosfx/id6761139769)

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pulsar free?

Pulsar costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is RetroSFX free?

RetroSFX costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which is updated more often, Pulsar or RetroSFX?

Pulsar ships an update every 3 weeks, and RetroSFX every 5 weeks. Most recently, Pulsar was updated on October 17, 2026 and RetroSFX on October 11, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*