Comparison

K3 Tones vs TraceSonic

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

Head to head
About

K3 Tones

Features
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A fun and free tone generation app. Choose Prime numbers, Healing frequencies; Earth Pulse derivatives, Schumann resonance (audible), and make your own Custom tones. Load and Save from Files (including Cloud). Choose the number of channels to generate tones with, from Mono (1 channel) all the way up to Atmos 9.1.6 (16 channels), with cool waveform graphs (pinch-able) to show each category of tone being generated, and a summary waveform graph for the entire mess that you have created! Three selectable Phase Adjustments can also be applied (None, Tri-Phase, and Five-Phase). And don't worry that you can't get a 16-channel amplifier and speaker setup connected to your Apple Device - you can click on the "Mix Spatial" button and get Spatial Audio output generated (best listened through Air Pods).

About

TraceSonic

Transform images into unique sounds by drawing on a spectral canvas. This app uses brush strokes and imported images to generate additive synthesis, offering a creative way to craft musical instruments and soundscapes.

Highlights
  • Draw on spectral canvas
  • Import images to create sound
  • 128 additive oscillators
  • Multiple brush types
  • Pitch snapping to scales
  • MIDI note input
  • Save custom patches
Features
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TraceSonic turns pictures into sound. Paint directly on a spectral canvas and hear each mark become part of a playable additive instrument: horizontal position is time, height is pitch, and brightness controls the level of each partial. Start with an empty canvas and draw with solid, soft, textured, tapered, or harmonic brushes. Fill the canvas with generated patterns, or import an image and turn its brightness into sound. Pitch snapping keeps freehand marks on your selected scale. Shape your sound with: • 128 additive oscillators spanning four octaves • Seven classic waveforms and 12 built-in wavetables • Forward, reverse, and ping-pong scanning • Adjustable pass length and tempo-synchronized loops in compatible Audio Unit hosts • MIDI note input for retuning the complete canvas • More than 60 factory patches, including tones, sequences, gestures, textures, drones, and sound effects • User patches that save the canvas and its synthesis settings • Solid, harmonic, soft, textured, and tapered brush families • Undo, redo, erasing, pitch snapping, and scale selection Use TraceSonic as a standalone instrument on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, or load its AUv3 instrument in a compatible host.

Screenshots

K3 Tones3 screens
TraceSonic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: K3 Tones at Free against TraceSonic's $7.99. TraceSonic's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 8 months). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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

K3 Tones is free to download; TraceSonic costs $7.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

K3 Tones ships an update every 8 months, TraceSonic every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
K3 Tones versus TraceSonic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterK3 TonesTraceSonic
PriceFree — better$7.99
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 8 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Paid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS17.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerkadosh3, llcr6 appz

In-app purchases

None

K3 Tones

No in-app purchases

None

TraceSonic

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is K3 Tones free?
K3 Tones is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is TraceSonic free?
TraceSonic costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do K3 Tones or TraceSonic have ads?
Neither K3 Tones nor TraceSonic shows ads.
Which is updated more often, K3 Tones or TraceSonic?
K3 Tones ships an update every 8 months, and TraceSonic every 9 days. Most recently, K3 Tones was updated on October 27, 2026 and TraceSonic on October 26, 2026.

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