# Mantis vs spectwhirl

The clearest difference is price: spectwhirl at $4.99 against Mantis's $14.99. spectwhirl also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 9 months) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). Mantis's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.0). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Mantis costs $14.99 and spectwhirl $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Mantis holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 5 respectively.

Mantis ships an update every 9 months, spectwhirl every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mantis | spectwhirl |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $14.99 | **$4.99** |
| Rating | **[5.0 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mantis-bbd-echo/id1673531514/reviews)** | [4.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spectwhirl/id6471030896/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **8** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | — | 33.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Size | 10 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [AudioThing Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1659941236) | [Alexey Nadzharov](https://appshunter.io/developer/729549192) |

## What reviewers say

### Mantis

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mantis-bbd-echo/id1673531514)

This audio plugin emulates a vintage 70s analog delay/echo unit, offering a warm, authentic sound. It features four echo taps, swell selectors, and a unique modulation section for chorus-like effects.

**Highlights:** Emulates rare 70s BBD delay/echo, Warm analog sound, Four echo taps, Four swell selectors, Rotafaze modulation section, Mimics tape echo wow/flutter, Chorus-delay effect

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### spectwhirl

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spectwhirl/id6471030896)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mantis free?

Mantis costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is spectwhirl free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Mantis or spectwhirl?

Mantis is rated higher. Mantis averages 5.0 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while spectwhirl averages 4.0 from 5 ratings.

### Do Mantis or spectwhirl have ads?

Neither Mantis nor spectwhirl shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Mantis or spectwhirl?

Mantis ships an update every 9 months, and spectwhirl every 5 weeks. Most recently, Mantis was updated on September 10, 2026 and spectwhirl on September 24, 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.*