Bloom vs Relic Flow
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Bloom
Create unique melodies and elaborate patterns by simply tapping the screen. This generative music player offers an infinite selection of compositions and accompanying visualizations, even when left idle. It's a musical instrument, composition, and artwork all in one.
- Create melodies by tapping
- Generative music player
- Visualizations
- 12 mood settings
- Adjustable delay
- Shake to clear
Read full descriptionHide full description
Developed by ambient pioneer Brian Eno and musician / software designer Peter Chilvers, Bloom explores uncharted territory in the realm of applications for the iPhone and iPod touch. Part instrument, part composition and part artwork, Bloom's innovative controls allow anyone to create elaborate patterns and unique melodies by simply tapping the screen. A generative music player takes over when Bloom is left idle, creating an infinite selection of compositions and their accompanying visualisations. "Bloom is an endless music machine, a music box for the 21st century. You can play it, and you can watch it play itself." - Brian Eno Features - 12 different mood settings - Random mood shuffle - Adjustable delay - Shake to clear - Evolve when idle - Sleep Timer Recommended for headphones or external speakers. “Bloom Raises the Bar for Musical iPhone Apps… if you're a fan of ambient music or music in general, you'll be wanting to get it right now” - Gizmodo “A relaxing alternative to just about anything else you can do with an iPhone” Wired “Hypnotic and ludicrously addictive” - Guardian
Relic Flow
Generate unique Lo-Fi rhythms, noise patterns, and drum loops using advanced synthesis algorithms. Explore billions of sound samples with intuitive controls and real-time audio recording. Perfect for musicians and sound designers seeking endless creative possibilities.
- Lo-Fi rhythm and drum loop generation
- Billions of unique sound samples
- Real-time audio recording to WAV
- Multiple input methods (on-screen, PC keyboard, MIDI)
- Export to WAV, SunVox, and text clipboard
- iOS Audio Unit Extension (AUv3) support
Read full descriptionHide full description
Relic Flow is a generator of Lo-Fi rhythms, noise patterns and drum loops based on unique synthesis algorithms from NightRadio. More than 4 billion samples from the depths of the Mathematical Universe! Features: * search for new sounds with three buttons: next random set, edit code, previous set; each set of 12 sounds corresponds to a code of 8 characters; * three types of keyboards for live performing: on-screen buttons, PC keyboard, MIDI input; * several processing parameters + control via MIDI; * real-time audio recording to WAV (32-bit); * export to: WAV (one file or a set), SunVox (samples + effects in one file), text clipboard; * the LCK button freezes individual samples - they will not change during the search for new sets; * iOS Audio Unit Extension (AUv3). Double clicking on a parameter opens a window for setting the exact value. If you enable the Hold option, the notes will play endlessly, without reacting to key release (noteOff) events; turning the note on again works like turning it off; there are two ways to enable this option: 1) using the Hold parameter in the "MIDI Mapping" window; 2) by pressing the HOLD button, which appears in place of LCK while playing the musical keyboard: press HOLD, release the desired notes - then the released notes will continue to play.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is chart position: Bloom at #63 against Relic Flow's unranked. Bloom also leads on ratings volume (99 vs 28). Relic Flow's advantage is price ($1.99 vs $3.99) and review sentiment (93% vs 84%). On rating, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Bloom costs $3.99 and Relic Flow $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Bloom against 4.9 for Relic Flow. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 99 and 28 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 84% of Bloom's written reviews are positive against 93% of Relic Flow's.
Bloom ships an update every 11 months, Relic Flow every 17 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Bloom | Relic Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | $1.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (99 ratings) | 4.9 (28 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 84.5% of reviews | 93.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 99 — better | 28 |
| Update frequency | Every 11 months — better | Every 17 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #63 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 17 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Opal Limited | Alexander Zolotov |
Customer experience
Bloom
Relic Flow
Bugs and requests
Bloom
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes on iOS 8/11 updates
- Stops working in background
- High notes cause issues for some users
Requested features
7 requests- Add more sound options/instruments
- Implement recording and export capabilities
- Add sleep timer and background playback
- Improve low-end sound quality
- Introduce MIDI support
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Expand sound manipulation options (pitch bending, sustain, etc.)
- Add visual customization (blurred edges, etc.)
Relic Flow
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Bloom
No in-app purchases
Relic Flow
No in-app purchases









