Air vs tardigrain
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Air
This app creates a unique, ever-changing audio-visual experience using vocal and piano samples. Users can influence the composition through different modes and even spread the sound across multiple devices.
- Generative audio-visual composition
- Vocal and piano sample assembly
- Four 'Conduct' modes for user control
- Three 'Listen' modes for arrangement choice
- Multi-device sound spreading option
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Air is a generative audio-visual work created by musician / software designer Peter Chilvers and Irish vocalist Sandra O’Neill. Based on concepts developed by Brian Eno, with whom Chilvers created Bloom, Air assembles vocal and piano samples into a beautiful, still and ever changing composition, which is always familiar, but never the same. Air features four ‘Conduct’ modes, which let the user control the composition by tapping different areas on the display, and three ‘Listen’ modes, which provide a choice of arrangement. For those fortunate enough to have access to multiple iPhones and speakers, an option has been provided to spread the composition over several players. Recommended for headphones and external speakers. "Air is like 'Music for Airports' made endless - which is how I always wanted it to be" - Brian Eno
tardigrain
Create unique sounds by breaking down samples into small fragments and playing them back non-linearly. Explore granular synthesis with adjustable grain size, direction, and step size. Enhance your audio with built-in effects, filters, and modulation options.
- Granular synthesis engine
- Adjustable grain parameters
- Built-in effects (reverb, wave shaper, crush)
- Resonant filter
- MIDI and MPE modulation
- Sequencer/arpeggiator
- LFO modulation
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Tardigrain is a granular synthesiser for iOS that runs standalone or as an AU plugin. Sounds are created by taking smaller fragments of a sample and playing them back in a non linear fashion, with settings for grain size, direction, step size and more. Process the sound further through effects like reverb, wave shaper and sample crush. Tardigrain supports connections with AudioCopy, AudioBus, Inter App Audio and AUv3. Plus all audio parameters can be modulated by MIDI, as AU parameters and by aftertouch on the build in keyboard. Now also a selected set of parameters can be modulated by LFOs och notes triggered by a new sequencer/arpeggiator. +++ Record your own samples or import using AudioCopy/drag'n drop +++ Chromatic granualar playpack +++ Effects (Wave shaper, Reverb, Sample crusher, Pitch and stereo spread) +++ Resonant filter (low, band and high pass) +++ Keyboard and MPE modulation of any audio parameters +++ Note trigger sequencer/arpeggiator +++ 4 LFO sources for modulating a selected set of parameters +++ Multiple factory presets to get you started +++ Save and load your own settings and samples +++ Inter App Audio, AudioBus and AUv3 +++ Core MIDI, Inter App Audio MIDI and AUv3 MIDI
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: tardigrain at every 2 months against Air's every 12 months. tardigrain also leads on review sentiment (76% vs 55%) and ratings volume (98 vs 10). Air's advantage is price ($1.99 vs $5.99) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 11.0). On rating, 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
Air costs $1.99 and tardigrain $5.99 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 — 4.5 for Air against 4.6 for tardigrain. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: tardigrain has 98 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 55% of Air's written reviews are positive against 76% of tardigrain's.
Air ships an update every 12 months, tardigrain every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Air | tardigrain |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 — better | $5.99 |
| Rating | 4.5 (10 ratings) | 4.6 (98 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 55.3% of reviews | 75.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 10 | 98 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 12 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #146 — better | #178 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 11.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 33 MB | 60 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Opal Limited | Erik Sigth |
Customer experience
Air
tardigrain
In-app purchases
Air
No in-app purchases
tardigrain
No in-app purchases
