Comparison

Trope vs Fractal Bits

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

Head to head
About

Trope

Create evolving soundscapes by tracing abstract shapes on your screen. This app offers a darker, more introspective and atmospheric musical experience, ideal for generative music exploration. Recommended for use with headphones or external speakers.

Highlights
  • Generative soundscape creation
  • Interactive touch interface
  • Evolving musical textures
  • Introspective and atmospheric tone
  • Abstract shape tracing
Features
Read full description

Trope, designed by ambient pioneer Brian Eno and musician / software designer Peter Chilvers, expands further on the ideas introduced by Bloom, their acclaimed iPhone application.  Darker in tone, Trope immerses users in endlessly evolving soundscapes created by tracing abstract shapes onto the screen, varying the tone with each movement. Recommended for headphones and external speakers. "Trope is a different emotional experience from Bloom - more introspective, more atmospheric. It shows that generative music, as one of the newest forms of sonema, can draw on a broad palette of moods." - Brian Eno

About

Fractal Bits

Generate an infinite variety of drum sounds using fractal algorithms. Save and share your unique sound sets via text codes. Perform live with multiple keyboard options and record your creations in real-time.

Highlights
  • Infinite unique drum sounds
  • Save/share sound sets via text codes
  • Multiple live drumming keyboards
  • MIDI control and mapping
  • Real-time WAV audio recording
  • Wi-Fi export/import
Features
Read full description

Fractal Bits is a drum synth with over four billion unique sounds created by fractal algorithms. Each set of 12 drums corresponds to a code of 8 characters (you can save/copy/paste it as plain text). Features: * Audio Unit Extension (AUv3), Audiobus; * search for new sounds with three buttons: next random set, edit code, previous set; * three types of keyboards for live drumming: 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 drums - they will not change during the search for new sets; * Wi-Fi export/import. 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

Trope4 screens
Fractal Bits2 screens

Verdict

The call

Trope and Fractal Bits both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 91% of Fractal Bits's written reviews are positive against 64% of Trope's. Fractal Bits also leads on update cadence (every 5 months vs every 34 months) and price ($1.99 vs $3.99). On rating, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Trope costs $3.99 and Fractal Bits $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Trope against 4.8 for Fractal Bits. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 38 and 80 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 64% of Trope's written reviews are positive against 91% of Fractal Bits's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Trope ships an update every 34 months, Fractal Bits every 5 months. Both last shipped on September 27, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Trope versus Fractal Bits: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTropeFractal Bits
Price$3.99$1.99 — better
Rating4.8 (38 ratings)4.8 (80 ratings)
Positive reviews63.7% of reviews90.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3880 — better
Update frequencyEvery 34 monthsEvery 5 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.612.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size39 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOpal LimitedAlexander Zolotov

Customer experience

Trope

All ratings38 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral5.3%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews146 reviews
Positive63.7%
Neutral11.6%
Negative24.7%

Fractal Bits

All ratings80 ratings
Positive96.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative3.8%
Written reviews43 reviews
Positive90.7%
Neutral7.0%
Negative2.3%

Bugs and requests

Trope

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • Does not run in background/sleep mode
  • App speeds up sleep timer
  • Errors about iOS 11 incompatibility
  • Cannot listen and create after update
  • Screen looks awful (outdated UI)
Show 7 more
  • App doesn't work/programmed feel
  • Music doesn't stop when app is closed
  • Sleep timer not working correctly in iOS6
  • Glitchy sound/static at note start
  • ノイズが入る (Noise occurs)
  • 音が割れる (Sound distortion/crackling)
  • Bug that changes line type back to default after erasing

Requested features

11 requests
  • Ability to save compositions
  • Option to turn off random background noises
  • More control over sound parameters (attack, duration)
  • User sound input option
  • Recording function
Show 6 more
  • More variety in sounds and moods
  • Mac app store version
  • Streaming to AirPort Express
  • Improve responsiveness to touches
  • Option to remove random tones
  • Background tasking/multitasking improvements

Fractal Bits

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Trope

No in-app purchases

None

Fractal Bits

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Trope free?
Trope costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Fractal Bits free?
Fractal Bits costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Trope or Fractal Bits?
Trope and Fractal Bits are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 38 and 80 ratings respectively.
Do Trope or Fractal Bits have ads?
Neither Trope nor Fractal Bits shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Trope or Fractal Bits?
Trope ships an update every 34 months, and Fractal Bits every 5 months. Most recently, Trope was updated on September 27, 2026 and Fractal Bits on September 27, 2026.

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