Trope vs SpaceFields
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Generative soundscape creation
- Interactive touch interface
- Evolving musical textures
- Introspective and atmospheric tone
- Abstract shape tracing
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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
SpaceFields
Create evolving rhythmic soundscapes from any audio source. This app uses a loop-based system with dual loops, pitch shifting, and effects to generate ambient textures and rhythmic structures. Experiment with complex sound design using intuitive controls and randomization.
- Loop-based sound mangling
- Dual loop recorder
- Pitch shifting and effects
- Convolution reverb with deep spaces
- Rhythmic structure generation
- Automation generators with randomization
- Live and sample processing modes
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Loop-based mangler effect to create slowly changing rhythmic sound structures in deep reverb space from any external sources or samples. Great for experimenting and designing ambient and noise backgrounds with rhythmic elements. The principle of the application is quite simple. It is based on a loop recorder with two loops. When one loop is recorded, the second is played back. When the loop recording stops, there is a smooth transition between them. Three separate outputs can playback the recorded loop with different pitches (speeds), each with its own effects and two automation generators. The mix of these outputs is fed to the convolution reverb. The reverb is packed with a set of long and deep sound spaces that create a blurry and ambient sound. But the main feature of this application is its well designed parameters that make it easy to experiment with a huge number of sound options using any source material from live instruments to synthesized sound. With just two parameters you can add complex rhythmic structures based on Euclidean rhythms, and easy-to-use automation generators with a randomize option to add variations to the sound, allowing you to modify parameters like an LFO or based on a given rhythm. The convolution reverb has advanced options with which you can change and extend the original reverb spaces. Even using the randomization options, in almost every case, you will get interesting and various soundscapes and textures. With these options it is very easy to create the basis for new unique presets. It only takes a little tweaking of some parameters to get impressive results. The loop recorder can be started and stopped manually or by input signal, can use fixed length or overwrite the loop while recording, and has the option for crossfade between the end and the beginning of the loop. All this makes it convenient for live use as well as when processing recorded material. As an extended option, you can use a special mode in which the application works as a direct effect, without the loop recorder. The special mode sampler is designed for quickly load samples and easy control of the application when used it live. This panel contains the input and output controls, essential controls of the loop recorder, and a large area with a recording counter, which is also used to start/stop the recorder. You can assign up to nine samples for fast loading into the loop, as well as save a recorded loop as a sample and to an external file. SpaceFields is a universal application for iOS and macOS. It can work on iPhone and iPad as well as Mac / MacBook with M1 chip (and later). SpaceFields works on iPhone and iPad standalone, as an Audio Unit or Inter-App Audio module, with supports Audiobus host app. On MacOS, SpaceFields can works both as a standalone application and as an Audio unit (AUv3) with DAWs and other hosts that support AUv3 plugins. All application features are available on iOS and macOS, including MIDI support (with a MIDI learn option), audio unit parameters and importing samples from any directory on device. SpaceFields has a built-in detailed description of all parameters also available as PDF file on the application site. Demos and previews: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL1Dis3u0AQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpkWkc5I0uE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74LyfDM2dQM You can find more information on SpaceFields and other creative audio apps at: https://motion-soundscape.blogspot.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Trope at $3.99 against SpaceFields's $10.99. SpaceFields's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 34 months) and review sentiment (90% vs 64%). 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
Trope costs $3.99 and SpaceFields $10.99 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 Trope against 4.7 for SpaceFields. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 38 and 47 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 64% of Trope's written reviews are positive against 90% of SpaceFields's.
Trope ships an update every 34 months, SpaceFields every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Trope | SpaceFields |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 — better | $10.99 |
| Rating | 4.8 (38 ratings) — better | 4.7 (47 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 63.7% of reviews | 90.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 38 | 47 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 34 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 13.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 39 MB | 132 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Opal Limited | Igor Vasiliev |
Customer experience
Trope
SpaceFields
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 moreShow fewer
- 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
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- 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
SpaceFields
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Trope
No in-app purchases
SpaceFields
No in-app purchases









