Comparison

Trope vs Fluss

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
Currently charting
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

Fluss

Explore granular synthesis with a tactile interface. Import, record, or live-process audio to create unique sound textures, drones, and echoes. Features kinetic sliders for dynamic modulation and a unique shimmer feedback effect.

Highlights
  • Granular synthesis engine
  • Import, record, or live process audio
  • Kinetic sliders for modulation
  • Shimmer feedback effect
  • MIDI playable
  • Oberheim Xpander inspired filter
  • Microtonal experiment support
Features
Read full description

Fluss is a sonic playground designed by Bram Bos and Berlin-based musician Hainbach to let you explore granular synthesis in a hands-on way. The playful touch UI invites anything from live performance, experimentation to learning and mastering the granular concept. Multiple plugins: Import, Record or Live Process You can import your own WAVs (standalone & AUv3 Instrument plugin), Record audio (Record effect plugin) or live-process sound (Process effect plugin) to create anything from drones and granular echoes to moving microtonal audio textures. Designed for touch: Kinetic Sliders All sliders and XY pads are linked to a physics model which lets you flick and throw them around. Minimise the friction for endless bouncing motion, as an innovative substitute for traditional LFOs and modulation. There was never a better reason for using a touchscreen for music. Shimmer Feedback effect Like a shimmer reverb, except it feeds the processed audio back into the grain engine. This lets you create an endless loop of pitch-shifting spaciousness, turning even the simplest of sounds into massive woolly mammoths. - 3 Voice grain engine, each with an independent playhead - Playable via MIDI (since version 1.1) - Filter inspired by the Oberheim Xpander, including its resonant Phase filter - Kinetic sliders and pads for playful interaction with the sound - Universal design (iPhone and iPad; iPad Air 2 or higher recommended) - Custom scales, unquantised mode and even Scala-import for microtonal experiments - Use WAVs (or other audio files), record audio or load the app as a live-processing audio effect - Real world tested as an instrument in numerous live performances by Hainbach - Offers light mode and dark mode UI

Screenshots

Trope4 screens
Fluss4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Trope at $3.99 against Fluss's $13.99. Trope also leads on chart position (#150 vs unranked). Fluss's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 34 months) and review sentiment (78% 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Trope costs $3.99 and Fluss $13.99 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 Fluss. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 38 and 71 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 64% of Trope's written reviews are positive against 78% of Fluss's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Trope ships an update every 34 months, Fluss every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Trope versus Fluss: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTropeFluss
Price$3.99 — better$13.99
Rating4.8 (38 ratings)4.8 (71 ratings) — better
Positive reviews63.7% of reviews78.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3871 — better
Update frequencyEvery 34 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#150 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.612 — better
Further details — not scored
Size39 MB453 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOpal LimitedBram Bos

Customer experience

Trope

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

Fluss

All ratings71 ratings
Positive97.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews50 reviews
Positive78.0%
Neutral4.0%
Negative18.0%

User reviews

Trope

From 38 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✨ Generative music creation
  • 🧘 Calming and meditative atmosphere
  • 🎨 Visually beautiful and mesmerizing
  • 🎧 Great for relaxation and sleep
  • 💡 Pioneering and innovative concept

Room to improve

  • 📉 Limited user control
  • 🤔 Simplistic and unimaginative (for some)
  • 🔊 Random background noises intrusive
  • 🎛️ Lack of sound modification options
  • 💰 Perceived as expensive for simplicity

Fluss

From 71 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💡 Innovative touch interface
  • 🎶 Great for soundscapes
  • ✨ Unique sound manipulation
  • 🎛️ Intuitive controls
  • 🎵 Highly playable instrument

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes frequently
  • ⚫ Black screen issue
  • 🎧 No audible output
  • 🎛️ Not enough control
  • 😵 Too much chaos

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

Fluss

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes with black screen
  • No audible output
  • App resets when put in background
  • Cyan play head difficult to see on waveform

Requested features

20 requests
  • Adjustable layer field per grain
  • Record from internal microphone
  • More control over grain direction
  • BPM settings
  • Transition from clean to new sounds
Show 15 more
  • AUv3 plugin version
  • Scan speed multiplier (x2, x4)
  • Draw lines on pitch XY pad
  • Lock oscillators on pitch XY pad
  • Assign play heads triggered by external controller
  • Snapshots for pitch section
  • More clock and tempo syncing options
  • Visualization of buffer, playback head speed, modulation
  • Quantizer visualization
  • User-changeable pitch XY pad layout
  • Global friction and separate sensitivity option
  • Modulation to specific play head
  • Proper sampling button (microphone access)
  • Preset browser arrows
  • More control over panning, filter, scan speed

In-app purchases

None

Trope

No in-app purchases

None

Fluss

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Trope free?
Trope costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Fluss free?
Fluss costs $13.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Trope or Fluss?
Fluss is rated higher. Trope averages 4.8 out of 5 from 38 ratings, while Fluss averages 4.8 from 71 ratings.
Do Trope or Fluss have ads?
Neither Trope nor Fluss shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Trope or Fluss?
Trope ships an update every 34 months, and Fluss every 3 months. Most recently, Trope was updated on October 29, 2026 and Fluss on October 30, 2026.

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