Sanshin vs VA
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sanshin
Learn to play the traditional Okinawan Sanshin instrument with this app. It displays finger positions and corresponds to "Kun-Kun-Shi" musical scores in Kanji, making it accessible even for beginners.
- Learn Sanshin finger positions
- Kanji score display
- Beginner-friendly interface
- Okinawan music exploration
- Interactive learning tool
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The "Sanshin" (Sanxian,三線) is a traditional and very popular musical instrument in Okinawa. Okinawa is beautiful islands located on the end of the southwest of Japan. The Sanshin is indispensable to life of people in Okinawa with traditional "Shima-Uta" that means song of islands. The Sanshin looks like the shamisen that is the tradition musical instrument of Japan similarly. But, the performance method of the Sanshin is farther simpler than the Shamisen,and is friendly musical instrument. In this application, proper finger positions will be displayed on the screen with Kanji. These also correspond to scores that is called "Kun-Kun-Shi" written in Kanji. We hope you will enjoy playing the Sanshin even if you have not played a Sanshin. Please try and enjoy it!
VA
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VA-1 is a focused virtual-analog synthesizer for musicians, producers, and sound designers who want a fast, hands-on way to create their own sounds. Play, sequence, record, and shape sounds from one direct interface inspired by classic hardware synths. No subscription. No in-app purchases. No ads. No account required. — SYNTHESIZER — • Up to 16-voice polyphony • Two oscillators plus a sub oscillator • Independent oscillator noise controls • Multi-mode filter with resonance • Amp and filter ADSR envelopes • One LFO per voice • Chorus, phaser, delay, and reverb effects Explore the included factory sounds, customize any preset, mark favorites, and save your own creations. — SEQUENCER & WAV EXPORT — Record and loop sequences while shaping the sound, change the pattern length, or use KEY mode to transpose a sequence from the keyboard. Capture VA-1’s stereo output while you play, then preview, save, or share the recording as a WAV file. Sequencer loops can also be exported directly to WAV using the current sound, tempo, and effects. Recording captures only VA-1’s internally generated output. It does not use the microphone or record audio-interface inputs. — MIDI & AUv3 — • External MIDI input and output • Send MIDI from the keyboard or sequencer to external instruments • MIDI Learn for mapping hardware controls • Standard MIDI CC support • AUv3 instrument support in compatible hosts • Background audio • Support for class-compliant USB audio interfaces — ONE PURCHASE, ALL YOUR DEVICES — VA-1 is a universal purchase. Buy it once and install it on iPhone, iPad, and Mac at no additional cost.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Sanshin at $1.99 against VA's $24.99. Sanshin also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 26.0). VA's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 16 months). On ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Sanshin costs $1.99 and VA $24.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Sanshin ships an update every 16 months, VA every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sanshin | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 — better | $24.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 25.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 16 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | CRIMSON TECHNOLOGY, Inc | Richard Gillespie |
In-app purchases
Sanshin
No in-app purchases
VA
No in-app purchases









