Comparison

SynthStation vs iVoxel

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

Head to head
About

SynthStation

Transform your mobile device into a portable music studio. Create melodies, bass lines, and drum beats with virtual synthesizers, drum kits, and a built-in sequencer. Offers real-time recording and extensive effects for unlimited sonic creativity.

Highlights
  • Three virtual-analog synthesizers
  • Over 50 drum kits
  • Built-in sequencer
  • Arpeggiator with preset patterns
  • Core MIDI-compatible
  • Real-time recording
  • Effects and filters
Features
Read full description

Low $1.99 price extended! Compatibility: Requires iOS 4.3 to iOS 6.1.3 Features • Three virtual-analog synthesizers, each with three oscillators • More than 50 drum kits, plus a built-in sequencer • Create melodic and accompaniment parts using arpeggiator with preset patterns • Core MIDI-compatible: works with any Core MIDI device as a synth module on your iOS device • Real-time recording • Unlimited creativity with effects and filters • Compatible with iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch • Requires iOS 4.3 or later Transform your iPhone into a music production studio. SynthStation transforms your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad into a portable music production studio for mobile music creation. SynthStation gives you three powerful synthesizers for creating and modifying sonic textures used for melodies, chords, and bass lines. Built around Akai Professional’s history in synthesis and drawing on the newest MINIAK synth, SynthStation sounds great and offers wide-ranging sonic flexibility with its virtual analog synthesis. From the moment you start SynthStation, you'll know your way around. It is jam-packed with tools to help you create music with the convenience of your touch screen and each section works the way you work. With SynthStation, you can create and save sequences and complete songs. The app contains three different three-oscillator synths and a range of drum kits you can sequence and mix right in the SynthStation. For creating melodic and accompaniment parts, the SynthStation contains an arpeggiator with preset patterns, built-in effects and filters, and an XY touch control interface for expressive control of key parameters. PERFORM Play with keys, XY and arpeggiator controls. This is perfect place to make magic happen because it gives you access to all the common controls you’ll need in a performance or creation setting. SYNTH Complete synthesis controls from oscillators to LFOs, envelopes, and more. You can control a wide range of filters to dial in exactly the sound you need. Choose from Sine, Triangle, Square or Sawtooth on your VCO and start creating your own signature sounds from scratch. Filter Cutoff and Resonance are just two taps away. DRUMS In addition to SynthStation's three synthesizers, we've included drum kits and a visual representation of the most iconic beat making tool in the world - MPC pads. Just pick your kit and start tapping beats anywhere, anytime. Includes: Drum Kit – select the drum kit and play it with onscreen pads. Drum Edit – tune, mix, and customize your drums. SEQUENCER Keyboard grid – see your keyboard sequencing and edit notes easily. Drum grid – build and modify drum tracks with a visible sequencer grid. SONG/SEQUENCE Select and save your Song/Sequence projects. You can recall your Songs and work on them later, and even export them for further editing in your desktop audio applications. CONTROL XY – two axes of control for hands-on, real-time control. Just like a joystick, the XY controller can snap back to the zero point. Tempo – control tempo and even tap in the tempo you want. MIXER The Mixer in SynthStation includes touch-controlled faders for each of the three synthesizers and the drum section as well as FX send for each. Mixer – mix all the levels of the parts and effects. Just like a hardware mixer, there are faders, mutes, and effect routing. Effects – select and control FX type and parameters. SynthStation Studio enables you to create and produce music anywhere on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad.

About

iVoxel

This app transforms your voice into a singing machine using a powerful vocoder and synthesizer. It allows real-time voice manipulation, pitch correction, and the creation of unique vocal effects from recorded speech.

Highlights
  • Real-time voice analysis and resynthesis
  • 20+2 Channel vocoder
  • Pitch follower and automatic tuning
  • Voice spectrum recorder (voxels)
  • Included prerecorded voxels
  • Live keyboard playback of vocoded voice
  • Polyphonic synthesizer with analog waves
Features
Read full description

iVoxel is not only an amazingly sounding vocoder - the unique concept of iVoxel turns this vocoder into a singing machine. iVoxel is a combination of a voice optimized synthesizer and a vocoder. The vocoder part is based on the Matrix vocoder from VirSyn used by many famous artists - one of them the well known german group Kraftwerk. The channel filters used by iVoxel are based on the Sennheiser Vocoder VSM201 resulting in a rich and fat analogue sound characteristic. The pitch follower and automatic tuning let you sing correct to a selectable scale. You can use iVoxel in many different ways: As a realtime vocoder talking into the microphone while playing tunes on the keyboard. The sound character of your voice can be changed in many different aspects like pitch, gender or breath noise. Use it to sing over your favorite iTunes song ! Record the analyzed spectrum of phrases and words from your own voice. Then use this voxel to play with your own voice on the keyboard or with the build in sequencer. Nearly 300 hundred prerecorded voxels are already included. iVoxel is Audiobus compatible and can be used in the Input, Filter and Output slots in the Audiobus signal chain. The carrier signal and the vocal signal can now be fed by any Audiobus compatible Apps. The output of your creations can be recorded to an audio file which you can use with other Apps and programs for further processing. Features: • Realtime analysis/resynthesis of your voice • 20+2 Channel vocoder • Pitch Follower and automatic tuning correction to selectable scale • Realtime pitch to MIDI Note converter • Voice spectrum recorder (voxels) • Nearly 300 prerecorded voxels included • Play your vocoded voice live on keyboard. Drag for slides and vibrato.  • Polyphonic sequencer for notes & lyrics • Voice optimized polyphonic synthesizer with up to 64 analog waves • Time warping of voxels • Gender changer • Breath noise • Pitch vibrato with delay • Hi-end Reverb and Chorus/Delay effects • Export/Import of projects and voxels • Export of audio recordings • Upload recordings to SoundCloud • Copy audio recordings to Clipboard • Virtual MIDI and Background audio • flexible MIDI control for Gender and Vibrato • compatible to Korg/WIST standard • CoreMIDI • Audiobus 2 support (Input/Filter/Output) with state saving (requires iOS 7 or newer)

Screenshots

SynthStation4 screens
iVoxel1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: iVoxel at 3.3 against SynthStation's 2.3. iVoxel also leads on review sentiment (55% vs 31%). SynthStation's advantage is price ($1.99 vs $6.99) and ratings volume (178 vs 17). On update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

SynthStation costs $1.99 and iVoxel $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

iVoxel holds the better App Store score, 3.3 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SynthStation has 178 ratings behind it against 17, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 31% of SynthStation's written reviews are positive against 55% of iVoxel's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SynthStation ships an update every 3 months, iVoxel every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
SynthStation versus iVoxel: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSynthStationiVoxel
Price$1.99 — better$6.99
Rating2.3 (178 ratings)3.3 (17 ratings) — better
Positive reviews30.8% of reviews54.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings178 — better17
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS4.3 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size91 MB46 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAkai ProfessionalHarry Gohs

Customer experience

SynthStation

All ratings178 ratings
Positive28.1%
Neutral7.9%
Negative64.0%
Written reviews305 reviews
Positive30.8%
Neutral12.1%
Negative57.0%

iVoxel

All ratings17 ratings
Positive52.9%
Neutral5.9%
Negative41.2%
Written reviews204 reviews
Positive54.9%
Neutral14.7%
Negative30.4%

User reviews

SynthStation

From 178 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful synth engine
  • 👍 Authentic Akai sound
  • 💡 Versatile drum kits
  • 👍 Intuitive interface
  • 👍 Great value for money

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes
  • 🐛 Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
  • 🔧 Outdated and neglected by developer
  • 🔧 Lacks essential features like audio export
  • 🔧 Complicated workflow

iVoxel

From 17 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎵 Excellent sound quality and vocoder capabilities
  • 💡 Innovative vocal sound design tool with unique spectral shaping
  • 🎹 Versatile instrument for creating robot/Kraftwerk-style vocals
  • 👍 Intuitive once users understand the interface
  • 🎧 Works well with built-in microphone for live vocoding

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues across iOS versions
  • ❌ Poor documentation and unclear user interface
  • 🔇 Volume levels inconsistent - too quiet or too loud
  • ⚠️ Unreliable audio input/output routing
  • 🚫 Limited microphone compatibility and connection issues

Bugs and requests

SynthStation

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Crashes on startup
  • No sound output
  • Midi connectivity problems
  • Incompatible with latest iOS versions
  • Saved projects not loading properly

Requested features

5 requests
  • Audiobus/Inter-App Audio support
  • More synth/drum samples
  • Ability to save custom sounds
  • Improved sequencing capabilities
  • Easier audio export options

iVoxel

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • App crashes on launch or during use
  • Hangs when changing presets or settings
  • Random background noise and clicking sounds
  • Microphone input not recognized or working intermittently
  • No sound output in standalone or Audiobus mode
Show 9 more
  • Touch controls unresponsive in certain screen areas
  • Import/export functionality broken
  • Sequencer not playing sounds or producing audio
  • Recording functionality causes crashes
  • Compatibility issues with iOS 18, iOS 17, and older versions
  • Audiobus carrier wave option not appearing
  • MIDI stuck notes and keyboard responsiveness issues
  • Display rendering issues on certain devices
  • Audio routing not working with external interfaces

Requested features

14 requests
  • AU v3 plugin support for modern DAW integration
  • Audiobus 3 and IAA (Inter-App Audio) support
  • Core MIDI support beyond Akai controllers
  • Lightning to USB audio interface compatibility
  • Custom word/text input for voice synthesis
Show 9 more
  • Metronome for sequencer alignment
  • Direct audio export and playback within app
  • Improved sequencer with copy/paste/undo functionality
  • Bluetooth audio output support
  • Sync options for modern music production
  • Better microphone input handling
  • Volume normalization and better level controls
  • Ability to delete recorded voxels
  • More comprehensive tutorial and help system

In-app purchases

None

SynthStation

No in-app purchases

None

iVoxel

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SynthStation free?
SynthStation costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is iVoxel free?
iVoxel costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SynthStation or iVoxel?
iVoxel is rated higher. SynthStation averages 2.3 out of 5 from 178 ratings, while iVoxel averages 3.3 from 17 ratings.
Do SynthStation or iVoxel have ads?
Neither SynthStation nor iVoxel shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SynthStation or iVoxel?
SynthStation ships an update every 3 months, and iVoxel every 5 months. Most recently, SynthStation was updated on October 1, 2026 and iVoxel on September 29, 2026.

Other comparisons