GyroSynth vs Orbeat
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
GyroSynth
This app transforms your device into a gesture-controlled musical instrument. Use your device's gyroscope to manipulate sound parameters like pitch and volume, creating melodies and effects by moving your hand through the air. Explore various synthesizer types and built-in effects for a unique music creation experience.
- Gesture-driven sound manipulation
- Multiple synthesizer types
- Built-in effects (delay, boost)
- Musical scales for easy playing
- Recorder with overdub function
- Experimental FM modulation
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GyroSynth is a gesture driven music synthesizer, which takes full adventage of the gyroscope. You can play and modulate the sound by moving your hand through the air - just like the legendary Theremin instrument. GyroSynth makes use of the gyroscope to measure true roll, pitch, and yaw and translates them to sound parameters like pitch, volume, modulation or filter cutoff. Thanks to phenomenal accuracy (2000 degrees), you can play melodies perfectly in tune. A finalist in 'Most Innovative App' category at the 2010 Best App Ever Awards (148apps). GyroSynth has been used in numerous live jams and performances (e.g., Mindex) FEATURES - Synthesizers: vocal (formant synthesizer), sine wave , square (PWM modulation), saw, granular sample player with recording function and R2D2 - experimental FM modulation - Effects: delay and boost - Several control modes - Included musical scales allow you to effortlessly play in several styles - Built-in recorder and player with overdub function "There isn’t too much more to say about GyroSynth other than wow!" AppSafari Enjoy the new experience!
Orbeat
This music app offers a unique circular sequencer for beat creation, featuring four distinct drum kits and generative tools. It allows for advanced rhythmic manipulation and can be used as a standalone instrument or an AUv3 plugin. Unlock full features with a one-time purchase.
- Circular sequencer interface
- Four unique drum kits
- Generative rhythm patterns
- Swing and velocity controls
- Probability and polymeter
- AUv3 plugin support
- WAV export
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Orbeat is a drum machine in the round. Instead of a grid, your rhythm lives on a glowing mandala — concentric lanes of light that orbit a single play button. Tap the rings, watch the playhead sweep, and feel the groove move. Built to be played, not programmed. Open it and you're already making beats. A CIRCULAR SEQUENCER — UP TO TWELVE LANES Six lanes wrap the screen as rings, and the circle can grow to twelve: the mandala opens a second page of rings in its own electric color set, so every lane keeps its full size. Tap to place hits, lock a lane you love, mute and solo as you build the groove layer by layer. The whole pattern turns as it plays. FOUR DRUM KITS Classic, Acoustic, Glitch, and 8-bit — one tap reskins every voice while your pattern stays put. From clean and punchy to broken and chiptune. BRING YOUR OWN SOUNDS Build a custom kit and drop your own audio into any lane — WAV, AIFF or mp3, up to ten seconds, played at its original pitch and in stereo. Imported samples run clean to the output, while the lanes you leave alone keep their synth voice, so a hi-hat you recorded yourself sits right next to Orbeat's own drums. Your first custom kit is free. GENERATORS THAT SURPRISE YOU Roll the dice for an instant pattern, or use Euclidean rhythms to spread hits evenly around a ring. Like what you hear? Tap the ring to write it in and edit by hand. MAKE IT BREATHE, MAKE IT DRIFT Add swing to push the feel off the grid, draw velocity per step for accents that live, and pan each lane across the stereo field. With Probability, hits fire by chance; with polymeter, each lane gets its own length so the phases drift in and out of sync. TAKE IT ANYWHERE Bounce any loop to a stereo WAV — named with the beat, its length and its tempo, so it still makes sense in your DAW next month — or run Orbeat as an AUv3 instrument with MIDI in & out — sequence other instruments, or play Orbeat's lanes from your host's piano roll inside GarageBand, AUM, Logic, and other AUv3 hosts. Standalone, play the pads live from any MIDI controller and sync the whole groove to external MIDI clock. PLAY IN SYNC WITH THE ROOM Ableton Link keeps Orbeat in time with every Link-enabled app and device on your network — Ableton Live, AUM, Loopy, a friend's iPad across the table. Tempo follows the session, start and stop are shared, and everyone stays in phase. No cables, no setup. PLAY FREE. UNLOCK ONCE. The full instrument is free forever — every kit, the six-lane circle, Euclidean generators, swing, velocity, pan, your first custom kit with your own samples, MIDI in & out, and Ableton Link. Orbeat Pro is a single one-time purchase (no subscription, ever) that unlocks room to grow the circle to twelve lanes, plus Probability, polymeter, WAV export, unlimited saved beats, and extra custom kits. Made for iPhone and iPad. No account, no ads, no tracking — your beats never leave your device unless you share them. Tap the rings. Make it move.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Orbeat at Free against GyroSynth's $4.99. Orbeat also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.4) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 12 months). GyroSynth's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (37 vs 6). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Orbeat is free to download; GyroSynth costs $4.99 up front. Orbeat sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. GyroSynth asks for nothing beyond the download.
Orbeat holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: GyroSynth has 37 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of GyroSynth's written reviews are positive against 100% of Orbeat's.
GyroSynth ships an update every 12 months, Orbeat every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | GyroSynth | Orbeat |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.4 (37 ratings) | 5.0 (6 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 73.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 37 — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Every 12 months | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | BeepStreet | Chih Han Lin |
Customer experience
GyroSynth
Orbeat
Bugs and requests
GyroSynth
Reported bugs
7 issues- No sound no matter what I do
- Crashed on startup on iOS 8
- Crashes on launch since the iOS 8 update
- Stopped working with iOS 8
- Sampler doesn't work
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- Doesn't work on iOS 8.1
- Crashes as soon as I open it on iOS 8
Requested features
7 requests- Custom scales that can be saved
- Wireless midi out
- Ability to play iPod tracks in background
- More synth modules, more/selectable FX, sample import, the ability to assign parameters beyond waveform modification to the gyroscopic planes
- Recording and export feature
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- Labels for the notes
- More voices
Orbeat
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
GyroSynth
No in-app purchases
Orbeat
- Orbeat Pro$5.99








