# Twelve Tone vs Cellular Synthesizer

The clearest difference is price: Cellular Synthesizer at Free against Twelve Tone's $4.99. Cellular Synthesizer also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 18 months) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 26.0). Twelve Tone's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and review sentiment (70% vs 36%). On rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Cellular Synthesizer is free to download; Twelve Tone costs $4.99 up front. Cellular Synthesizer sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Twelve Tone asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Twelve Tone against 4.6 for Cellular Synthesizer. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 16 and 5 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 70% of Twelve Tone's written reviews are positive against 36% of Cellular Synthesizer's.

Twelve Tone ships an update every 18 months, Cellular Synthesizer every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Twelve Tone | Cellular Synthesizer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.7 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/twelve-tone/id411708898/reviews)** | [4.6 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cellular-synthesizer/id6455370670/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **16** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | **70.0% of reviews** | 36.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 18 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Freemium** |
| Size | 50 MB | 20 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Patrick Q. Kelly](https://appshunter.io/developer/310068987) | [Valery Mironov](https://appshunter.io/developer/1699945726) |

## What reviewers say

### Twelve Tone

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/twelve-tone/id411708898)

This app helps musicians and teachers compose and analyze music using dodecaphonic and set theory. It allows users to enter tone rows, automatically generates musical matrices, and provides playback and sharing options for compositions.

**Highlights:** Enter tone rows via staff or piano keyboard, Automatic generation of Prime, Inversion, Retrograde, RI matrices, Real-time Interval Vectors and Circular Analysis updates, Save and manage tone rows with names and markings, Share PDF of notation, keyboard, and analysis, Listen to row playback with selected rhythm patterns, Matrix audio playback for pitch identification

**In-app purchases:** none


### Cellular Synthesizer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cellular-synthesizer/id6455370670)

Generate complex sound signals using a cellular automata field. Control parameters like pitch, filters, and effects through evolving cell states. Offers multiple modes for signal interpretation and a built-in sequencer for composition.

**Highlights:** Cellular automata sound generation, Parameter modulation (pitch, filters, effects), Multiple signal interpretation modes, Configurable oscillators and voices, DC saturation, filter, and echo effects, Step sequencer with MPE support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| All Access  (1 Month) | $1.99 | per month |
| All Access  (1 Year) | $9.99 | per year |
| All Access (Lifetime) | $19.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Twelve Tone free?

Twelve Tone costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Cellular Synthesizer free?

Cellular Synthesizer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Twelve Tone or Cellular Synthesizer?

Twelve Tone is rated higher. Twelve Tone averages 4.7 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while Cellular Synthesizer averages 4.6 from 5 ratings.

### Do Twelve Tone or Cellular Synthesizer have ads?

Neither Twelve Tone nor Cellular Synthesizer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Twelve Tone or Cellular Synthesizer?

Twelve Tone ships an update every 18 months, and Cellular Synthesizer every 2 months. Most recently, Twelve Tone was updated on November 1, 2026 and Cellular Synthesizer on November 9, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*