# Music Spectrograph vs variStretch

The clearest difference is rating: variStretch at 5.0 against Music Spectrograph's 2.5. variStretch also leads on price ($5.99 vs $9.99). Music Spectrograph's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 7 months) and ratings volume (4 vs 1). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Music Spectrograph costs $9.99 and variStretch $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

variStretch holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively.

Music Spectrograph ships an update every 6 weeks, variStretch every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Music Spectrograph | variStretch |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **$5.99** |
| Rating | [2.5 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/music-spectrograph/id432044946/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/varistretch/id6744925479/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **4** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 weeks** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Size | 1 MB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.4 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [HotPaw Productions](https://appshunter.io/developer/285074853) | [Satoshi Kajii](https://appshunter.io/developer/1777441634) |

## What reviewers say

### Music Spectrograph

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/music-spectrograph/id432044946)

Visually reverse engineer sound and music in real-time with a live MIDI piano roll displaying pitch and frequency. Slow down or stop audio to analyze musical patterns, aiding in music transcription and learning.

**Highlights:** Real-time MIDI piano roll, Pitch and frequency visualization, Slow down and stop audio, Music transcription aid, Adjustable playback speed, Color-coded pitch graph

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### variStretch

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/varistretch/id6744925479)

This app allows real-time audio speed manipulation without altering pitch. It offers three distinct playback modes and adjustable buffer settings for precise control over sound processing.

**Highlights:** Real-time speed adjustment (0.5-2.0x), Tape mode (speed & pitch change), Phase Vocoder mode (speed only), Adjustable buffer size, Buffer clear function, AUv3 host compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Music Spectrograph free?

Music Spectrograph costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is variStretch free?

variStretch costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Music Spectrograph or variStretch?

variStretch is rated higher. Music Spectrograph averages 2.5 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while variStretch averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Music Spectrograph or variStretch have ads?

Neither Music Spectrograph nor variStretch shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Music Spectrograph or variStretch?

Music Spectrograph ships an update every 6 weeks, and variStretch every 7 months. Most recently, Music Spectrograph was updated on October 17, 2026 and variStretch on October 18, 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.*