Tabletop vs Factory
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Tabletop
Create music with a modular studio environment. Mix and match over 40 virtual instruments, effects, and sequencers to compose songs, beats, and mashups. Expand your sound palette by purchasing additional devices.
- Modular music creation environment
- Over 40 virtual instruments and effects
- Mix and match devices
- Create beats, songs, and mashups
- Piano roll timeline editor
- MIDI support
- Share music to SoundCloud
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Tabletop is an expandable studio with over a dozen included musical devices. Tabletop is a modular environment where you can mix and match different devices. Select from over 40 devices including samplers, mixers, effects, sequencers and more. Buy only the gear you need from an expanding catalog. Need help? Email support@retronyms.com and we’ll answer your questions. Retronyms has partnered with industry giants like Akai Professional and Arturia to create some of the Tabletop-Ready Apps, like iMPC, iMini, and iProphet! Using the Tabletop features of time stretching and pitch shifting, you can slice loops and time stretch them to different tempos and pitches in iMPC Pro. You can also use sliced loops from purchased AudioCopy sound packs inside Gridlock and iMPC Pro. Loops from these sound packs will automatically match the tempo of your sessions. Tabletop is an audio playground where you can create beats, compose songs, mix live, make mashups with samples from your iPod library, and more... the possibilities are endless. Plug the output of a keyboard into a delay to add an echo, or wire it up to a mixer and adjust the pan. Chain up multiple effects to create new and evolving sounds. FEATURES: • 43 devices including effects, sequencers, drum machines, and synths • 14 devices are included for free • 64 bit audio support • Access powerful Tabletop-Ready Apps • Piano Roll style timeline editor • Cut, copy, paste, duplicate, and create notes • Control Tabletop’s keyboards, drum pads, knobs, faders, and other parameters • Correct note timing with Fix to Grid • Edit note length and velocity • Undo changes and edits with Tabletop’s History Menu • Features Core MIDI Support • Works with any MIDI-compatible hardware • Customize control mapping with Midi Learn mode • Connect multiple devices • Share your music to SoundCloud and interact with other Tabletop users
Factory
Create complex and organic sounds with a powerful modular synthesizer. Explore a vast array of synthesis types, a deep modulation matrix, and dynamic signal flow. Easily find and morph between sounds with a built-in browser and crossfader.
- Modular synthesis with extensive modulation matrix
- Multiple oscillator engines and synthesis types
- Dynamic signal flow with 3-FX chain
- Morph crossfader for sound transformation
- Preset browser with tagging and rating
- Sequencers, Arpeggiator, and Quantizer
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Made for complex and organic sounds, Factory sports a big modulation matrix with all kinds of features to create a wildlife of sounds. A vast array of DSP is ready to play: Analog style oscillators and filters, but also different flavors of wavetable synthesis, Wavetable driven Waveguide resonators and a 3-FX-Chain in a dynamic signal flow. With the Morph crossfader, sounds can be changed drastically, but always musically. The Preset Browser with tags and rating makes finding sounds easy and fun. Don´t miss out on super sonic modular mayhem and check Factory today! Key Features: • Poly Synth with Mod-Matrix and Sequencers • 2x10 Oscillator Engines • Sub-Oscillator with Ringmodulation • Noise Generator with 5 colors • 8-voice VA-Sync, Wavetable, Waveguide & Fractal Synthesis • 8x10 Mod Matrix with 36 targets • Morph Fader, 2 States & Copy/Paste • Envelopes and LFOs • Sample & Hold Modul • 4x Sequencers for all kinds of Gates and CV's, incl. 36 motion curves, uni/bipolar. • Arpeggiator, Intonation engine, Scale Quantizer • 11 Filter models & 3x Multi-Effect with drag 'n' drop signal flow • Audio Unit v3 & Standalone • Virtual, Network, External & Bluetooth MIDI • Ableton Link • MIDI Learn & Host Automation • Preset iCloud Sync • Preset Share
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Factory at 4.9 against Tabletop's 3.3. Factory also leads on review sentiment (81% vs 55%) and ratings volume (487 vs 86). Tabletop's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 17.6). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Tabletop sells 11 one-off in-app purchases and Factory sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Factory holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Factory has 487 ratings behind it against 86, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of Tabletop's written reviews are positive against 81% of Factory's.
Tabletop ships an update every 3 months, Factory every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Tabletop | Factory |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.3 (86 ratings) | 4.9 (487 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 55.2% of reviews | 81.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 86 | 487 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPad | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.4 GB | 351 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Retronyms Inc | Sugar Bytes GmbH |
Customer experience
Tabletop
Factory
User reviews
Tabletop
From 86 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Powerful features
- 👍 Intuitive interface
- 💡 Innovative modular design
- 🎨 Versatile music creation
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- 🔋 High CPU usage
- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
- 🔇 Poor sound quality
Factory
From 487 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Powerful synth engine
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use interface
- 🎨 Vast sound design capabilities
- 💡 Innovative modulation matrix
- 🎶 Inspiring and unique presets
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and freezes
- 🔌 Compatibility issues with other apps
- 🖥️ Pixelated interface on high-res displays
- 🔇 Note-sticking problems
Bugs and requests
Tabletop
Reported bugs
3 issues- Synth parameters not saving properly
- Incompatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- Unreliable audio export
Requested features
4 requests- MIDI support
- Improved sequencing capabilities
- More free sound modules
- Waveform editing and sample management
Factory
Reported bugs
2 issues- Presets not loading correctly in DAW projects
- CC assignment issues causing controls to freeze
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to modulate morph slider
- Option to modulate effects parameters individually
- Arpeggiator with retrigger on key press
- Better integration with GarageBand and other DAWs
In-app purchases
Tabletop
- EKKO$1.99
- WHIRL$2.99
- Verve$2.99
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- XFADE$2.99
- TT-303$2.99
- Cueboard$2.99
- GLITCHBOARD$3.99
- Deadbeat$3.99
- X0X Drum Deranger$7.99
- RS4000$9.99
- Bundle E$24.99
Factory
- Factory Full Version$24.99









