PixelWave vs Tone Gen Studio
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PixelWave
Create unique sounds with an experimental wavetable synthesizer featuring a retro pixel interface. Draw custom waveforms, choose from presets, and adjust octaves. Export your creations and integrate with other music apps.
- Draw custom waveforms
- Export to WAV
- Nine predefined waveforms
- Changeable octaves (2-6)
- MIDI keyboard support
- Audiobus and IAA support
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PixelWave is an experimental wavetable synth with old school pixel interface. Key features: • it is possible to draw waveform and play it at the same time; • export to WAV; • nine predefined waveforms; • changeable number of octaves (from 2 to 6); • MIDI keyboard support; • Audiobus and IAA support.
Tone Gen Studio
Generate precise audio frequencies, conduct sweep tests, and analyze sound with a built-in microphone tuner and RTA analyzer. This toolkit is designed for musicians and audio engineers needing accurate tone and measurement tools.
- Pure tone generator with custom frequency
- Preset tone pads
- Sweep generator
- Noise profiles (white, pink, brown)
- Binaural beats
- Mic tuner with real-time display
- RTA analyzer
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Test speakers, find frequencies, tune instruments, and keep time during practice with Tone Gen Studio. Generate tones, sweeps, and noise, explore your microphone input with the tuner and spectrum analyzer, or practice with the built-in metronome. Tone generation and speaker testing - Set a custom frequency or choose a preset tone pad. - Select sine, square, sawtooth, or triangle waveforms. - Run linear, exponential, or stepped frequency sweeps. - Generate white, pink, and brown noise. - Set burst on and off durations for pulsed tones. - Adjust binaural carrier and beat frequencies for headphone playback. Tuning and audio analysis - View the detected note, frequency, and cents with the microphone tuner. - Explore input levels with a real-time spectrum analyzer and 1/3-octave RTA bands. Metronome and practice - Set a tempo from 20 to 300 BPM or use tap tempo. - Choose time signatures, subdivisions, accents, and five click sounds. - Practice with swing, polyrhythms, gradual tempo ramps, and random mute. - Use a count-in and practice timer. Start at a low volume and adjust gradually. Binaural playback requires headphones. Speaker response and microphone measurements depend on your device and connected audio equipment. For musicians, audio engineers, educators, and anyone working with sound on iPhone and iPad.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: PixelWave at 19 against Tone Gen Studio's 1. PixelWave also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.6). Tone Gen Studio's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, rating, 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
PixelWave costs $0.99 and Tone Gen Studio $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Tone Gen Studio holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PixelWave has 19 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
PixelWave ships an update every 4 months, Tone Gen Studio every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PixelWave | Tone Gen Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | $0.99 |
| Rating | 4.8 (19 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 88.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 19 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Alexander Zolotov | Scott Manley |
Customer experience
PixelWave
Tone Gen Studio
Bugs and requests
PixelWave
Reported bugs
6 issues- AudioCopy not utilized
- Unable to access tools or change parameters
- Memory issue with iOS7 claiming large amounts of storage
- Not visible in Audiobus
- Tone and Waveform text fading in and out
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- Crashes with multiple touch points
Requested features
19 requests- Updated export options
- Screen recording functionality
- Basic reverb effect
- Further functionality (sequencer, LFOs, filters)
- Ability to adjust arpeggiation rate/BPM
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- Ability to adjust/turn off effects (delay, reverb)
- Polyphony
- Save and load waves
- Play via MIDI
- State saving
- Performance recording
- Preset waves
- Other colors
- Adjustable echo time
- Turn arpeggiation on/off
- Lower octaves
- Add/remove effects
- Run in background
- Audiobus compatibility
Tone Gen Studio
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
PixelWave
No in-app purchases
Tone Gen Studio
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is PixelWave free?
Is Tone Gen Studio free?
Which has better reviews, PixelWave or Tone Gen Studio?
Do PixelWave or Tone Gen Studio have ads?
Which is updated more often, PixelWave or Tone Gen Studio?
Other comparisons
