Comparison

Geo Synthesizer vs Pulsar

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Geo Synthesizer

This app is an expressive musical instrument and MIDI controller designed for multitouch surfaces. It offers advanced pitch control, custom sounds, and the ability to control external instruments or virtual MIDI apps. It also supports AudioBus for interconnecting audio apps.

Highlights
  • Expressive multitouch interface
  • Advanced pitch bending
  • MIDI output
  • AudioBus support
  • Customizable performance menus
  • Multiple temperament options
  • Load SampleWiz presets
Features
Read full description

Geo Synthesizer is a musical instrument and MIDI controller. Originally a collaboration of Wizdom Music's Jordan Rudess and Kevin Chartier (MorphWiz, SampleWiz) and Rob Fielding (Mugician), Geo Synthesizer is an incredibly expressive musical instrument specifically created for a multitouch surface. Jordan is now working with Roli-Labs, creators of the amazing Seaboard instrument on an exciting future for Geo Synthesizer and it's users! A comprehensive Geo Synthesizer manual is available at: http://www.wizdommusic.com/GeoSynth/manual.html Jordan says: "Since touching a preliminary piano keyboard on an iPhone screen and realizing the amazing potential for musical expression on a multitouch device, I have been inspired to create next-generation musical instruments for iOS. Geo Synthesizer is a dream come true in many ways. It is the fastest truly playable iOS instrument that I have put my hands on to date. I can fly through the range of an instrument while expanding on the kind of advanced pitch control we introduced in MorphWiz. As someone who grew up with synthesizers, I can tell you that pitch bending has never been this good! "Geo features many of my custom sounds and in addition, Geo is also a MIDI controller, so you can use it with any external midi instrument or virtual MIDI. Virtual MIDI allows you to control an app running in the background on the same device! Geo Synthesizer also now features AudioBus, a technology that allows one to interconnect audio apps in exciting new ways! A great feature of Geo is that internally and externally we send independent voices on each note played, so as an example, you can pitch bend one note and not the other, or add unique expression on every note! I can't wait to see the YouTube videos of all of you guys rocking out with Geo Synthesizer!!!" Features: - AudioBus - ability to load waveforms from SampleWiz presets - octave rounding for effortless soloing over large ranges - whammy slider with absolute and relative modes - 12ET, 24ET, 53ET, and 665ET temperament options - mono, string, and full-polyphony modes - tuning and transposition controls - snap speed control to affect how quickly the instrument pulls notes in tune - playing surface options for number of rows and columns on screen - octave and fifth harmonics synthesis options to rich, organ-like sounds - gain control to add distortion to the sound - FM and touch FM controls for timbal variation - mono out for use with guitar amps - sine, sawtooth, square, and custom (SampleWiz) wave options - attack and release controls - synthesis body control - lowpass filter with resonance - stereo delay - reverb - MIDI output with polyphonic note bending and multiple configuration options to allow compatibility with a wide range of hardware and software synthesizers - performance menu lets you make your own custom menu so all the controls you need are always right at your fingertips - 40 presets carefully selected by Jordan Rudess, including patches from Jordan's personal sound library

About

Pulsar

This music app provides a virtual drum machine with 8 pads for improvising and playing along to built-in rhythm presets. It features real-time rhythm switching, tempo control, and various effects. It also supports Ableton Link and MIDI for seamless integration with other music software and hardware.

Highlights
  • 8-pad drum machine
  • Built-in rhythm presets
  • Real-time rhythm switching
  • Tempo and accent control
  • Drive, reverb, and filter effects
  • Ableton Link synchronization
  • MIDI In/Out support
  • AUv3 compatibility
Features
Read full description

Pulsar-ES is a sample-based drum machine inspired by the Estradin Pulsar. Start with 128 factory rhythms, 64 in bank A and 64 in bank B, play the eight-pad kit, and edit MIDI notes and velocities. In version 1.0.8, Random rhythm generates a new pattern in the current slot. Swing adjusts the timing from 0 to 100%. Shape the sound with filter, reverb, overdrive, delay, chorus and compression. Save edited rhythms as separate user patterns; the factory patterns remain available. Open LINK for tempo-sync settings with compatible peers. Start/stop synchronization is a separate setting. With a MIDI output selected and a compatible route configured, send pattern notes to another instrument. In a plug-in host, routing depends on the host. For iPhone and iPad: standalone app and AUv3. Hosting, MIDI and Link features require the corresponding compatible setup.

Screenshots

Geo Synthesizer4 screens
Pulsar4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Pulsar at 4.3 against Geo Synthesizer's 3.3. Pulsar also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 11 months) and price ($4.99 vs $9.99). Geo Synthesizer's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 13.0). On review sentiment, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Geo Synthesizer costs $9.99 and Pulsar $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pulsar holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 19 and 7 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 68% of Geo Synthesizer's written reviews are positive against 67% of Pulsar's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Geo Synthesizer ships an update every 11 months, Pulsar every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Geo Synthesizer versus Pulsar: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGeo SynthesizerPulsar
Price$9.99$4.99 — better
Rating3.3 (19 ratings)4.3 (7 ratings) — better
Positive reviews68.4% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings19 — better7
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB69 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWizdom Music LLCDmytro Kiro

Customer experience

Geo Synthesizer

All ratings19 ratings
Positive42.1%
Neutral21.1%
Negative36.8%
Written reviews117 reviews
Positive68.4%
Neutral8.5%
Negative23.1%

Pulsar

All ratings7 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative16.7%

Bugs and requests

Geo Synthesizer

Reported bugs

18 issues
  • Glitchy sound on iPad Pro
  • App not working correctly
  • No longer works on iPadOS
  • Clicking sound on iPhone 6
  • Core MIDI not working like before (iOS 9)
Show 13 more
  • Crashing on launch (iOS 8.3)
  • Audiobus initialization problem
  • App crashes after last update
  • New presets can't be loaded
  • Envelope filters can't be adjusted
  • No access to menu config page
  • App shuts down on boot up (OS5)
  • Crashes on start-up (iPad 2)
  • Doesn't work on iPhone 4S
  • Sounds sometimes drop out
  • Horribly noisy until volume adjusted
  • No smooth transitions between notes
  • SampleWiz not working with it

Requested features

20 requests
  • Update for iPadOS
  • Fix glitchy sound on iPad Pro
  • Support for Bluetooth MIDI
  • Refund option
  • Fix zooming issue on iPhone 11
Show 15 more
  • Add more columns like GeoShred
  • Output MIDI note velocity based on touch pressure
  • 3D Touch for velocity and aftertouch
  • Assignable magic slider for FM or volume swells
  • Broader sound library
  • More control over MIDI output
  • SF2 import for sounds
  • MIDI input for live use
  • Assign a major 3rd break between rows
  • Record feature within the app
  • Copy and paste functionality
  • More intuitive menus and buttons
  • More sophisticated patch programming
  • Multi-channel pitchbending support
  • More tutorial materials for technique and creativity

Pulsar

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Geo Synthesizer

No in-app purchases

None

Pulsar

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Geo Synthesizer free?
Geo Synthesizer costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pulsar free?
Pulsar costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Geo Synthesizer or Pulsar?
Pulsar is rated higher. Geo Synthesizer averages 3.3 out of 5 from 19 ratings, while Pulsar averages 4.3 from 7 ratings.
Do Geo Synthesizer or Pulsar have ads?
Neither Geo Synthesizer nor Pulsar shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Geo Synthesizer or Pulsar?
Geo Synthesizer ships an update every 11 months, and Pulsar every 3 weeks. Most recently, Geo Synthesizer was updated on November 1, 2026 and Pulsar on November 3, 2026.

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