Comparison

Pixound vs Neon Engine

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

Head to head
About

Pixound

Transform any image into a musical instrument and create unique songs. Explore a deep musical experience with extensive controls, over 127 instruments, and various scales. It's a fun and educational tool for all ages, allowing you to play live video and record your performances.

Highlights
  • Turn any picture into music
  • Play live video as an instrument
  • Record performances with touch playback
  • Over 65 scales and modes
  • 127+ instruments for four voices
  • Save and share creations
  • MIDI export
Features
Read full description

"Pixound Turns Photos into Musical Instruments, and It’s Better Than You Think" — Gizmodo "Pixound is a trippy music app for iOS that allows users to turn any snap into a song." — MTV Hive Enjoyed by top musical artists including: Herbie Hancock, David Byrne (Talking Heads), Mark Mothersbaugh (DEVO), Michael Shrieve (Santana) and many more. Have you ever jammed on Saturn's Rings with a whammy bar? Have you ever played the rainbow? What about you're dog's nose? What does it sound like? How about creating your own music just by dancing? With Pixound you can do all this and much more! Pixound is a revolutionary form of musical entertainment! Pixound provides a deep musical experience that lets YOU instantly create music using any picture. It's pure fun to play (at any age) and deep because it can be used to play music like you've never heard before. It's so much fun that artist Peter Max bought an iPhone just to have Pixound! Since there is no limit to what pictures you can play from art and graphics to photos and they can be combined with thousands of different musical settings, there is no limit to the music you can create and enjoy. You owe it to yourself to try Pixound!!! By the way, you will learn a lot about music just playing with Pixound so it's also an educational tool, sometimes referred to as a Deep Toy. Features: • Play any picture from snaps to outer space to art masterpieces • Play Live Video (in-app purchase) so that reality becomes a musical instrument • Record audio or use effects processors via Audiobus 2.1 or Inter-app Audio • Record performances including where you touched in the photo that plays back for others to see. • Play in any key or scale (over 65 scales/modes) • Add Bass and Drums from lots of choices • Tons of musical controls to create a huge variety of great music • Select from many different autoplay styles including device tilt • Add harmony voices • Add Song Progressions from basic to classical and more • Select from over 127 instruments for four voices R, B, G and bass • Import samples using AudioShare™ • Save your own settings to Banks and share with others via community or email • Built-in Reverb • Save MIDI files and go direct out to MIDI synthesizers (in-app purchase) • Access and share your creations with the Pixound Community

About

Neon Engine

Features
Read full description

Transform your music into a sound that feels uniquely yours. Neon Engine is an on-device audio workshop for reshaping local music with immersive effects. Import a track, preview different styles, fine-tune the result, and save it to your personal library—all directly on your iPhone. -- AUDIO MODES -- Bass Enhance: Add more weight and depth to your music with a stronger low-end sound. Slowed + Reverb: Adjust the tempo, tone, and reverb to create a deeper, more atmospheric mix. City Pop: Give your track a bright, nostalgic character inspired by retro nighttime soundscapes. Fast Tempo: Speed up your music with adjustable tempo controls, from a subtle lift to a high-energy remix. Original: Save and manage the original track alongside your converted versions. -- BUILT FOR YOUR MUSIC -- Live Preview: Hear each effect before saving and fine-tune supported modes in real time. Personal Library: Organize converted tracks, rename them, filter by effect, and mark favorites for quick access. Bulk Actions: Select multiple tracks to update favorites or delete them together. Files Integration: Import compatible audio files directly from the iOS Files app. Background Playback: Continue listening to tracks from your Neon Engine library outside the app. -- PRIVATE BY DESIGN -- Your music stays on your device. Audio processing is performed locally without uploading your files to a remote server. Neon Engine is designed for local audio files you own and for personal, creative use.

Screenshots

Pixound4 screens
Neon Engine3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Neon Engine at Free against Pixound's $0.99. Neon Engine also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2). Pixound's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 5 months) and device support (3 vs 1). On ads 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

Neon Engine is free to download; Pixound costs $0.99 up front. Pixound sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Neon Engine asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pixound ships an update monthly, Neon Engine every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on August 12, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Pixound versus Neon Engine: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPixoundNeon Engine
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating4.1 (8 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews72.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings8 — better—
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size1.1 GB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTechné MediaJUNGYUN JO

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Pixound

One-time2
  • Pixound Live Video$1.99
  • Pixound MIDI Features$2.99
None

Neon Engine

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pixound free?
Pixound costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Neon Engine free?
Neon Engine is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Pixound or Neon Engine have ads?
Neither Pixound nor Neon Engine shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pixound or Neon Engine?
Pixound ships an update monthly, and Neon Engine every 5 months. Most recently, Pixound was updated on August 12, 2026 and Neon Engine on September 14, 2026.

Other comparisons