# Orphion vs Harmonic Explorer

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Harmonic Explorer at none against Orphion's 1. Harmonic Explorer also leads on price ($0.99 vs $3.99) and device support (3 vs 1). Orphion's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 7 months) and iOS requirement (7.0 vs 15.6). On ads there is nothing between them.

Orphion costs $3.99 and Harmonic Explorer $0.99 up front. Orphion sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Harmonic Explorer asks for nothing beyond the download.

Orphion ships an update every 2 months, Harmonic Explorer every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Orphion | Harmonic Explorer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $3.99 | **$0.99** |
| Rating | **[4.0 (31 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orphion/id495465097/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **31** | — |
| Positive reviews | 84.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 27 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | **7.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Bastus Trump](https://appshunter.io/developer/495465100) | [Philippe Zay](https://appshunter.io/developer/1200498230) |

## What reviewers say

### Orphion

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orphion/id495465097)

Create expressive music and melodies with a unique virtual instrument. Explore your creativity through intuitive finger movements on virtual pads, generating sounds between string and percussion. Ideal for both beginners and experienced musicians.

**Highlights:** Unique string and percussion sound, Expressive polyphonic music, Intuitive finger pad interaction, Customizable pad layouts, MIDI and Audiobus support, Multiple articulations

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Orphion Editor | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎵 Unique and expressive musical instrument design
- 👍 Intuitive touch interface for playing music
- 🎛️ Customizable pad layouts and configurations
- 🔌 Works well as MIDI controller for other apps
- 🎨 Beautiful, simple, and elegant user interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Audio crackling and distortion issues on recent iPadOS versions
- ❌ App crashes and fails to launch on newer devices
- 📱 UI rendering problems on iPad mini and newer iPad models
- 🔧 Abandoned by developer - no updates or support
- 🚫 Incompatible with latest iPadOS (18+)

**Reported bugs**

- Audio crackling and distortion on iPadOS 18 and M4 devices
- App crashes on startup with recent iPad OS versions
- UI elements out of place on iPad mini
- MIDI not working in AUM and other DAWs
- Virtual MIDI instruments not detected when loaded as IAA

**Requested features**

- Recording and export functionality
- Additional sound patches and voices
- Custom scale and layout editor
- Pitch bend and modulation wheel controls
- AudioCopy/Paste support


### Harmonic Explorer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/harmonic-explorer/id6747025974)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Orphion free?

Orphion costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Harmonic Explorer free?

Harmonic Explorer costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Orphion or Harmonic Explorer have ads?

Neither Orphion nor Harmonic Explorer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Orphion or Harmonic Explorer?

Orphion ships an update every 2 months, and Harmonic Explorer every 7 months. Most recently, Orphion was updated on October 13, 2026 and Harmonic Explorer on September 21, 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.*