# Orphion vs Pixelboop

The clearest difference is rating: Pixelboop at 5.0 against Orphion's 4.0. Pixelboop also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). Orphion's advantage is price ($3.99 vs $7.99) and ratings volume (33 vs 2). On ads there is nothing between them.

Orphion costs $3.99 and Pixelboop $7.99 up front. Orphion sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Pixelboop asks for nothing beyond the download.

Pixelboop holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Orphion has 33 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of Orphion's written reviews are positive against 100% of Pixelboop's.

Orphion ships an update every 2 months, Pixelboop fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Orphion | Pixelboop |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$3.99** | $7.99 |
| Rating | [4.0 (33 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orphion/id495465097/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixelboop-make-music-visually/id6758214168/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **33** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 84.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 27 MB | 12 MB |
| Requires iOS | **7.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Bastus Trump](https://appshunter.io/developer/495465100) | [de Bastion, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1871510214) |

## 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


### Pixelboop

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixelboop-make-music-visually/id6758214168)

Create music visually by drawing on a colorful grid. This app transforms your device into a visual sequencer where notes become pixels, making music production accessible without prior theory knowledge. Explore melodies, basslines, chords, and rhythms with intuitive gestures and automatic key correction.

**Highlights:** Visual music creation by drawing on a grid, Four independent tracks for melody, bass, chords, and rhythm, Automatic key correction with interval modes, Intuitive gesture controls for note placement and editing, MIDI I/O for connecting external hardware, Designed for accessibility with a visual-first approach

**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 Pixelboop free?

Pixelboop costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Orphion or Pixelboop?

Pixelboop is rated higher. Orphion averages 4.0 out of 5 from 33 ratings, while Pixelboop averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Orphion or Pixelboop have ads?

Neither Orphion nor Pixelboop shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Orphion or Pixelboop?

Orphion ships an update every 2 months, and Pixelboop fortnightly. Most recently, Orphion was updated on November 1, 2026 and Pixelboop on October 31, 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.*