Comparison

Borderlands Granular vs Fluss

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

Head to head
About

Borderlands Granular

Explore and transform sounds by layering tiny audio fragments. Sculpt evolving timbres and textures using touch, gravity, or by loading your own audio files. Save and recall complex soundscapes for live performance or studio work.

Highlights
  • Granular synthesis engine
  • Touch and accelerometer control
  • Load and export custom audio
  • Audiobus and Audioshare integration
  • Real-time input and re-sampling
  • Preset and scene saving
  • Looping and automation recording
Read full description

Touch, transform, and explore sound with granular synthesis, a technique involving the superposition of tiny fragments of sound, or “grains," to create complex, evolving timbres and textures. “The best app for exploring sound just got better... This is 'go out and buy an iPad to run it' good stuff.“ -Peter Kirn, Create Digital Music “Borderlands has floored us. It is very rare that we find an app that is not only fun to use, but extremely useful. It is truly inspiring. The interface is stunning, the sounds are so evocative: they're a film composer's dream.” Paul Hepker and Mark Kilian, Film Composers (Tsotsi, Rendition, Eye in the Sky) “It’s beautiful, it’s absolutely great. It goes in a completely new direction. I wish software companies would make more [programs] like that for the computer and not only for the iPad.” Christian Fennesz, Experimental Musician. Interview from Tiny Mix Tapes, May 2014 “When I first saw the demo video for Borderlands Granular in 2012, my jaw hit the floor. My first thought was ‘THIS is what making music on an iPad should be.’” Sean Garland, iOSMars.com About ------------ Create, drag, and throw pulsing clouds of grains over a landscape of audio files, or use the built-in accelerometer to sculpt sound with gravity. Borderlands comes ready to play with default sample content included, but you can also load and export your own sounds via Audiobus, Audioshare, and real time input from the mic or external audio interfaces. Re-sample recordings made within the app on-the-fly for layers-upon-layers of granulation. You can also improvise alongside the app - touches and parameters may be recorded, looped, stored, and duplicated. Entire configurations of clouds, sounds, and automation can be saved into presets, or “scenes,” that may be recalled at a later time, allowing Borderlands to seamlessly transition between the studio and the stage. More information is available at www.borderlands-granular.com Instagram: borderlands_granular Twitter: @BorderlandsiPad Facebook: BorderlandsGranular

About

Fluss

Explore granular synthesis with a tactile interface. Import, record, or live-process audio to create unique sound textures, drones, and echoes. Features kinetic sliders for dynamic modulation and a unique shimmer feedback effect.

Highlights
  • Granular synthesis engine
  • Import, record, or live process audio
  • Kinetic sliders for modulation
  • Shimmer feedback effect
  • MIDI playable
  • Oberheim Xpander inspired filter
  • Microtonal experiment support
Features
Read full description

Fluss is a sonic playground designed by Bram Bos and Berlin-based musician Hainbach to let you explore granular synthesis in a hands-on way. The playful touch UI invites anything from live performance, experimentation to learning and mastering the granular concept. Multiple plugins: Import, Record or Live Process You can import your own WAVs (standalone & AUv3 Instrument plugin), Record audio (Record effect plugin) or live-process sound (Process effect plugin) to create anything from drones and granular echoes to moving microtonal audio textures. Designed for touch: Kinetic Sliders All sliders and XY pads are linked to a physics model which lets you flick and throw them around. Minimise the friction for endless bouncing motion, as an innovative substitute for traditional LFOs and modulation. There was never a better reason for using a touchscreen for music. Shimmer Feedback effect Like a shimmer reverb, except it feeds the processed audio back into the grain engine. This lets you create an endless loop of pitch-shifting spaciousness, turning even the simplest of sounds into massive woolly mammoths. - 3 Voice grain engine, each with an independent playhead - Playable via MIDI (since version 1.1) - Filter inspired by the Oberheim Xpander, including its resonant Phase filter - Kinetic sliders and pads for playful interaction with the sound - Universal design (iPhone and iPad; iPad Air 2 or higher recommended) - Custom scales, unquantised mode and even Scala-import for microtonal experiments - Use WAVs (or other audio files), record audio or load the app as a live-processing audio effect - Real world tested as an instrument in numerous live performances by Hainbach - Offers light mode and dark mode UI

Screenshots

Fluss4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Fluss at $13.99 against Borderlands Granular's $19.99. Fluss also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 16 months) and device support (3 vs 1). Borderlands Granular's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 12). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and 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

Borderlands Granular costs $19.99 and Fluss $13.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Borderlands Granular against 4.8 for Fluss. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 128 and 71 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 79% and 78% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Borderlands Granular ships an update every 16 months, Fluss every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Borderlands Granular versus Fluss: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBorderlands GranularFluss
Price$19.99$13.99 — better
Rating4.8 (128 ratings)4.8 (71 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.8% of reviews — better78.0% of reviews
Number of ratings128 — better71
Update frequencyEvery 16 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS8.0 — better12
Further details — not scored
Size119 MB453 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChris CarlsonBram Bos

Customer experience

Borderlands Granular

All ratings124 ratings
Positive94.4%
Neutral4.0%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews208 reviews
Positive78.8%
Neutral12.0%
Negative9.1%

Fluss

All ratings71 ratings
Positive97.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews50 reviews
Positive78.0%
Neutral4.0%
Negative18.0%

Bugs and requests

Borderlands Granular

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Fluss

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes with black screen
  • No audible output
  • App resets when put in background
  • Cyan play head difficult to see on waveform

Requested features

20 requests
  • Adjustable layer field per grain
  • Record from internal microphone
  • More control over grain direction
  • BPM settings
  • Transition from clean to new sounds
Show 15 more
  • AUv3 plugin version
  • Scan speed multiplier (x2, x4)
  • Draw lines on pitch XY pad
  • Lock oscillators on pitch XY pad
  • Assign play heads triggered by external controller
  • Snapshots for pitch section
  • More clock and tempo syncing options
  • Visualization of buffer, playback head speed, modulation
  • Quantizer visualization
  • User-changeable pitch XY pad layout
  • Global friction and separate sensitivity option
  • Modulation to specific play head
  • Proper sampling button (microphone access)
  • Preset browser arrows
  • More control over panning, filter, scan speed

In-app purchases

None

Borderlands Granular

No in-app purchases

None

Fluss

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Borderlands Granular free?
Borderlands Granular costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Fluss free?
Fluss costs $13.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Borderlands Granular or Fluss?
Fluss is rated higher. Borderlands Granular averages 4.8 out of 5 from 128 ratings, while Fluss averages 4.8 from 71 ratings.
Do Borderlands Granular or Fluss have ads?
Neither Borderlands Granular nor Fluss shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Borderlands Granular or Fluss?
Borderlands Granular ships an update every 16 months, and Fluss every 3 months. Most recently, Borderlands Granular was updated on October 21, 2026 and Fluss on October 30, 2026.

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