Comparison

Theremin (Motion Sensors and Touch Screen) vs Hoverophone

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

Head to head
About

Theremin (Motion Sensors and Touch Screen)

Control audio frequency using your device's motion sensors and touchscreen. Adjust parameters like frequency range, waveform, and effects for each axis.

Highlights
  • Motion sensor control
  • Touchscreen interface
  • Adjustable frequency range
  • Selectable waveforms
  • Audio effects
  • Axis-specific customization
Features
Read full description

This app uses the device's motion sensors and touchscreen to modify the frequency of the output audio. Inputs include touchscreen, accelerometers, gyroscopes, and the magnetometers. For each individual axis you can adjust max/min frequency, sensitivity, waveform, and effects.

About

Hoverophone

This app reimagines the theremin for your iPhone, allowing you to play music by waving your hands in the air without touching the screen. It offers a polyphonic synthesizer with various sound options and microtonal capabilities for unique musical exploration.

Highlights
  • Air-based theremin playing with front camera hand tracking
  • Polyphonic synthesizer with multiple voice options
  • Microtonal keyboard with 12-TET or 24-TET quarter tones
  • Stack up to twelve notes by pinning voices
  • Continuous pitch glide and volume control
  • Fully offline functionality
Features
Read full description

Play a theremin in the air with your hands—no screen taps, controller, or antenna required. Hoverophone uses the front camera to follow your hands. Raise or lower a hand to glide the pitch, change the distance between your thumb and any finger to control volume, and move from side to side to pan the sound. Raise a hand and you are already playing that unmistakable, otherworldly theremin voice. A POLYPHONIC SYNTH Choose a sine, triangle, saw, or square wave, then add drive and ring modulation. Movement across the camera controls the stereo field. Hoverophone tracks up to four hands at once, so you can play chords instead of a single melody. Bring two sounding hands together to pin a note in place. Pinned notes continue to ring while you play, giving you as many as twelve simultaneous voices: four live and eight sustained. MICROTONAL NOTES IN THE AIR Leave the note grid off for the classic continuous theremin glide. Turn it on to snap the pitch to 12-TET notes or 24-TET quarter tones on an isomorphic hexagonal grid. Move your hand into a cell and the note lands in tune without touching the screen. The 24-TET mode opens the door to microtonal and xenharmonic music while preserving the instrument's in-air control. FEATURES - Front-camera hand tracking with no screen contact - Continuous theremin pitch or an isomorphic note grid - 12-TET and 24-TET tuning with quarter tones - Up to four tracked hands and twelve simultaneous voices - Four waveforms, drive, ring modulation, and stereo panning - Sound through the speaker or headphones, even in silent mode - No account required; plays without a network connection HOW TO PLAY THE THEREMIN A theremin is an electronic musical instrument played without physical contact. In Hoverophone, simply raise a hand in front of the camera. Move up and down to change pitch, open and close the space between your fingers to shape volume, and move left or right to place the sound in the stereo field. If you are learning how to play the theremin, start in continuous mode and practice smooth pitch glides. Switch to 12-TET when you want help landing on familiar notes, or choose 24-TET to play quarter tones and explore microtonal music. Hoverophone is a touch-free theremin app and polyphonic synthesizer app for iPhone and iPad, built for musicians who want expressive camera control without extra hardware. Camera frames are processed entirely on your device and never leave it. Hoverophone does not use the microphone. Create a soft ambient pad, build a dense drone, or summon the eerie sweep of a science-fiction soundtrack. For the most reliable tracking, play in a well-lit room where the camera can see your hands clearly.

Screenshots

Theremin (Motion Sensors and Touch Screen)4 screens
Hoverophone4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Hoverophone at 4.5 against Theremin (Motion Sensors and Touch Screen)'s 3.3. Hoverophone also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 3 months). Theremin (Motion Sensors and Touch Screen)'s advantage is review sentiment (59% vs 50%) and iOS requirement (7.0 vs 17.6). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support 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

Both are free to download. Theremin (Motion Sensors and Touch Screen) sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Hoverophone asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Hoverophone holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 4 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 59% of Theremin (Motion Sensors and Touch Screen)'s written reviews are positive against 50% of Hoverophone's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Theremin (Motion Sensors and Touch Screen) ships an update every 3 months, Hoverophone every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Theremin (Motion Sensors and Touch Screen) versus Hoverophone: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTheremin (Motion Sensors and Touch Screen)Hoverophone
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (8 ratings)4.5 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews59.3% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings8 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS7.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerzakk hoytMaxim Oransky

Customer experience

Theremin (Motion Sensors and Touch Screen)

All ratings9 ratings
Positive44.4%
Neutral22.2%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews27 reviews
Positive59.3%
Neutral3.7%
Negative37.0%

Hoverophone

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Theremin (Motion Sensors and Touch Screen)

One-time3
  • Scales for Autotune$0.99
  • Graph the motion sensors$0.99
  • Camera Sensor$0.99
None

Hoverophone

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Theremin (Motion Sensors and Touch Screen) free?
Theremin (Motion Sensors and Touch Screen) is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Hoverophone free?
Hoverophone is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Theremin (Motion Sensors and Touch Screen) or Hoverophone?
Hoverophone is rated higher. Theremin (Motion Sensors and Touch Screen) averages 3.3 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Hoverophone averages 4.5 from 4 ratings.
Do Theremin (Motion Sensors and Touch Screen) or Hoverophone have ads?
Neither Theremin (Motion Sensors and Touch Screen) nor Hoverophone shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Theremin (Motion Sensors and Touch Screen) or Hoverophone?
Theremin (Motion Sensors and Touch Screen) ships an update every 3 months, and Hoverophone every 10 days. Most recently, Theremin (Motion Sensors and Touch Screen) was updated on November 6, 2026 and Hoverophone on November 10, 2026.

Other comparisons