nils vs word_salad
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
nils
This real-time audio effect machine offers bitcrush, delay, and gain for distortion. It functions as a sampler and looper, allowing for lo-fi sound manipulation for both beginners and professionals. Supports Audiobus and various audio inputs.
- Real-time audio effects
- Bitcrush, delay, gain
- Sampler functionality
- Minimalistic looper
- Audiobus support
- Export audio
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..:: || NEW || AudioBus Support || ::.. Real time bitcrush, sampler and looper. Nils is a real time sound effect machine with a minimalistic looper. It comes with bitcrush, delay and gain for distortion. As input you can use the internal microphone, your earpods or accessories like iRig. Can also be used as a sampler, by holding the delay buffer and changing its phase. Lo-fi looping for both beginners and professionals. +++ Audiobus (input/effects/output). +++ Real time. +++ Bitchrush. +++ Sample rate (1 Hz - 44100 Hz). +++ Delay. +++ Hold delay buffer. +++ Play delay buffer. +++ Gain (goes up to 11). +++ Limiter. +++ Tape looper. +++ Export (email, soundcloud, MAPI audio copy).
word_salad
This app explores the concept of a musical instrument that generates sounds based on user input. It aims to be a futuristic tool for musical creation and exploration.
- Futuristic musical instrument concept
- Sound generation based on input
- Tool for musical creation
- Exploration of sonic possibilities
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$ ask "Is word_salad the instrument of the future?" YES $
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: word_salad at Free against nils's $1.99. word_salad also leads on review sentiment (83% vs 72%). nils's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 55 months) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.1). On rating, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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
word_salad is free to download; nils costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for nils against 4.7 for word_salad. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 13 and 12 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 72% of nils's written reviews are positive against 83% of word_salad's.
nils ships an update every 5 weeks, word_salad every 55 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | nils | word_salad |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (13 ratings) — better | 4.7 (12 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 72.2% of reviews | 83.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 13 — better | 12 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 55 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Erik Sigth | Greg Kufera |
Customer experience
nils
word_salad
In-app purchases
nils
No in-app purchases
word_salad
No in-app purchases
