Comparison

Stria vs Virtual ANS 3

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

Head to head
About

Stria

This app is a multilevel interactive sound synthesizer that utilizes Frequency Modulation and Wavetable Additive techniques. It offers extensive control over oscillators, pitch grids, and effects, with support for various audio and MIDI connections.

Highlights
  • Multilevel interactive sound synthesizer
  • Up to 240 FM or Wavetable Additive Oscillators
  • Five Spectral Pitch Grid Generators
  • MIDI Pad With Scale Grid
  • Extensive effects chain (Doppler, Glitch Gen, Reverb, etc.)
  • Snapshots Presets Morphing Pad
  • Control Manager LFO for Parameters
Features
Read full description

Stria is rated as a Killer App by Apps4iDevices. Multilevel Interactive Sound Synthesizer Idea and Csound-Orchestra by Eugenio Giordani “Stria” is the title of a very important composition by John Chowning and I would like to say that this computer music piece represents the manifest of Frequency Modulation technique applied to audio synthesis, invented by Mr. Chowning himself. + Audiobus and Inter-App Audio support + Up to 240 Frequency Modulation Oscillators or simple Wavetable Additive + Five Spectral Pitch Grid Generators (Geometric, Harmonic, Fibonacci, Scalar, Temperated) + MIDI Pad With Scale Grid + Effects chain: Doppler, Chopper, Glitch Gen, Sync Grain, Spectral Arpeggiator, FDN Reverb, Dynamic Compressor/Expander + Snapshots Presets Morphing Pad + Control Manager LFO for Parameters + Midibus, Virtual Midi and Network: 14 bit NRPN controllers + Capture Master Audio Output + File Manager, sharing common audio files via iTunes, Dropbox and AudioCopy + Post Fx Chain: Doppler, Chopper, Out Of Range, Sync Granulator, Spectral Arpeggiator, Reverb FDN, Dynamisc Processor + Bluetooth A2DP High Quality + etc...

About

Virtual ANS 3

This app simulates a unique photoelectronic musical instrument, allowing users to draw music as spectrograms. It functions as a graphics editor to convert sound to images and vice versa, enabling the creation of atmospheric sounds and microtonal music.

Highlights
  • Unlimited pure tone generators
  • Sonogram editor for drawing and playing spectra
  • Convert sound to image and vice versa
  • MIDI device support
  • Polyphonic synth mode with MIDI mapping
  • Audio Unit Extension (AUv3) and Audiobus support
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Virtual ANS is a software simulator of the unique Russian synthesizer ANS - photoelectronic musical instrument created by Evgeny Murzin from 1938 to 1958. The ANS made it possible to draw music in the form of a spectrogram (sonogram), without live instruments and performers. It was used by Stanislav Kreichi, Alfred Schnittke, Edward Artemiev and other Soviet composers in their experimental works. You can also hear the sound of the ANS in Andrei Tarkovsky's movies Solaris, The Mirror, Stalker. The simulator extends the capabilities of the original instrument. Now it's a full-featured graphics editor where you can convert sound into an image, load and play pictures, draw microtonal/spectral music and create some unusual deep atmospheric sounds. This app is for everyone who loves experiments and is looking for something new. Key features: * unlimited number of pure tone generators; * powerful sonogram editor - you can draw the spectrum and play it at the same time; * any sound (from a WAV file or a Microphone/Line-in) can be converted to image (sonogram) and vice versa; * support for MIDI devices; * polyphonic synth mode with MIDI mapping; * supported file formats: WAV (only uncompressed PCM), PNG, JPEG, GIF; * Audio Unit Extension (AUv3), Audiobus; * many new features compared to version 2.3; see the full list: https://warmplace.ru/soft/ans/changelog.txt Homepage, user manual and versions for other systems: https://warmplace.ru/soft/ans

Screenshots

Stria4 screens
Virtual ANS 33 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Virtual ANS 3 at $5.99 against Stria's $9.99. Virtual ANS 3 also leads on chart position (#199 vs unranked) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 6 months). Stria's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.8). On review sentiment, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Stria costs $9.99 and Virtual ANS 3 $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Stria holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 35 and 57 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of Stria's written reviews are positive against 88% of Virtual ANS 3's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Stria ships an update every 6 months, Virtual ANS 3 every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 14, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Stria versus Virtual ANS 3: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStriaVirtual ANS 3
Price$9.99$5.99 — better
Rating5.0 (35 ratings) — better4.8 (57 ratings)
Positive reviews91.5% of reviews — better87.5% of reviews
Number of ratings3557 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank—#199 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB31 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperapeSoftAlexander Zolotov

Customer experience

Stria

All ratings35 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews47 reviews
Positive91.5%
Neutral4.3%
Negative4.3%

Virtual ANS 3

All ratings57 ratings
Positive93.0%
Neutral5.3%
Negative1.8%
Written reviews32 reviews
Positive87.5%
Neutral6.3%
Negative6.3%

In-app purchases

None

Stria

No in-app purchases

None

Virtual ANS 3

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Stria free?
Stria costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Virtual ANS 3 free?
Virtual ANS 3 costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Stria or Virtual ANS 3?
Stria is rated higher. Stria averages 5.0 out of 5 from 35 ratings, while Virtual ANS 3 averages 4.8 from 57 ratings.
Do Stria or Virtual ANS 3 have ads?
Neither Stria nor Virtual ANS 3 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Stria or Virtual ANS 3?
Stria ships an update every 6 months, and Virtual ANS 3 every 3 months. Most recently, Stria was updated on October 14, 2026 and Virtual ANS 3 on October 14, 2026.

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