Comparison

Combustor vs Aria

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

Head to head
About

Combustor

This audio effect extension transforms tracks with a unique time-bending resonator. Create vibrant textures, subtle resonances, and dynamic sweeps. It's designed for electronic musicians and producers seeking to add wild or organic qualities to their sounds.

Highlights
  • Time bending resonator effect
  • Creates distorted textures and physical resonance
  • Envelope follower for dynamic control
  • MIDI input for melodic control
  • Performative interface
  • AUv3 compatible
Features
Read full description

*** Note: Combustor is an Audio Unit effect extension and requires an AUv3 compatible host app, like Logic Pro, Drambo or GarageBand. It does not run as a standalone app *** Combustor is a unique, wild resonating body fashioned to spice up or extremely transform your tracks. At the heart of Combustor is a custom time bending resonator that doesn't sound like anything you have heard before. You can create anything from vibrant, distorted texture, perfectly suited for "hardcore" electronic musicians, to subtle physical resonance, which is often lacking in synthesized sounds. Combustor contains an envelope follower, to create dynamic-controlled pitch or filter sweeps. It also has MIDI input, that controls resonator's pitch, to make something melodic and organic out of non-melodic sounds, like drums. With just a few knob turns, a boring sound can be turned into screaming madness that sounds like it went out of control. A simple and straightforward interface makes Combustor a performative tool that allows you to directly interact with your sound.

About

Aria

Create, edit, and play back musical scores on your iPhone or iPad. This app supports MuseScore and MusicXML files, offering intuitive touch controls for note entry and playback. Organize your library, manage parts, and export your compositions in various formats.

Highlights
  • Edit MuseScore and MusicXML files
  • Intuitive touch-based notation controls
  • Score playback
  • Library organization
  • Part management
  • Export in multiple formats (MSCZ, PDF, MusicXML, audio)
Features
Read full description

Aria is a notation editor for iPhone and iPad that lets you create, edit, and play back MuseScore files on the go. Open existing MuseScore and MusicXML files, make changes with intuitive touch-based notation controls, play back your score, organize your library, manage individual parts, and export your music when you’re ready to share. Built for musicians who want a lightweight, mobile-friendly way to review, create, and revise scores wherever they are. Features: * Open MSCZ and MusicXML score files * Create new scores from templates * Edit and enter notes with touch controls, Apple Pencil, or a MIDI controller * Play back scores locally * View and manage individual parts * Export and share your work as MSCZ, PDF, MusicXML, audio, and more. Aria is an independent app and is not affiliated with or endorsed by MuseScore, Muse Group, or any related project. Aria is open-source software licensed under the GNU GPLv3. Source code, license notices, and build instructions are available here: https://github.com/hdi200/aria

Screenshots

Combustor1 screens
Aria4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Aria at Free against Combustor's $4.99. Aria also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months). Combustor's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17). 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

Aria is free to download; Combustor costs $4.99 up front. Aria sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Combustor asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Combustor against 4.8 for Aria. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 20 and 31 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of Combustor's written reviews are positive against 88% of Aria's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Combustor ships an update every 2 months, Aria every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Combustor versus Aria: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCombustorAria
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (20 ratings)4.8 (31 ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews87.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2031 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better17
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB279 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBeepStreetJack Gruber

Customer experience

Combustor

All ratings19 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative10.0%

Aria

All ratings31 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive87.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Combustor

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Aria

One-time1
  • Aria Full Access$9.99

Questions

Is Combustor free?
Combustor costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Aria free?
Aria is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Combustor or Aria?
Aria is rated higher. Combustor averages 4.7 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while Aria averages 4.8 from 31 ratings.
Do Combustor or Aria have ads?
Neither Combustor nor Aria shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Combustor or Aria?
Combustor ships an update every 2 months, and Aria every 4 days. Most recently, Combustor was updated on November 6, 2026 and Aria on November 5, 2026.

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