Comparison

spectwhirl vs Relic Flow

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

Head to head
About

spectwhirl

This audio effect app transforms input sound into new textures and bell-like tones by extracting and manipulating sinewave components. It offers advanced control over delay lines, frequency shifting, and filtering, with gesture recording for parameter automation.

Highlights
  • Sinewave component extraction and grouping
  • Delay lines with feedback
  • Frequency shifter and sample-and-hold effects
  • Configurable filtering
  • Gesture recording for automation
  • Scene saving and management
Features
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"bells and whistles, literally" spectwhirl is a hybrid spectral audio effect. It can extract and rearrange sinewave components from input signal to make new sound textures and bell-like sounds. * input sound is converted to sinewave components that are divided into 4 groups: harmonic, inharmonic, 12-edo and other * each component is fed into a delay line with feedback * there is a group of frequency shifter and sample-and-hold effects before and after delay lines * each set of sinewave components can be filtered * all the parameters can be instantly automated with gesture recording !!! Please note that this effect consumes much CPU and requires a modern device. ====================== Quick Start: Top row of controls enables different parts of user interface: scenes editor ("scene"), controls switch ("edit") and "zoom" controls When "edit" is switch on, you can show or hide various controls (marked as "ctrl") and switch gesture recording automation for some of them (marked with ">") Main control surface displays sonogram with tracked elements. Colors are set accordingly to the group they are assigned (red-orange-green-blue are for harmonic, inharmonic, 12-edo and others). Each "lane" contains delay time controls. * Triangle facing left is for the start locator, it determines initial delay time * Square moves both start and end locators together * When left locator is first moved you can see the right locator with the same triangle. It shows the end of the selected region, the secondary delay time is determined by the difference between left and right locators * if you drag over the area of the region in a lane, the four-dotted/one circle indicator will change its appearance; this changes the arpeggio mode of the region. If set to leftmost position (one circle) the components go in-sync; if set to maximum value (shown as diagonal line with circles) - components are played sequentially * all settings can be stored as "scene" and multiple scenes can be switched sequentially; there is a set of button to move, add and delete scenes. All scenes will be stored as machine state; it can be exported / imported as a single file or as separate file with current scene in the "setup" view The standalone version always starts with output level set to -70 dB to avoid feedback

About

Relic Flow

Generate unique Lo-Fi rhythms, noise patterns, and drum loops using advanced synthesis algorithms. Explore billions of sound samples with intuitive controls and real-time audio recording. Perfect for musicians and sound designers seeking endless creative possibilities.

Highlights
  • Lo-Fi rhythm and drum loop generation
  • Billions of unique sound samples
  • Real-time audio recording to WAV
  • Multiple input methods (on-screen, PC keyboard, MIDI)
  • Export to WAV, SunVox, and text clipboard
  • iOS Audio Unit Extension (AUv3) support
Features
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Relic Flow is a generator of Lo-Fi rhythms, noise patterns and drum loops based on unique synthesis algorithms from NightRadio. More than 4 billion samples from the depths of the Mathematical Universe! Features: * search for new sounds with three buttons: next random set, edit code, previous set; each set of 12 sounds corresponds to a code of 8 characters; * three types of keyboards for live performing: on-screen buttons, PC keyboard, MIDI input; * several processing parameters + control via MIDI; * real-time audio recording to WAV (32-bit); * export to: WAV (one file or a set), SunVox (samples + effects in one file), text clipboard; * the LCK button freezes individual samples - they will not change during the search for new sets; * iOS Audio Unit Extension (AUv3). Double clicking on a parameter opens a window for setting the exact value. If you enable the Hold option, the notes will play endlessly, without reacting to key release (noteOff) events; turning the note on again works like turning it off; there are two ways to enable this option: 1) using the Hold parameter in the "MIDI Mapping" window; 2) by pressing the HOLD button, which appears in place of LCK while playing the musical keyboard: press HOLD, release the desired notes - then the released notes will continue to play.

Screenshots

spectwhirl4 screens
Relic Flow2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Relic Flow at 93% against spectwhirl's 33%. Relic Flow also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.0) and price ($1.99 vs $4.99). spectwhirl's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 17 months). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

spectwhirl costs $4.99 and Relic Flow $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Relic Flow holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Relic Flow has 28 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of spectwhirl's written reviews are positive against 93% of Relic Flow's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

spectwhirl ships an update every 5 weeks, Relic Flow every 17 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
spectwhirl versus Relic Flow: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterspectwhirlRelic Flow
Price$4.99$1.99 — better
Rating4.0 (5 ratings)4.9 (28 ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews93.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings528 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 17 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlexey NadzharovAlexander Zolotov

Customer experience

spectwhirl

All ratings5 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral33.3%
Negative33.3%

Relic Flow

All ratings26 ratings
Positive96.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative3.8%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive93.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.7%

In-app purchases

None

spectwhirl

No in-app purchases

None

Relic Flow

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is spectwhirl free?
spectwhirl costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Relic Flow free?
Relic Flow costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, spectwhirl or Relic Flow?
Relic Flow is rated higher. spectwhirl averages 4.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Relic Flow averages 4.9 from 28 ratings.
Do spectwhirl or Relic Flow have ads?
Neither spectwhirl nor Relic Flow shows ads.
Which is updated more often, spectwhirl or Relic Flow?
spectwhirl ships an update every 5 weeks, and Relic Flow every 17 months. Most recently, spectwhirl was updated on October 24, 2026 and Relic Flow on October 25, 2026.

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