Comparison

Ilumino vs Chromophone

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

Head to head
About

Ilumino

This app transforms ambient sounds into a dynamic visual display of colors and shapes. Customize the experience by adjusting sensitivity and advanced parameters, or connect external devices for deeper experimentation. It offers a unique way to interact with your environment through sight and sound.

Highlights
  • Sound-to-visual conversion
  • Customizable patterns
  • Adjustable sensitivity
  • Advanced parameter tuning
  • External DAC support
  • Audio generator testing
Read full description

Swipe left or right to select the pattern. App converts sounds captured by the device into visual spectacle of colours and shapes. Grant an access to the microphone to capture and convert surrounding sound into the visual experience. Check the audio generator and test the sensitivity of your equipment for the different frequencies. Adjust the sensitivity and advanced parameters to customise selected experience. Attach external DAC device to experiment with different sample rate and audio buffer size for incoming audio analysis. *** WARNING *** It is possible that not all combinations will work on your device.

About

Chromophone

Features
Read full description

Chromophone turns whatever is playing in the room into a living psychedelic picture. Play, sing, or put a record on: the visuals follow the sound as it happens. Every frame is built from the sound arriving right now. Low frequencies swing the whole shape, mids and highs cut the detail, sharp hits snap the pattern into a new one, and the mood of the music slowly steers color and scale. When the room falls quiet, the picture fades to black. Nothing is prepared in advance and no video file is playing behind the screen. The picture is generated on the device from what it hears at that moment, so what you see belongs to that moment in the room. WHERE PEOPLE USE IT Watching sound become picture. Put the phone down while music plays and let the room draw itself. On stage. Mirror the screen to a projector or a TV and let the visuals run through the whole set; the screen stays awake while it plays. In a stream. Keep a live backdrop moving behind a set instead of a looping clip that ignores the music. While you play. Point it at an amp, a piano or your own voice and watch what you are playing take shape. TWO THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU START It makes no sound of its own. It listens, and the music comes from wherever you already play it: your playing, your voice, or a speaker across the room. It takes the system audio input, so a line from an external interface arrives exactly as a microphone does. In a silent room the screen goes dark, because nothing is ever faked. It draws for the moment, not for later. There is no export and no rendering: this is a live picture while the music is happening, not a clip to publish afterwards. NOTHING LEAVES THE DEVICE The app contains no networking code at all. Audio is analyzed on the device, frame by frame, and is never recorded, never stored and never sent anywhere. Switch on Airplane Mode and everything still works exactly the same. FOR PEOPLE WHO SEE SOUND If you have ever wanted music to look like the way synesthetes describe it, or watched sand jump into patterns on a Chladni plate, this is that idea driven live by the room around you.

Screenshots

Ilumino4 screens
Chromophone4 screens

Verdict

The call

Ilumino and Chromophone are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters β€” price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them β€” neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ilumino ships an update every 5 weeks, Chromophone every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Ilumino versus Chromophone: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIluminoChromophone
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews100.0% of reviewsβ€”
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 3 weeks β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeβ€”
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac β€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 β€” better17.6
Further details β€” not scored
Size6 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNarcyz AdamusMaxim Oransky

In-app purchases

None

Ilumino

No in-app purchases

None

Chromophone

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ilumino free?
Ilumino is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chromophone free?
Chromophone is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Ilumino or Chromophone have ads?
Neither Ilumino nor Chromophone shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ilumino or Chromophone?
Ilumino ships an update every 5 weeks, and Chromophone every 3 weeks. Most recently, Ilumino was updated on November 4, 2026 and Chromophone on November 5, 2026.

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