Comparison

VAPolyQuad vs ScoreShelf

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

Head to head
About

VAPolyQuad

Create rich, analog-style music with this powerful polyphonic synthesizer. Explore a vast array of sound-shaping tools, including multiple oscillators, filters, and effects. Program intricate melodies and rhythms with the built-in sequencer, and seamlessly share projects across your Apple devices.

Highlights
  • Virtual analog polyphonic synthesizer
  • Up to 8 voice polyphony
  • Four oscillators per voice
  • Multiple resonant filters
  • Built-in effects suite
  • 16-bar sequencer with piano roll
  • Audio Unit Extension (AUv3) support
Features
Read full description

VAPolyQuad is a virtual analog polyphonic synthesizer for iPhone, iPad and Mac. It features 8 voice synthesizer, effects, sequencer and audio visualization tools. It operates as a stand alone or as an AudioUnit Extension (AUv3). Stand Alone supports Ableton Link, MIDI and audio file export. Single voice of the synthesizer features four oscillators, two mixers, two resonant high pass filters, two resonant low pass filters, two amplifiers, four ADSR envelopes and four LFOs. The oscillators features continuously variable wave shape and wide variety of modulation. The filters are modeled on the Sallen-Key filter circuit and cascaded OTA filter circuit for classic analog sound. The Effects include delay, chorus, flanger, reverb, eq and compressor. The sequencer features piano roll and parameter automation editor to program 16 bar pattern per clip. Project files can be saved in iCloud Drive, so that the project can be accessed from iPhone, iPad or Mac. - Main Features - Virtual analog polyphonic synthesizer. Maximum 8 voice polyphony. it depends on performance of the device it is running. Four oscillators per voice. Flexible audio signal and control signal routing. Keyboard Control Routing Two type of Lowpass filter, cascaded OTA model and Sallen-key model. Support MIDI 2.0 New User Interface built by SwiftUI for improved performance. Built-in Sequencer. 16 bar patterns per clip. Total 8 clips. Piano Roll and Parameter automation. Support Audio Unit Extension (AUv3) Works on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Support iCloud Drive to share project files between the platforms. Audio Export. Linear PCM format (AIFF, WAV and CAF) and compressed format (AAC) Support Ableton Link, Bluetooth MIDI, MIDI In / Out. 370 Factory Presets - System Requirements - A13 Fusion or above is recommended. AudioUnit Extension (AUv3) requires host application which support AudioUnit Extension. AudioUnit Extension is supported by Apple Logic and Apple Garage Band on iOS and macOS. For any other DAW, it depends on the application and some of them don’t support AudioUnit Extension. Sound may be distorted if CPU of the device doesn't have enough power. If it happens reduce number of voices.

About

ScoreShelf

Features
Read full description

ScoreShelf is a simple sheet music viewer designed to help you manage PDF scores comfortably on iPad. Import PDFs into your library, organize them as scores, and quickly resume practice from the last page you opened. With Apple Pencil support, you can write notes and marks directly on your scores, just like on paper. Bookmarks let you remember pages you often return to or important places in a score. You can also save current practice locations as “Practice Spots,” so you can return to the parts you want to work on next without searching. Practice History helps you look back on your practice in a quiet, visual way. You can view a calendar-style heatmap of your practice, see which scores you worked on in the past, and return directly to the score and page you were practicing. ScoreShelf is not an app that pushes you to practice or judges your progress. It is a quiet shelf for your daily practice, remembering the scores you need, your handwritten notes, your practice history, and the places you are working on. Main Features: ・Import and manage sheet music PDFs ・PDF score viewer ・Write with Apple Pencil ・Save handwritten notes per page ・Bookmarks ・Practice Spot management ・Practice History with calendar-style heatmap ・View previously practiced scores and pages ・Return directly to a score and page from practice history ・Remember the last opened page ・Show today’s time spent on each score If you manage sheet music as PDFs but find it hard to write notes, keep track of practice locations, or look back on what you have practiced, ScoreShelf is a simple and calm score management app for you.

Screenshots

VAPolyQuad4 screens
ScoreShelf1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ScoreShelf at Free against VAPolyQuad's $14.99. ScoreShelf also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 22 months). VAPolyQuad's advantage is iOS requirement (16.6 vs 18.6). On ads, in-app purchases 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

ScoreShelf is free to download; VAPolyQuad costs $14.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

VAPolyQuad ships an update every 22 months, ScoreShelf every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
VAPolyQuad versus ScoreShelf: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVAPolyQuadScoreShelf
Price$14.99Free — better
Rating4.0 (5 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 22 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.6 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRyo TogawaHiroshi Kojima

In-app purchases

None

VAPolyQuad

No in-app purchases

None

ScoreShelf

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is VAPolyQuad free?
VAPolyQuad costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ScoreShelf free?
ScoreShelf is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do VAPolyQuad or ScoreShelf have ads?
Neither VAPolyQuad nor ScoreShelf shows ads.
Which is updated more often, VAPolyQuad or ScoreShelf?
VAPolyQuad ships an update every 22 months, and ScoreShelf every 3 weeks. Most recently, VAPolyQuad was updated on September 25, 2026 and ScoreShelf on October 11, 2026.

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