Thesys vs CalmusNotation
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Thesys
This app is a powerful and intuitive MIDI step sequencer for creating complex musical patterns. It offers extensive control over MIDI devices, enabling organic bass lines, leads, and pads for studio or live performance. Advanced features allow for real-time pattern manipulation directly from a MIDI keyboard.
- MIDI Step Sequencer
- Pattern Creation
- Live Performance Options
- Real-time Pattern Manipulation
- Integrated Synth
- Action Section (Gatetime, Looper, Slowdown)
- Ableton Link Support
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Thesys is an extremely powerful and intuitive MIDI Step Sequencer app, giving you control over just about all aspects of your favorite MIDI devices. Use Thesys to create varied and organic bass lines, screaming leads, pulsating chords, and organic pad sounds in the studio or on stage. For live musicians, Thesys provides an extremely versatile palette of performance options which can be triggered right from your MIDI keyboard: you can transpose, manipulate, twist up, mutate, and mangle your patterns without even getting near your iPad. No other MIDI sequencer plugin offers you the ease and power of Thesys. It is 100% MIDI compliant and therefore provides the ultimate MIDI sequencing solution. iPad Edition Features: • Integrated Synth • Action Section (Gatetime, Looper, Slowdown...) • Pattern Sequencer • Standalone & Audio Unit v3 • Ableton Link Support • MIDI file Export • MIDI Support (Virtual, Netzwerk, Extern, Bluetooth), MIDI Learn & Host Automation • MIDI Clock Sync (Master & Slave) • Preset iCloud Sync • Preset Share • Zoom
CalmusNotation
Create and visualize musical compositions using AI-powered graphical notation. This app leverages advanced AI, inspired by NASA's Lisp programming, to generate original music based on user input and can display music from other compatible apps for live performance.
- AI-powered music composition
- Graphical notation display
- Real-time performance visualization
- Lisp-based AI engine
- User input-driven music creation
- Integration with CalmusComposer and CalmusPlay
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Graphical Notation is an app for music creation and graphical notation using Artificial Intelligence. The coreof Graphical Notation is the CalmusAI brain where the modern composing methods are programmed into the brain using Lisp programming language. NASA has historically used Lisp for artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, most notably in the 1990s Remote Agent project, the first AI system to control a spacecraft. CalmusNotation does not collect or use any musical material from the internet but creates new music based on the input from the user. In addition - CalmusNotation can also receive composed music from CalmusComposer and CalmusPlay - and present the music as graphical notation for live performance - in real-time. CalmusComposer composes music with Artificial Intelligence and can send the musical result to GraphicalNotations to be presented for life performance. CalmusComposer is connected to GraphicalNotation through WiFi local network - by selecting CalmusNotation in Settings. GraphicalNotation is connected to CalmusComposer, through WiFi local network - by selecting the MacOS device in the settings of GraphicalNotation. CalmusNotation needs Internet connection.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Thesys at 59% against CalmusNotation's 0%. Thesys also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (85 vs 5). CalmusNotation's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and device support (4 vs 1). On price, update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Thesys sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. CalmusNotation asks for nothing beyond the download.
Thesys holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Thesys has 85 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 59% of Thesys's written reviews are positive against 0% of CalmusNotation's.
Thesys ships an update every 3 months, CalmusNotation every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Thesys | CalmusNotation |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (85 ratings) — better | 4.4 (5 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 59.3% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 85 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 29 MB | 294 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sugar Bytes GmbH | Erki-tonlist sf |
Customer experience
Thesys
CalmusNotation
In-app purchases
Thesys
- Thesys Full Version$19.99
CalmusNotation
No in-app purchases








