Comparison

Annoydio vs Descent Granulator

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

Head to head
About

Annoydio

Create and manipulate custom sounds using your device's microphone or iTunes file sharing. Assign sounds to pads, alter their frequency, play them in reverse, and add effects. Connect MIDI keyboards for interactive performance.

Highlights
  • Assign and play sounds on a grid of pads
  • Create custom sounds with device microphone
  • Import custom sounds via iTunes file sharing
  • Manipulate sound parameters (frequency, reverse, loop)
  • Apply audio effects (distortion, delay)
  • Connect MIDI keyboards for polyphonic playback
  • Supports Inter-App Audio as sound module/MIDI device
Read full description

Annoydio has a grid of pads which you can assign, manipulate, and play sounds. There are several built in sounds you can assign to any of the pads. In the Library you can create your own custom sounds using your device's microphone. You can also add custom sounds through iTunes file sharing. You can manipulate the sounds by changing the frequency, playing in reverse, looping, adding effects such as distortion and delay. You can also change parameters such as attack, decay, sustain, and release. You can connect a MIDI keyboard and play the current sound with full polyphony. On the iPad version there is a popup keyboard. Annoydio also supports Inter-App Audio as a sound module and MIDI device. You can use Annoydio as an instrument to add beats or effects to songs in apps like Garage Band. Short demonstration video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzuQhLxMxeM

About

Descent Granulator

This app captures audio, breaks it into tiny grains, and manipulates them for unique sound effects. Explore subtle thickening, rhythmic delays, frozen soundscapes, and shimmering pitch-shifted textures.

Highlights
  • Real-time granular engine
  • Pitch shifting with quantization
  • Six-axis randomization
  • Diffusion and feedback controls
  • Tempo sync
  • 35 factory presets
Features
Read full description

Descent is a real-time granular effect that captures incoming audio, breaks it into tiny grains, and scatters them across time and pitch. The result: everything from subtle thickening and rhythmic delays to vast frozen soundscapes and shimmering pitch-shifted clouds. GRANULAR ENGINE Control up to 50 simultaneous grains with independent settings for duration, overlap, and envelope shape. Play grains forward, reverse, or randomly mixed for tape-style effects, reverse swells, and glitchy textures. PITCH SHIFTING WITH QUANTIZATION Transpose from -24 to +24 semitones. Lock pitch shifts to specific intervals—octaves, fifths, or any chromatic combination—for harmonically correct shimmer and transposition effects. SIX-AXIS RANDOMIZATION Independently randomize pitch, pan, position, amplitude, duration, and grain count. Dial in subtle organic movement or push into complete textural chaos. DIFFUSION AND FEEDBACK High-feedback mode with a diffusion control transforms delays into lush, reverb-like washes that never get harsh or run away from you. TEMPO SYNC Lock grain timing to your session's tempo or let textures evolve freely in untethered mode. 35 FACTORY PRESETS Covering shimmers, delays, reverbs, pitch effects, and experimental sound design. Cross-platform XML presets are compatible across all Audio Damage plugin formats and operating systems. SOUND DESIGN IDEAS Add subtle depth with a few long grains and minimal randomization Create rhythmic delays with short, quantized grains at high feedback Build infinite sustain pads by freezing audio with high grain count and overlap Craft shimmer effects by quantizing pitch to octaves and fifths Transform vocals into ethereal textures with diffusion and wide panning AUv3 compatible. Runs standalone or hosted in AUM, ApeMatrix, Audiobus, Cubasis, GarageBand, and other AUv3 hosts on iOS 13 or newer. From Audio Damage—making creative software for discerning musicians since 2002.

Screenshots

Annoydio4 screens
Descent Granulator1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Descent Granulator at 3.7 against Annoydio's 2.8. Annoydio's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (20% vs 0%). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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

Annoydio costs $4.99 and Descent Granulator $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Descent Granulator holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 2.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 3 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 20% of Annoydio's written reviews are positive against 0% of Descent Granulator's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Annoydio ships an update every 10 days, Descent Granulator every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Annoydio versus Descent Granulator: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAnnoydioDescent Granulator
Price$4.99$4.99
Rating2.8 (5 ratings)3.7 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews20.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings5 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.4 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB61 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAnthony KitowiczAudio Damage, Inc.

Customer experience

Annoydio

All ratings5 ratings
Positive40.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative60.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive20.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative60.0%

Descent Granulator

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

None

Annoydio

No in-app purchases

None

Descent Granulator

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Annoydio free?
Annoydio costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Descent Granulator free?
Descent Granulator costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Annoydio or Descent Granulator?
Descent Granulator is rated higher. Annoydio averages 2.8 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Descent Granulator averages 3.7 from 3 ratings.
Do Annoydio or Descent Granulator have ads?
Neither Annoydio nor Descent Granulator shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Annoydio or Descent Granulator?
Annoydio ships an update every 10 days, and Descent Granulator every 2 months. Most recently, Annoydio was updated on November 1, 2026 and Descent Granulator on November 5, 2026.

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