Comparison

iotaTONE vs Perc8

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

Head to head
About

iotaTONE

Features
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Isomorphic, Polyphonic, Microtonal, Just Intonation Musical Instrument & MIDI Controller for tablets & mobile phones Touch & Tilt - Intuitive playing mechanism Motion Detector - Camera input controls pitch & volume. Isomorphic Keyboard - precision numeric & graphic display Play melodies, chords, scales, instant inversions, effortless Arpeggios 4 Distinct Playing Modes - Polyphonic / Monophonic x Touch / Hold Expressive - realtime FX Box controls. User configurable Volume settings. Basic Drum Machine - 50+ practice patterns Quantized Output for Rhythmic Effects Microtonal Capabilities - explore Just Intonation & Pythagorean Tunings Includes Harmonic Table, Tonnetz, Wicki-Hayden + more Create your own microtonal mappings iotaTONE combines touchscreen technology with mobile hardware device orientation & continuous controls to define a distinct new paradigm in music instrument design.

About

Perc8

Create complex electronic music with a professional drum synthesizer and step sequencer. Design unique sounds with multiple engines, filters, and effects. Build intricate patterns and full arrangements with advanced sequencing features.

Highlights
  • 8 independent synthesizer voices
  • Multiple percussion engine families
  • Advanced filters and distortion
  • Step sequencer with probability and p-locks
  • Pattern chaining for full arrangements
  • AUv3 and standalone app support
  • Professional effects: delay, reverb, chorus
Features
Read full description

Perc8 is a professional drum synthesizer and step sequencer designed for techno, acid, industrial, and experimental electronic music. Build anything from tight loops to complete arrangements with eight independent synthesizer voices, deep per-step control, flexible effects, and a dedicated master bus. SOUND DESIGN Choose from a broad collection of kick, snare, clap, cymbal, hat, percussion, noise, tonal, and synth engines. Five purpose-built FM engines cover FM Kick, Snare, Hat, Perc, and Tone. Digital Perc adds a 16 × 16 WAVE × SHAPE sound space for animated digital percussion. Start quickly with 40 curated factory voice presets, then reshape them through Perc8’s complete synthesis and processing architecture. Every voice provides eight expressive engine macros plus resonant filters, EQ, drive, amplitude shaping, dual LFOs, effects sends, and output routing. Optional Drive Match on each voice and the master bus helps you judge saturation character without added loudness dominating the comparison. SEQUENCING & ARRANGING Program beats with probability, trigger conditions, fills, retriggering, ties, variable pattern lengths, and up to 16 parameter locks per step. Arrange pattern entries into Blocks, set repeats and Fill behavior, mute voices independently per entry, and draw long-form parameter automation with multiple interpolation shapes across the chain. ADAPTIVE WORKSPACE Perc8 adapts its editor to the available space. Work quickly in the compact iPhone and AUv3 layouts, or use dedicated full-screen Pattern, Chain, FX, and Master workspaces on iPad. Controls remain direct and touch-focused across standalone and hosted use. EFFECTS & MIXING Process voices through a dub-style stereo delay, algorithmic reverb, and chorus/flanger modulation, all with sequencer automation. Mix all eight voices with level, pan, mute, solo, EQ, sends, and flexible bus routing. Finish the kit with stereo image controls, master EQ, drive, Drive Match, trim, and limiting. STANDALONE & AUV3 Use Perc8 as a standalone instrument or as an AUv3 plug-in in hosts such as AUM. Route voices to individual outputs, synchronize to host transport, automate parameters, control voices over MIDI, and save complete projects, kits, or individual voice presets. KEY FEATURES • Eight independent drum-synth voices • FM Kick, FM Snare, FM Hat, FM Perc, and FM Tone • 16 × 16 Digital Perc WAVE × SHAPE sound space • Broad analog-inspired, digital, metallic, noise, and tonal engine collection • Eight musical macros per engine • Resonant filters, EQ, drive, amplitude shaping, and dual LFOs per voice • Optional voice and master Drive Match • Probability, conditions, fills, ties, retriggering, and up to 16 parameter locks per step • Block-based arrangements, per-entry voice mutes, and timeline automation • Delay, reverb, and chorus/flanger effects • Eight-channel mixer and complete master bus • Multiple audio outputs and MIDI routing • Standalone and AUv3 operation • Adaptive iPhone, iPad, and hosted layouts MANUAL & TUTORIALS See the Help page in Perc8 for the full manual and guided workflows, or visit terrarum.net/perc8.html.

Screenshots

iotaTONE4 screens
Perc84 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Perc8 at $6.99 against iotaTONE's $14.99. iotaTONE's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs monthly) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.6). 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

iotaTONE costs $14.99 and Perc8 $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iotaTONE ships an update every 9 days, Perc8 monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
iotaTONE versus Perc8: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriotaTONEPerc8
Price$14.99$6.99 — better
Rating—3.3 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Paid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size179 MB26 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBond Institute Music CorporationJoe Topjian

In-app purchases

None

iotaTONE

No in-app purchases

None

Perc8

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iotaTONE free?
iotaTONE costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Perc8 free?
Perc8 costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do iotaTONE or Perc8 have ads?
Neither iotaTONE nor Perc8 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iotaTONE or Perc8?
iotaTONE ships an update every 9 days, and Perc8 monthly. Most recently, iotaTONE was updated on October 28, 2026 and Perc8 on October 24, 2026.

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