Comparison

variStretch vs FFT AUv3 Visualizer

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

Head to head
About

variStretch

This app allows real-time audio speed manipulation without altering pitch. It offers three distinct playback modes and adjustable buffer settings for precise control over sound processing.

Highlights
  • Real-time speed adjustment (0.5-2.0x)
  • Tape mode (speed & pitch change)
  • Phase Vocoder mode (speed only)
  • Adjustable buffer size
  • Buffer clear function
  • AUv3 host compatibility
Read full description

Concept: The app is a so-called time-stretch machine. The user can change the speed (0.5-2.0) of audio source in real-time using keyboard or slider at will. Usage: There are three play modes: 1) Tape (to change the both speed & pitch) 2) Phase Vocoder (to change the speed alone) 3) Thru (no processing) "Buffer Size" slider determines how long the data will be stored. "Buffer Clear" button will reset the buffer to be zero. System Requirements: AUv3 host

About

FFT AUv3 Visualizer

This real-time spectral analyzer visualizes audio into spectrograms with high precision. It offers advanced features like mel-scale mapping and intelligent color coding to help musicians and audio engineers analyze sound frequencies for mixing, mastering, and sound design.

Highlights
  • Real-time spectral analysis
  • High-resolution 4096-sample FFT
  • Mel-scale frequency mapping
  • 90dB dynamic range with intelligent color mapping
  • Resizable interface
  • 60Hz display with 75% overlap
Read full description

FFT is a real-time spectral analyzer designed specifically for musicians, producers, and audio engineers who demand precision in their frequency domain analysis. This plugin transforms your audio into visual spectrogram, featuring a high-resolution 4096-sample FFT engine that captures every nuance of your sound. With its advanced Blackman-Harris windowing and mel-scale frequency mapping, FFT provides perceptually accurate frequency representation that mirrors how your ears actually hear music. The plugin offers 90dB dynamic range with intelligent color mapping that highlights different frequency bands—from deep blues for sub-bass through vibrant greens for midrange to warm reds for sparkling highs. Whether you're mixing, mastering, sound designing, or analyzing acoustic spaces, FFT's real-time 60Hz display with 75% overlap ensures smooth, responsive visualization that helps you make critical EQ decisions, identify problematic frequencies, monitor stereo imaging, and understand the spectral content of your tracks with scientific precision. The resizable interface adapts to your workflow, making it an indispensable tool for any serious audio professional seeking to visualize and understand their sound in the frequency domain.

Screenshots

variStretch2 screens
FFT AUv3 Visualizer1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: FFT AUv3 Visualizer at $0.99 against variStretch's $5.99. variStretch's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On rating, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

variStretch costs $5.99 and FFT AUv3 Visualizer $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for variStretch against 5.0 for FFT AUv3 Visualizer. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

variStretch ships an update every 7 months, FFT AUv3 Visualizer every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on September 6, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
variStretch versus FFT AUv3 Visualizer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametervariStretchFFT AUv3 Visualizer
Price$5.99$0.99 — better
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 7 months — betterEvery 8 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSatoshi KajiiDiscoDSP LLC

Customer experience

variStretch

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

FFT AUv3 Visualizer

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

variStretch

No in-app purchases

None

FFT AUv3 Visualizer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is variStretch free?
variStretch costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is FFT AUv3 Visualizer free?
FFT AUv3 Visualizer costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, variStretch or FFT AUv3 Visualizer?
variStretch and FFT AUv3 Visualizer are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do variStretch or FFT AUv3 Visualizer have ads?
Neither variStretch nor FFT AUv3 Visualizer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, variStretch or FFT AUv3 Visualizer?
variStretch ships an update every 7 months, and FFT AUv3 Visualizer every 8 months. Most recently, variStretch was updated on September 6, 2026 and FFT AUv3 Visualizer on September 20, 2026.

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