Comparison

Phase Chimes vs Coastline

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

Head to head
About

Phase Chimes

Create intricate musical compositions by linking gears to generate complex rhythms and melodies. Explore generative music ideas standalone or as a MIDI plugin within other music production apps.

Highlights
  • Generative rhythm and melody composition
  • AUv3 MIDI plugin support
  • Standalone app functionality
  • Adjustable gear parameters (size, angle, velocity)
  • Composition snapshots and transitions
  • On-the-fly performance capabilities
  • Internal sound library
Read full description

MAKE MUSICAL MACHINES! Link gears together to compose surprisingly complex rhythms and melodies. Runs as an AUv3 MIDI plugin in host apps like AUM and Logic Pro (for iPad), or as a standalone app so you can explore musical ideas on your iPhone or iPad whenever inspiration strikes! THE CONCEPT - Differently-sized gears define gear ratios, which produce polyrhythms. - The connection angle between gears determines note pitch. Use these simple principles to create generative compositions with a visually elegant user interface. Compose patterns that evolve over time, or perform live by changing and arranging gears on-the-fly. FEATURES - Set each gear's size, offset, velocity, duration, and MIDI channel. - Store multiple snapshots of your composition and smoothly transition between them. - Reposition groups of gears to transpose and re-harmonize multiple notes at the same time. - Almost any aspect of a composition can be randomized. - Control external software or hardware instruments when in standalone MIDI mode or as an AUv3 plugin. - Synchronizes with your DAW's timeline to play in time with other tracks. - Get started quickly with an onscreen tutorial and a bunch of factory presets. SOUNDS Select from internal sounds such as a sampled grand piano, a Wurlitzer, and a vintage synthesizer. Whether you want to create a live audio-visual performance, add a polyrhythmic layer to your project, or compose an ambient, meditative atmosphere, Phase Chimes will surprise you with something new every time you engage with it.

About

Coastline

This app generates unique audio atmospheres and textures for music production. It uses additive and granular synthesis to add depth and character to tracks, offering extensive modulation and a dual-engine sustainer.

Highlights
  • Dual-engine audio sustainer
  • Additive and granular synthesis
  • Custom sample support
  • Intermodulation and advanced filtering
  • Extensive modulation options
  • Cross-platform preset sharing
Features
Read full description

Atmosphere machine. Texture generator. Harmonic workstation. A dual-engine audio sustainer with intermodulation, advanced filtering, support for custom samples, and more – all in the service of adding depth and character to your music. Coastline uses a combination of additive and granular synthesis to stretch sounds infinitely. It creates complementary ambience for any sound or composition. It brings a textural “je ne sais quoi” that makes your tracks stand out and feel more alive. Move as quickly as you want: slap it on a track for instant atmosphere, or use it as the recording and processing hub of entire compositions. All recordings happen immediately and automatically – set one volume threshold, and sit back. ENGINES AND EFFECTS • Tide – an additive synthesizer for reimagining sound. Control which frequencies of the input are mapped to oscillators, rebalance them to highlight harmonic or inharmonic characteristics, and introduce new frequencies with waveshaping. • Glade – a granular synthesizer that stretches sound forever with no clicks or transients. Balance the original timbre of your sound against Tide’s distillation of it. • Audio Matrix – route any channel in Coastline to intermodulate another. Create unique harmonic distortions, or load samples to introduce a completely new texture. Includes built-in field samples for naturalistic textures. • Filter – a multi-mode filter for all audio in Coastline, featuring feedback modulation, stereo spread, and independent per-channel controls. • Reverb – a downsampling reverb with a highly configurable chorus section for blending the results of Coastline and introducing another layer of texture and modulation. FEATURES • Modulation – modify any control in Coastline with multiple LFOs, sequencers, smooth random sources, and performance effects. • Presets – full preset control over every parameter in Coastline. Cross-platform preset format for sharing with friends. • Waymaker – connect to Coastline’s sibling application, Waymaker, for sequencing and additional control over the pitch of Coastline’s output. Includes 20+ presets by Peter Bark and imago meri. Also available for macOS and Windows in VST3 / AU / AAX formats from Aqeel Aadam Sound.

Screenshots

Phase Chimes4 screens
Coastline1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Phase Chimes at $9.99 against Coastline's $14.99. Coastline's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.6). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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

Phase Chimes costs $9.99 and Coastline $14.99 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 Phase Chimes against 5.0 for Coastline. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 12 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Phase Chimes ships an update every 2 weeks, Coastline every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Phase Chimes versus Coastline: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhase ChimesCoastline
Price$9.99 — better$14.99
Rating5.0 (9 ratings)5.0 (12 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings912 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size33 MB71 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKenneth MurphyAqeel Aadam

Customer experience

Phase Chimes

All ratings9 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Coastline

All ratings12 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Phase Chimes

No in-app purchases

None

Coastline

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Phase Chimes free?
Phase Chimes costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Coastline free?
Coastline costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Phase Chimes or Coastline?
Phase Chimes and Coastline are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 9 and 12 ratings respectively.
Do Phase Chimes or Coastline have ads?
Neither Phase Chimes nor Coastline shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Phase Chimes or Coastline?
Phase Chimes ships an update every 2 weeks, and Coastline every 3 weeks. Most recently, Phase Chimes was updated on October 30, 2026 and Coastline on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons