Comparison

Synthwaver vs ON'NENIKUR

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

Head to head
About

Synthwaver

Features
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SYNTHWAVER: SOUND IN MOTION Step inside the sound. SYNTHWAVER is a spatial synthesizer for iPhone and iPad that turns pure tones, noise, frequency modulation, and movement into an instrument you can feel around you. Every voice travels through a three-dimensional orbit, giving drones and atmospheres a sense of direction and depth. Put on headphones, press play, and hear synthesis leave the flat plane. BUILD A WORLD, ONE VOICE AT A TIME Start with one synth, then add more to create layers of pitch, color, rhythm, and space. Each voice has its own frequency, level, orbit speed, tilt, noise, FM, and reverb. Let one tone circle slowly beneath a fast-moving signal. Blend a warm noise bed behind a cluster of pitches. Set every layer in motion, or hold movement still and focus on timbre. Complex spatial scenes stay approachable because every sound remains visible, independent, and immediately playable. SCULPT PITCH BY EAR OR BY NOTE Explore the audible range from 20 Hz to 20 kHz with a responsive frequency control. Use the one-octave keyboard for familiar notes, then shift across ten octave positions to reach the register you need. Indicators identify voices at a glance, while numerical readouts keep precise tuning close. Whether you are building intervals, beating tones, low-end rumbles, or glassy highs, pitch never feels buried in a menu. MAKE EVERY SOUND MOVE Movement is part of the synthesis engine. Set each voice to orbit from near stillness to 6.8 revolutions per second, then tilt its path through the Z-plane. High-quality HRTF headphone rendering creates a binaural field with changing position. Layer speeds and angles until simple waveforms become kinetic patterns: circling, crossing, separating, and reconnecting in space. GO BEYOND THE SINE Turn on frequency modulation for sidebands, metallic edges, animated basses, bells, buzzes, and unstable textures. Dial in the modulation index, choose a frequency in hertz or a musical ratio tied to the carrier, then refine it with coarse and fine controls. FM can add subtle shimmer or push far into complex territory. Each voice has its own settings, so one layer can remain pure while another fractures into rich motion. BLEND TONE, NOISE, AND SPACE Move from a clean oscillator to noise, or settle anywhere between them. Shape noise continuously from white to pink, from bright hiss to softer ambience. Then place each voice in one of ten acoustic spaces, including rooms, halls, chambers, plate, and cathedral, and set the wet/dry balance. Orbit, noise color, FM, and reverb make SYNTHWAVER at home creating test tones, evolving drones, cinematic atmospheres, strange machines, and abstract sound art. FAST, TACTILE, AND READY TO EXPERIMENT SYNTHWAVER keeps essential controls on the surface. Start or stop voices, minimize them into frequency chips, bring any synth forward, and stop the scene instantly from the master bar. Shape individual levels or adjust overall output. The interface adapts to portrait and landscape on iPhone and iPad, so it stays playable whether you are exploring on the couch, sketching with headphones, or presenting an idea. SAVE THE MOMENT When a combination clicks, save it as a preset. SYNTHWAVER remembers every voice and its playing state, pitch, spatial motion, FM, volume, noise, octave, and reverb. Open a scene later, continue shaping it, or build a library of drones, studies, and sonic environments. Move from discovery to a sound you can revisit. FOR CURIOUS EARS SYNTHWAVER is for musicians, sound designers, composers, students, educators, spatial-audio enthusiasts, and curious listeners. Study frequency relationships, explore modulation, design moving textures, build meditative soundscapes, or lose yourself in a strange orbit of your own making. No timeline. No maze of pages. Just sound, motion, and direct control. Your headphones are not just the output. They are the listening space. Create a voice. Set it in motion. Shape the air. Enter SYNTHWAVER.

About

ON'NENIKUR

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ON'NENIKUR is an octave-freeze reverb app for iPhone and iPad. It can be used as a standalone audio app or as an AUv3 effect inserted into compatible host apps such as GarageBand. This processor blends standard-pitch reverb with a pitch-shifted dry signal before applying modulation, filtering, envelope shaping, and dry/wet mixing. “DARK” shifts the original sound down an octave to create a rich, spacious sound, while “LIGHT” shifts it up an octave to produce a brighter, more ethereal sound. “FREEZE” transforms the reverb tail into a playable hold texture. Features - Octave-down (DARK) and octave-up (LIGHT) reverb - Two reverb paths: standard pitch and pitch-shifted - FIR (chorus-style) and OAK (phase-style) modulation modes - RISE (swell) and FALL (standard envelope) - Adjustable filter, decay, mix, octave level, depth, rate, and output - “FREEZE” for creating sustained textures and drone sounds - Instrument input mode and line input mode - 2x and 4x processing modes to control the quality of the octave shift - Standalone iOS/iPadOS app - AUv3 audio effect Trial Before Unlocking The trial version of this product is designed to allow 10 minutes of active use of all features across both the standalone app and the AUv3 plug-in. A one-time, non-consumable in-app purchase unlocks unlimited use in both formats. The “Restore Purchase” feature is also available in the standalone app. ON’NENIKUR is designed for shoegaze, ambient, post-rock, and any arrangement where guitars, synthesizers, vocals, and reverb are integral parts of the song’s composition. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Screenshots

Synthwaver3 screens
ON'NENIKUR2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ON'NENIKUR at Free against Synthwaver's $0.99. ON'NENIKUR also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.5). Synthwaver's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On ads 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

ON'NENIKUR is free to download; Synthwaver costs $0.99 up front. ON'NENIKUR sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Synthwaver asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences · 2 level
Synthwaver versus ON'NENIKUR: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSynthwaverON'NENIKUR
Price$0.99Free — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.516.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB42 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRichard BarberShoma Kondo

In-app purchases

None

Synthwaver

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

ON'NENIKUR

One-time1
  • ON'NENIKUR Full Version$9.99

Questions

Is Synthwaver free?
Synthwaver costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ON'NENIKUR free?
ON'NENIKUR is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Synthwaver or ON'NENIKUR have ads?
Neither Synthwaver nor ON'NENIKUR shows ads.

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