Comparison

ARGate vs FrobulatorAU

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

Head to head
About

ARGate

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ARGate Attack / Release Gate Plugin (AUv3) ARGate is an audio effect plugin that can run standalone, or in any AU compatible host application such as Logic Pro or GarageBand. Overview - more than just a noise gate... ARGate is an audio gate utility with a few twists, with the addition of attack and hold times, plus support for hysteresis. At its core, ARGate uses an AHR (attack-hold-release) envelope to control gain adjustment of an incoming audio signal, with support for different threshold values to open and close the gate (hysteresis). ARGate can function as a noise gate for instrument or vocal audio tracks, but can also be used as an "auto-swell" effect on instruments such as electric guitar so you can leave that bulky volume pedal at home! ARGate can even be used to "tighten-up" drum and percussion loops by gating out the quieter elements. A G R Indicators Above the view selector are 3 indicators to show what state the gate is in: Attack, Gate (open) and Release. Each indicator will light when in that particular state. Please note these are not interactive buttons that you click on, even though they share the same fabulous color scheme :-) Note - if you see the R indicator flickering a lot, please consider increasing the Hold time slightly, as described below. Controls Active - Toggles the effect On or Off. Threshold - Sets the dB level of the signal required to open the gate. At its lowest setting, the gate will let pretty much everything through, and at the highest setting, none shall pass! For background noise reduction, set the Threshold to minimum, then slowly increase it until you see that the G indicator is not opening when there is only background noise in the input. Hysteresis - This sets the difference between the open gate and close gate threshold which is useful when you want to hear more of the decay sound once the gate has been triggered. The default of -6dB is a good place to start - this means that the close threshold will be 6dB less than the threshold to open the gate. This feature tends to avoid the "fluttering" effect you sometimes get with more basic noise gates. Reduction - Sets the amount of gain reduction applied when the gate is closed. At its lowest setting, this is effectively silence and is probably the setting you want to use in most applications. Alternatively, you might just want to attenuate background noise by a certain amount so the result doesn't sound obviously gated. Attack - Choose between a linear or exponential attack curve, then set an attack time. At zero, the gate will open as soon as the Threshold is hit. For auto-swell type effects, a long attack time around 1000ms and an exponential curve can work well. Hold - Sets a variable hold time which can also be useful for avoiding gate "fluttering" and works in tandem with the Hysteresis control. This time is essentially how long the input level has to remain below the close threshold (open threshold + hysteresis) before going into release mode. If the input level goes above the close threshold, then the hold timer is reset. This feature is especially useful for vocal and instrument gating, but can also be used to achieve some interesting rhythmic effects on drum loops and the like. Release - Chose between linear or exponential release curve, then set a release time. An exponential release curve might work better on percussive sounds if you need the gate to really "snap" shut. The minimum release time of 10ms is there to avoid pops or clicks when the gate closes. For more info and support please visit: www.waverley-instruments.com/robjackson

About

FrobulatorAU

This audio effect plugin transforms sounds with spectral delay, adding unique character to music projects. It's a free and open-source tool designed for use in various audio applications, offering extensive creative possibilities.

Highlights
  • Spectral delay effect
  • AUv3 plugin
  • Use in GarageBand, AUM, and other DAWs
  • Multiple instances per project
  • Free and open-source
  • No ads or in-app purchases
Features
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Venerable inter-app audio effect Frobulator reborn — at long last — as an AUv3 plugin. Use it in GarageBand, AUM or your favourite audio application. Add multiple instances in the same project. Drag your frobulation kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Frobulator is a spectral delay effect. It makes your noises a little bit stranger. Twiddle the knobs to find something you like, or don't and throw it away. No-one will hold it against you. Frobulator is free as in beer and free as in speech. Freer, probably, given the state of both those things these days. No ads, no in-app purchases, no subscriptions, no surveillance, no nag screens. If you happen to be one of the 6 people who asked for this, rejoice! If you aren't, now's your chance to discover what you've been missing all this time. Or not. I'm not the boss of you.

Screenshots

ARGate4 screens
FrobulatorAU1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: FrobulatorAU at Free against ARGate's $1.99. FrobulatorAU also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 6 weeks). ARGate's advantage is device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). On 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

FrobulatorAU is free to download; ARGate costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ARGate ships an update every 6 weeks, FrobulatorAU every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
ARGate versus FrobulatorAU: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterARGateFrobulatorAU
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating—5.0 (8 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—8 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRob JacksonMatthew Caldwell

In-app purchases

None

ARGate

No in-app purchases

None

FrobulatorAU

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ARGate free?
ARGate costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is FrobulatorAU free?
FrobulatorAU is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ARGate or FrobulatorAU have ads?
Neither ARGate nor FrobulatorAU shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ARGate or FrobulatorAU?
ARGate ships an update every 6 weeks, and FrobulatorAU every 9 days. Most recently, ARGate was updated on October 25, 2026 and FrobulatorAU on October 17, 2026.

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