Comparison

Pentatone vs Vagabond Synth

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

Head to head
About

Pentatone

This music app offers a unique pentatonic keyboard and built-in synthesizer, inspired by instruments like the kora and mbira. It features a sophisticated scale selection system and is optimized for touchscreen devices, providing an expressive and easy-to-play musical experience.

Highlights
  • Easy-to-play 'strummable' pentatonic keyboard
  • 9 selectable pentatonic scales
  • Custom FM synthesizer engine
  • 25 preset sounds with macro controls
  • Polyphonic touch and aftertouch response
  • AUv3 functionality for host apps
Features
Read full description

"Beautiful, fun and inspiringly expressive" - The Arithmophone Pentatone is a music app featuring an easy to play pentatonic keyboard and a built-in synthesizer. Instead of using piano keys or a grid-based interface, Pentatone takes a fresh approach, optimised for the ergonomics of touchscreen devices and inspired by instruments like the kora and mbira. The app also has a sophisticated scale selection system that includes all the common pentatonic scale types and unlocks some more unusual ones. Pentatone features: - An easy-to-play and 'strummable' keyboard, split for two handed playing - An original pentatonic scale system with 9 selectable scales, in just intonation or standard tuning - A custom synth engine (binaural 2x2 op FM with stereo detune, resonant filter, delay and reverb) - 25 preset sounds with macro sliders for tone and ambience - Initial touch and aftertouch response, both polyphonic - AUv3 functionality for use within host apps like GarageBand, Koala Sampler and Loopy Pro Pentatone user feedback: "Amazing! Love the simple UI and the musical keyboard. Also the sounds are lovely!" "This is very cool - beautiful interface and instantly musical." "This really is a joy to play and the tones are really expressive in fun ways that invite different types of creativity." "This app is such a brilliant idea!" "This is amazing. So fun to play. So easy to play with my daughter and my niece. The tones are wonderful." "This is an inspiringly expressive instrument! Really a joy to interact with." "This thing is AWESOME! It’s so easy to make up new stuff with it!" *** Pentatone is part of the Arithmophone project An Arithmophone is a thing that turns numbers into sounds, or math into music. Its name is derived from the ancient Greek words arithmos (number) and phone (sound). Any iPhone or iPad is itself an Arithmophone, because it routinely turns lists of binary numbers into sounds, for example when you use it to listen to music. But this app is a bit more 'arithmophonic' still, because it takes pure and simple harmonic ratios like 3:2 and 5:4 and uses these to build musical scales. You can use it as an easy-to-play instrument, a source of melodic and harmonic inspiration or a tool for learning about music and exploring the deep connection it has with numbers. Keep an eye out, future plans for the Arithmophone on iOS include: - PENTATONE JR., a simplified and text-free version of Pentatone, optimized for young/beginning musicians - DIATONE, the diatonic companion to Pentatone, featuring a 7-note-per-octave keyboard with all the familiar major and minor scales and modes - MIDI / MPE versions of Pentatone and Diatone - TONEHIVE, a microtonal keyboard synth for 7 limit just intonation - HUYGENS, a microtonal keyboard synth for 31 EDO To stay posted, join the community at reddit.com/r/arithmophone or subscribe to the Arithmophone youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@arithmophone

About

Vagabond Synth

This is a free wavetable synthesizer app that can be used standalone or as an AUv3 instrument. It offers 16 voice polyphony, multiple oscillators, a switchable filter, modulation, and effects. It also includes a MIDI processor for generating musical sequences.

Highlights
  • Standalone or AUv3 instrument
  • 16 voice polyphony
  • Multiple oscillators per voice
  • Switchable filter
  • Modulation and effects
  • Generative MIDI processor
Features
Read full description

Vagabond is an idiosyncratic wavetable synthesiser, running standalone or as an AUv3 instrument in compatible hosts such as GarageBand, AUM, Loopy Pro or Cubasis. It features 16 voice polyphony, 4 unison oscillators per voice plus a sub-oscillator, switchable filter, a bit of modulation and some effects. Also built in is a MIDI processor plugin, Twelve, a generative music toy that creates 12-bar blues sequences. Vagabond uses this for demo purposes, but you can load it in other hosts if you like. It's kind of a one trick pony, but one trick is better than none. As always, Vagabond is 100% free, no IAPs, no subs, no spyware, no nag screens. We don't want your money and we don't want your data.

Screenshots

Pentatone4 screens
Vagabond Synth3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Pentatone at every 5 weeks against Vagabond Synth's every 3 months. On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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

Both are free to download. 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 Pentatone against 5.0 for Vagabond Synth. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 15 and 7 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pentatone ships an update every 5 weeks, Vagabond Synth every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Pentatone versus Vagabond Synth: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPentatoneVagabond Synth
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (15 ratings)5.0 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings15 — better7
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChiel ZwinkelsMatthew Caldwell

Customer experience

Pentatone

All ratings13 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Vagabond Synth

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Pentatone

No in-app purchases

None

Vagabond Synth

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pentatone free?
Pentatone is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Vagabond Synth free?
Vagabond Synth is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pentatone or Vagabond Synth?
Pentatone and Vagabond Synth are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 15 and 7 ratings respectively.
Do Pentatone or Vagabond Synth have ads?
Neither Pentatone nor Vagabond Synth shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pentatone or Vagabond Synth?
Pentatone ships an update every 5 weeks, and Vagabond Synth every 3 months. Most recently, Pentatone was updated on October 24, 2026 and Vagabond Synth on October 22, 2026.

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