Galaxy Brain vs bitcrust
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Galaxy Brain
This app offers advanced audio manipulation with a frequency shifter and stereo delay. Create a wide range of effects, from lush choruses to choppy textures and sci-fi sounds, with flexible modulation options and optional hardware clipping for added grit.
- Frequency shifting with adjustable range
- Stereo delay with tempo sync and ping-pong
- Multiple modulation sources (LFO, envelope, sequencer)
- Optional hardware clipping for drive and saturation
- Morph settings for smooth parameter transitions
- Auto bypass and HQ mode for optimized performance
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Galaxy Brain is a frequency shifter and delay combo ready to take any sound into outer space. With easy stereo controls, three modulation sources, and optional hardware clipping, things can go intergalactic very quickly. From thick chorus effects to choppy AM textures to space-laser SFX, it's all packed inside. Frequency Shifter - Range settings from 5 Hz to 5 kHz, each with its own character - Direction mixer enables tremolo and ring modulation effects - Modulate shift amount with LFO, envelope follower, and sequencer - Freely mixable modulation sources Stereo Delay - Free or tempo-synced delay time - Continuous ping-pong and LR delay time skew - Tone-shaping filters in the feedback path - Wet signal ducking - Adjustable glide time between delay values, up to 10 seconds Modulation - Stereo LFO with nine waveforms, warp, and swing - Envelope follower with optional sidechain input - Eight-step sequencer - Repeatable Random engine for consistent bounces Optional Hardware Clipping - Add drive and saturation at the output stage - Internal gain compensation for louder output at high settings Core Features - Morph Settings for smooth transitions between two complete configurations - Auto Bypass saves CPU when input is silent - AB settings comparison - HQ mode with 4x oversampling and ADAA - One-click loudness matching - All parameters automatable with precise playback - Light and dark interface modes - Internal undo/redo - Standalone app includes support, manual links and in-app purchase options for license purchase Two-week trial included, one-time purchase for full unlock. Unlock your plug-in via in-app purchase from the standalone app or activate in the plug-in using an existing desktop license. Your in-app purchase activates the plug-in on all of your iOS devices. Owners can claim a crossgrade code in the standalone app to receive a discount on a desktop license. Check out our YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@sketchaudio Read the manuals: https://sketchaudio.com/manuals/
bitcrust
This application offers a polyphonic synthesizer with a SID-style voice architecture, featuring multiple oscillators, ring modulation, and hard sync. It provides extensive modulation capabilities and a post-synthesis effects rack, extending its sonic range beyond traditional chip synths.
- 12-voice polyphony
- 3 oscillators per voice with SID-style behavior
- Extensive modulation matrix
- 6-slot post-SID FX rack
- 16-step sequencer and arpeggiator
- AUv3 and Standalone support
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bitcrust is a polyphonic synthesizer built around a SID-style voice architecture: three oscillators per voice, up to twelve voices, with ring mod, hard sync, and the pulse-width behaviour that defined a generation of 8-bit sound. The DSP is an in-house, clean-room implementation written from the public MOS 6581 register map and general DSP literature. It's not an emulator port, so bitcrust sounds SID-adjacent without inheriting the license constraints that keep most SID-inspired tools off the major app stores. Sonically it sits between a chip synth and a modern subtractive. The voice core still does gritty arp basses, zap leads and 8-bit percussion, but the architecture around it (three LFOs, a per-voice mod envelope, an 8-slot modulation matrix, and a 6-slot post-SID FX rack with drive, bitcrusher, tempo-synced delay, chorus, reverb, compressor and limiter) pushes it into pad, keys and texture territory. WHAT THIS PURCHASE INCLUDES Universal Purchase: one price buys the Mac app plus the iPad version (Standalone and AUv3). On the Mac, the App Store build is the Standalone app only. No AU, no VST3: the Mac App Store doesn't distribute plugin formats. AU and VST3 versions are available separately; details at anode-labs.com/bitcrust. The iPad build is a co-equal target, not a downscale. The full 179-preset factory library, all 14 themes, and the complete mod matrix and FX rack ship on both platforms. • Voice core: 12-voice polyphony, 3 oscillators per voice, SID-style triangle / saw / pulse / noise with hard sync and ring mod, per-VCO ADSR • Filter: global VCF (LP / BP / HP) with live curve, selectable 6581 / 8580 chip model, Vintage vs. Modern oscillator mode • Modulation: 3 global LFOs (7 shapes, host-sync or Hz), per-voice mod envelope, 8-slot matrix, MIDI sources (velocity, poly AT, channel AT, mod wheel, pitch bend) • FX rack: 6 slots, drag-to-reorder, per-slot bypass / mix; Drive (5 modes), Bitcrusher, Delay (tempo-sync), Chorus, Reverb, Compressor, Limiter. Every FX parameter is a modulation destination. • MIDI: 16-step sequencer, arpeggiator (Up / Down / UpDown / Random, 6 rate divisions, octave range), MIDI Learn on every knob, note Hold • Presets: 179 factory patches across 10 groups, full-metadata save (author, description, tags), Preset Preview audition without committing, A/B snapshot compare, XML import / export • UI: 6-tab navigation, 14 themes with optional phosphor / CRT overlays, monitor strip (oscilloscope, vectorscope, FFT spectrum, 3D spectrogram, stereo field), QWERTY note typing from any tab Mac: Standalone app, universal binary (Apple Silicon + Intel), macOS 12 (Monterey) or later. iPad: AUv3 extension plus a Standalone for headphone jamming. In-DAW use on iPad needs an AUv3 host (GarageBand, Logic Pro for iPad, AUM, Cubasis and so on). Support: https://anode-labs.com/bitcrust · support@anode-labs.com Privacy policy: https://anode-labs.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Galaxy Brain at Free against bitcrust's $1.99. Galaxy Brain also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.4) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). bitcrust's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 weeks). On ratings volume, 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
Galaxy Brain is free to download; bitcrust costs $1.99 up front. Galaxy Brain sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. bitcrust asks for nothing beyond the download.
Galaxy Brain holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 7 respectively.
Galaxy Brain ships an update every 3 weeks, bitcrust every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Galaxy Brain | bitcrust |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $1.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | 4.4 (7 ratings) |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 7 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 16 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sketch Audio, LLC | Michele Caserta |
Customer experience
Galaxy Brain
bitcrust
In-app purchases
Galaxy Brain
- Two-week TrialFree
- Full Unlock$9.99
bitcrust
No in-app purchases









