Comparison

Reel Recorder vs PolyQuad

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

Head to head
About

Reel Recorder

Features
Read full description

Reel Recorder brings the tactile experience of a vintage tape recorder to your iPhone. SPIN THE REEL Drag the reel with your finger to scrub through recordings — forward and reverse. The audio plays at your finger's speed, just like real tape. RECORD & PLAY One-tap recording with real-time level metering. Play back with variable-speed FF/REW slider. DESIGNED LIKE HARDWARE Brushed aluminum body, OLED display, physical-style buttons with haptic feedback. Every detail crafted to feel like a real device. FREE & PRO The free version may show a small banner below the recorder after applicable advertising consent. Pro removes ads and adds unlimited recordings, FF/REW up to 8x speed, custom skip intervals, and 24-bit / 48kHz high-quality audio.

About

PolyQuad

Create complex analog-style synthesizer sounds using four independent voices. Design each voice with its own oscillator, filter, and envelopes, then combine them in various modes for massive layered textures, polyphonic chords, or unique stereo arrangements. Explore a vast library of presets or build your own from scratch.

Highlights
  • Four independent analog-style voices
  • Multiple oscillator and filter types per voice
  • Dual envelope generators per voice
  • Three voice combination modes (UNI, POLY, 2x2)
  • Extensive LFO modulation capabilities
  • Integrated effects unit (reverb, delay, chorus, phaser, drive)
  • 160 factory presets and user preset management
Features
Read full description

PolyQuad is one synthesizer built from four complete voices — and the instrument is what they make together. Each of the four channels is a full analog-style voice: its own oscillator, its own resonant filter, its own envelopes, its own amplifier, its own place in the stereo field. Design each channel for a role — a sub, a body, a sparkle, a slow swell — then play them as one. Three voice modes decide how they combine. UNI stacks all four on every note for one massive layered sound. POLY spreads chords across the channels, so every note of a chord lands on its own instrument. 2×2 plays note pairs on matched couples. Add glide, retrigger control and detune spread on top. THE CHANNELS - Four oscillators: triangle, sawtooth, pulse with PWM, sine — per channel, with octave and fine tune - Four resonant filters with envelope amount and FM depth per channel - Two envelopes per channel (filter and amp), each with three time ranges from snappy to minutes-long - Per-channel VCA with velocity amount and curve, level, pan, AUX send, solo and mute - Per-channel oscilloscope displays, and keys that light up with the voice that took them MOTION - Four LFOs with five shapes, routed to pitch, pulse width, filter FM, resonance, amplitude, pan or send - Each channel decides how much modulation to accept — one LFO can wobble one channel and leave another still - One effect unit — reverb, delay, chorus, phaser, drive — fed by per-channel AUX sends with a master return PRESETS - 160 factory presets in eight categories: Pads, Keys, Strings, Bass, Lead, Drone, Texture, Percussion - Every preset uses the four channels as four different instruments — layered stacks, rotating timbres, per-drum kits - Channel presets: capture one channel's design and load it into any channel of any patch - Your presets are plain JSON files in the Files app — back them up, share them, drop new ones in IN THE STUDIO - AUv3 instrument for AUM, Drambo, Logic Pro, GarageBand and other hosts - MIDI 2.0 with 16-bit velocity; MIDI 1.0 hosts are translated automatically - Every knob on the panel is a host parameter — full automation and session recall - Standalone app with keyboard, so it plays on its own too No account, no ads, no tracking, no network. Your sounds stay on your device.

Screenshots

Reel Recorder4 screens
PolyQuad4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Reel Recorder at Free against PolyQuad's $4.99. PolyQuad's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On update cadence, device support and iOS requirement 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

Reel Recorder is free to download; PolyQuad costs $4.99 up front. Reel Recorder sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. PolyQuad asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Reel Recorder ships an update every 10 days, PolyQuad weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Reel Recorder versus PolyQuad: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReel RecorderPolyQuad
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating—5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysWeekly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Paid
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerseunghyun choLASZLO DOBROVOLSZKI

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Reel Recorder

One-time1
  • Reel Recorder Pro$2.99
None

PolyQuad

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Reel Recorder free?
Reel Recorder is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PolyQuad free?
PolyQuad costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Reel Recorder or PolyQuad have ads?
Reel Recorder shows ads; PolyQuad does not.
Which is updated more often, Reel Recorder or PolyQuad?
Reel Recorder ships an update every 10 days, and PolyQuad weekly. Most recently, Reel Recorder was updated on October 5, 2026 and PolyQuad on October 2, 2026.

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