Comparison

VAPolyMk5 vs Shruti Bot

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

Head to head
About

VAPolyMk5

This is a powerful bitimbral polyphonic synthesizer with a re-designed step sequencer. It offers advanced oscillator features, a cascaded OTA low-pass filter, and extensive modulation capabilities. Operate it as a standalone app or an AudioUnit Extension.

Highlights
  • Bitimbral polyphonic synthesis
  • Re-designed step sequencer
  • Hard sync and through zero FM oscillators
  • Cascaded OTA low-pass filter
  • AudioUnit Extension (AUv3) support
  • Ableton Link and MIDI 2.0 support
  • Built-in effects suite
Features
Read full description

VAPolyMk5 is bitimbral polyphonic synthesizer. Main feature of Mk5 is re-designed step sequencer which contains one note sequencer and three modulation sequencers. Oscillator feature hard sync and through zero FM. Low pass Filter is modeled on cascaded OTA -24dB per octave low pass filter circuit. Each synthesizer consists of three oscillators, resonant low pass and high pass filter, amplifier, three envelope generators, two LFO and key tracking. Two synthesizers can be configured as layer or split. Mk5 also features global LFO, output morphing, classic ring modulator and easy target assignment for mod wheel and aftertouch. VAPolyMk5 operates as a stand alone or as an AudioUnit Extension (AUv3) for iPhone, iPad and Mac. Stand Alone supports Ableton Link, MIDI and audio file export. Built-in Effects include delay, chorus, flanger, reverb, eq and compressor. Project files can be saved in iCloud Drive, so that the project can be accessed from iPhone, iPad or Mac. Main Features Bi-timbral Polyphonic Synthesizer Oscillators feature hard sync and through zero FM. Low pass Filter is modeled on cascaded OTA -24dB per octave low pass filter circuit. Re-designed step sequencer Re-designed offset control Improved output morphing. Improved classic ring modulator. Improved key tracking Easy target assignment for mod wheel and aftertouch Maximum 8 voice polyphony. it depends on performance of the device it is running. Built-in effects and piano roll sequencer. Audio Export. Linear PCM format (AIFF, WAV and CAF) and compressed format (AAC) Support Audio Unit Extension (AUv3). Support MIDI 2.0. Support Foot Pedal and Per Note Control. Support Ableton Link, Bluetooth MIDI, MIDI In / Out. Works on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Support iCloud Drive to share project files between the platforms. General Improvements Support MIDI Foot Pedal (CC#11, CC#64) Support MIDI2.0 Per Note Control Messages MIDI CC Settings are saved. It will be recovered when the app launched in the next time. UI Color can be selected from black, navy, gray or blown. Adjustable text size for title of controls Factory Preset 208 Synth CH Preset 256 Effect Preset 40 Default & Macro 8 System Requirements iOS 17.0 or later macOS 14.0 or later Devices with Apple Silicon are recommended. A13 Fusion or above is highly recommended. AudioUnit Extension (AUv3) requires host application which support AudioUnit Extension. AudioUnit Extension is supported by Apple Logic and Apple Garage Band on iOS and macOS. For any other DAW, it depends on the application and some of them don’t support AudioUnit Extension. Sound may be distorted if CPU of the device doesn't have enough power. If it happens reduce number of voices or enable Low Power Mode in setting panel. App launches in Low Power Mode in the first time on device with iOS earlier than iOS 18.0 as mono-timbral.

About

Shruti Bot

This app simulates a tunable shruti box with ten reeds and adjustable bellows for dynamic sound. It offers a unique approach to intonation and includes various effects like LFOs, resonance, chorus, and tape delay.

Highlights
  • Tunable shruti box simulation
  • Ten reeds with just intonation
  • Adjustable bellows for dynamic volume and tremolo
  • Independent mixer fader per reed
  • Customizable tonic and microtonal tuning
  • Two free-running LFOs per reed for tuning and level
  • Integrated resonance, chorus, tape delay, and reverb effects
Features
Read full description

Shruti Bot is a shruti box you can actually tune. Ten reeds, laid out the way a real box is — the low Pa and Sa drone pair, the full middle saptak from Sa to Ni, and the upper Sa. Every reed sits at its just-intonation ratio against the tonic, not the tempered approximation, so the drone locks together the way the instrument is supposed to. Pull up the bellows and it breathes. At zero no air moves at all and the box is silent; push it up and the drone gets louder and pumps harder, until the breathing turns into an audible tremolo riding on top of the tone. Pressure opens the timbre as well as the volume, so a stroke sounds like air moving rather than a fader going up. THE REEDS • Ten stops — Pa and Sa below, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni across the middle, Sa above • Just intonation throughout — 3/2, 9/8, 5/4, 4/3, 5/3, 15/8 against the tonic • A tapered tuning peg on every reed, plus or minus 100 cents, turned by hand • Detune two neighbouring reeds and they beat against each other — real acoustic summing, not an effect • A mixer fader per reed, independent of the stops, for balancing what's already sounding THE KEY • Any tonic across all twelve pitch classes, octaves 1 through 6 • A peg for each key, arranged as a keyboard • Every pitch class keeps its own microtonal trim, so you can build a tuning that isn't twelve-tone equal temperament and it stays put • The current note and its offset are always on screen MOVEMENT • Two free-running LFOs on every reed — one for tuning, one for level • They run at their own rates and drift in and out of phase, so the beating keeps reorganising and the drone never quite repeats • Set them slow and the box simply sounds alive THE CHAMBER • A swept resonance that moves like a body cavity rather than a filter sweep • Stereo chorus, the point where the drone opens out of the centre • Tape delay with a real moving head — sliding the time bends the pitch the way tape does, and the repeats darken as they recirculate • Plate-style reverb from a quarter second to six TWO INSTRUMENTS Tap the logo. Shruti Bot 2 replaces the reeds with four analogue oscillators — sine, triangle, saw and pulse — with phase shaping on each, from slow comb sweeps to full PWM. Everything else carries straight over: the same tuning, the same reeds switched on, the same effects. Only the sound source changes. No accounts. No subscriptions. No ads. No network. Nothing leaves your device.

Screenshots

VAPolyMk54 screens
Shruti Bot4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Shruti Bot at $1.99 against VAPolyMk5's $14.99. VAPolyMk5's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

VAPolyMk5 costs $14.99 and Shruti Bot $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

VAPolyMk5 ships an update weekly, Shruti Bot every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
VAPolyMk5 versus Shruti Bot: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVAPolyMk5Shruti Bot
Price$14.99$1.99 — better
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 8 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB26 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRyo TogawaScott Hsiung

Customer experience

VAPolyMk5

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Shruti Bot

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

VAPolyMk5

No in-app purchases

None

Shruti Bot

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is VAPolyMk5 free?
VAPolyMk5 costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Shruti Bot free?
Shruti Bot costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do VAPolyMk5 or Shruti Bot have ads?
Neither VAPolyMk5 nor Shruti Bot shows ads.
Which is updated more often, VAPolyMk5 or Shruti Bot?
VAPolyMk5 ships an update weekly, and Shruti Bot every 8 days. Most recently, VAPolyMk5 was updated on October 7, 2026 and Shruti Bot on October 17, 2026.

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