Comparison

Raven Synth vs VAPolyFMWest

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

Head to head
About

Raven Synth

This powerful wavetable synthesizer allows musicians to draw custom waveforms and morph between them. Sculpt evolving textures with a deep effects chain and performance-ready interface for sound design and live playing.

Highlights
  • Dual drawable oscillators with wavetable morphing
  • Utility oscillator with sub, ring mod, FM, noise, and harmonics
  • Classic ladder filter with 12/24dB slope
  • Dual ADSR envelopes for filter and amp
  • Dual LFOs with drawable waveforms and modulation slots
  • Full effects chain including delay, reverb, chorus, and distortion
  • AUv3 instrument and MIDI support
Features
Read full description

RAVEN - Wavetable Morphing Synth RAVEN is a deep, expressive wavetable-morphing synthesizer designed for evolving textures and sculpted sound on iOS. Built for musicians, producers, and sound designers, Raven delivers drawable waveforms, real-time morphing, and a full effects chain in a clean, performance-ready interface - whether you're crafting pads, designing sounds, or playing live. Key Features: Dual drawable oscillators with wavetable morphing Utility oscillator (sub, ring mod, FM, noise, harmonics) Classic ladder filter with 12/24dB slope Dual ADSR envelopes (Filter + Amp) Dual LFOs with drawable waveforms, fade-in (up to 20s), and flexible modulation slots 12-band parametric EQ Delay, reverb, chorus, and distortion FX 56 factory presets with QR code sharing Touch-optimized performance controls AUv3 instrument support CoreMIDI & Bluetooth MIDI Designed for iPhone and iPad Raven is intentionally deep - every control shapes the sound. Draw your waveforms. Morph between them. Sculpt everything in between. Designed for exploration. Built for expression.

About

VAPolyFMWest

This app combines FM and West Coast synthesis with a 4-operator FM engine and wave folder/lowpass gate. It offers a standalone mode with Ableton Link and MIDI support, plus an AudioUnit Extension for iOS and Mac. Includes built-in effects and a step sequencer.

Highlights
  • 4-operator FM synthesizer
  • Wave folder and lowpass gate
  • AudioUnit Extension (AUv3) support
  • Ableton Link and MIDI connectivity
  • Built-in delay, chorus, reverb, EQ, compressor
  • 3-channel step sequencer
  • iCloud Drive project sharing
Features
Read full description

VAPolyFMWest is a combination of FM and West Coast synthesis. It features 4 operator, 8 waveform, 8 algorithm FM synthesizer inspired by iconic rack mount FM synthesizer in 1980’s and wave folder and lowpass gate, which are key components of the west coast synthesis. VAPolyFMWest 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 - FM Synthesizer - 4 operators, 8 waveforms and 8 algorithms - Wave folder and lowpass gate - 3 channel analog style step sequencer. - 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 Ableton Link, Bluetooth MIDI, MIDI In / Out. - Works on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Support iCloud Drive to share project files between the platforms. - Support MIDI Foot Pedal (CC#11, CC#64) - 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, blown and red. - Font size for title of controls are adjustable. - Factory Preset 128 - Effects Preset 40 System Requirements - iOS 17.0 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.

Screenshots

Raven Synth4 screens
VAPolyFMWest4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: VAPolyFMWest at $3.99 against Raven Synth's $6.99. On rating, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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

Raven Synth costs $6.99 and VAPolyFMWest $3.99 up front. 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 Raven Synth against 5.0 for VAPolyFMWest. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 4 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 28, 2026.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Raven Synth versus VAPolyFMWest: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRaven SynthVAPolyFMWest
Price$6.99$3.99 — better
Rating5.0 (5 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysEvery 4 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.016.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSteffen Mølgaard LarsenRyo Togawa

Customer experience

Raven Synth

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

VAPolyFMWest

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Raven Synth

No in-app purchases

None

VAPolyFMWest

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Raven Synth free?
Raven Synth costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is VAPolyFMWest free?
VAPolyFMWest costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Raven Synth or VAPolyFMWest?
Raven Synth and VAPolyFMWest are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 5 and 4 ratings respectively.
Do Raven Synth or VAPolyFMWest have ads?
Neither Raven Synth nor VAPolyFMWest shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Raven Synth or VAPolyFMWest?
Raven Synth ships an update every 4 days, and VAPolyFMWest every 4 days. Most recently, Raven Synth was updated on October 28, 2026 and VAPolyFMWest on October 28, 2026.

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