Comparison

Melthaven vs Gecko Comp

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

Head to head
About

Melthaven

This app provides a note-triggered phase shifter for guitarists, bassists, and synthesizers. It offers organic, rhythmic movement that syncs to your playing, with analog-modeled filters for diverse sonic textures. Enhance loops or create experimental sounds with its input-dependent modulation.

Highlights
  • Note-triggered phase shifting
  • Analog-modeled OTA filters
  • Responds to guitar and bass transients
  • Enhances pre-recorded loops
  • Input-dependent synth modulation
  • Low-latency engine
Features
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Melthaven is a note-triggered phase shifter built to give guitarists and bassists organic, rhythmic movement that syncs to their playing, rather than a fixed LFO. It's also highly suited for a number of synth basses and sounds with sharp attacks and fast decays. Its analog-modeled OTA filters provide deep resonance and character, ranging from wah-like effects to complex, shifting formant textures or even experimental tones, like bubbling or hard, slappy effects. For bright, harmonically dense signals – such as saturated or overdriven tones and synthetic sounds – the effect range also includes growls and glistening sweeps. FOCUSED ON BASS & GUITARS The effect was specially developed to respond to the frequency response and transient peaks of electric guitars and basses. Every pluck, pop, or pick attack re-triggers the phase sweep, effectively turning your rhythmic timing into the "engine" of the effect. USING LOOPS? BREAK THEM OPEN Add various resonant effects like growls, or vintage bark / quacks "after the fact." This unlocks a level of control usually lost the moment a loop is bounced. Instead of being stuck with locked-in sound design, you can now reshape the envelope of any pre-recorded sample, breathing new life into your loop library. FOR SYNTHS & SOUND DESIGN: INPUT DEPENDENT Soft signals like pads or heavy/layered effects can produce wild, unpredictable responses. While such use is outside the plugin's core design, the smoothing feature can tame these re-triggers, yielding a flow that can feel organic and physical in its instability when operating beyond the plugin’s transient-focused comfort zone. MOVING BEYOND ENVELOPE FILTERS The plugin uses low-latency note detection paired with its own envelope generator and LFO, allowing sculpting and even reshaping each note’s modulation profile or filter envelope. It even detects notes that hide under a consistent signal amplitude when using a traditional envelope follower. BASE FEATURES: - Built around a versatile preset from the Pro version to suit a wide variety of applications - Controls: feedback & panoramic position, attack & hold timings, LFO Rate - Smoothing: from envelope shaping to creating a weighted, fluid response, giving note sequences a sense of physical momentum - Low-latency engine: preserves natural playing feel when used as a real-time effect PRO FEATURES - Requires Pro Edition Upgrade (In‑App Purchase): - Additional envelope parameters, several envelope flavors with pre-mapped control subsets - Pro presets encompassing both strong and milder effects, including the quintessential rubber bass - Enhanced stereo phaser modes & internal stereo re-imaging modulator (for formant-like effects and more) - Vintage-style phaser feedback that can optionally build or ramp with each note onset (non-rampable in the base version) - Instant visual feedback via an audio scope with dual-channel envelopes overlaid on the input waveform TECHNICAL NOTES: - Place before creative effects (unless experimenting). It can be used before or after harmonic processing (saturation, amp sims) depending on your preference - Response may vary on sustained notes with shifting harmonic content - Not optimized for upright bass due to its reliance on sharp signal transients - Note detection involves statistical signal processing and confidence intervals. Weak transients and phantom notes could lead to a loss of output determinism, i.e. sensitivity to changes in certain project settings - While it offers multiple layers of real-time control, Melthaven operates primarily as an automatic effect; for full manual filter manipulation, please refer to RealPhase, a separate app PLEASE NOTE: • The Pro Edition Upgrade is offered as a one‑time In‑App Purchase • An AUv3-compatible host is required to use this app • Suported sampling rates: 44.1, 48, 96 kHz

About

Gecko Comp

This music app offers a simplified audio compression experience with a single control knob. It provides instant visual feedback and is designed to always produce musical results, eliminating complex settings and menu navigation. It functions as an AUv3 effect for popular music production hosts on iOS and macOS.

Highlights
  • One-knob compression control
  • Instant visual feedback
  • Musical compression settings
  • AUv3 effect plugin
  • iOS and macOS compatible
Features
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Turn one knob. Gecko Comp takes care of the rest — musical compression with instant visual feedback, everywhere you make music. One knob controls everything — threshold, ratio, attack, release. All tuned together to always sound musical. No wrong settings, no menu diving. Load Gecko Comp as an AUv3 effect in GarageBand, AUM, and any compatible host on iOS and macOS. Drop it on a track and you're done.

Screenshots

Melthaven3 screens
Gecko Comp3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Gecko Comp at none against Melthaven's 1. Gecko Comp also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 weeks) and price ($1.99 vs $2.99). On rating, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Melthaven costs $2.99 and Gecko Comp $1.99 up front. Melthaven sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Gecko Comp asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Melthaven against 5.0 for Gecko Comp. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Melthaven ships an update every 6 weeks, Gecko Comp every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
Melthaven versus Gecko Comp: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMelthavenGecko Comp
Price$2.99$1.99 — better
Rating5.0 (4 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Number of ratings4 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperquantovoxDave Govert Menkehorst

Customer experience

Melthaven

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

Gecko Comp

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Melthaven

One-time1
  • Melthaven Pro$4.99
None

Gecko Comp

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Melthaven free?
Melthaven costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Gecko Comp free?
Gecko Comp costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Melthaven or Gecko Comp?
Melthaven and Gecko Comp are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 4 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do Melthaven or Gecko Comp have ads?
Neither Melthaven nor Gecko Comp shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Melthaven or Gecko Comp?
Melthaven ships an update every 6 weeks, and Gecko Comp every 2 weeks. Most recently, Melthaven was updated on October 14, 2026 and Gecko Comp on October 9, 2026.

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