Comparison

ARPJAM vs Aural Studio

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

Head to head
About

ARPJAM

This app generates evolving ambient music using two independent arpeggio engines. It features a generative drum machine, sound design tools, and external instrument synchronization. Save and recall your favorite musical setups.

Highlights
  • Dual arpeggio engines
  • Generative drum machine
  • Sound design controls
  • External instrument sync (Ableton Link, MIDI Clock)
  • Save and recall presets
  • Built-in timer
Features
Read full description

ARPJAM is an arpeggio synthesizer that generates ever-evolving ambient music. Layer two independent arpeggio engines, each with its own waveform, scale, and pattern, and let the app weave an endless soundscape that shifts and breathes on its own. ■ Two Arpeggio Engines ARP A and ARP B run simultaneously, each with its own mode, scale, range, waveform, filter, and envelope. Five pattern modes: Random & Chord, Repeat, Random Single, Skank, and Drone. ■ Generative Drums A probability-based drum machine. Tune the firing density, double-hit chance, and open/closed hi-hat ratio for kick, snare, and hihat to create rhythms that evolve naturally alongside the arpeggio. ■ Sound Design Four waveforms — sine, triangle, sawtooth, square. Adjust the low-pass filter, attack, and overdrive per engine. Add depth with ping-pong delay and reverb. ■ Sync with External Instruments [NEW in v1.4] Ableton Link support — wirelessly sync tempo and bar phase with Ableton Move, Live, Koala, and other Link-enabled instruments on the same Wi-Fi network. USB-C MIDI Clock reception is also supported. Sample-accurate timing alignment, with a fine-tune Offset slider for each setup. ■ Redesigned Settings Panel [v1.4] Settings are now organized into five colored sections — Oscillator, Filter, Envelope, Algorithm, and Effects. Each section collapses individually or in bulk, and the state persists between launches. Jump directly to any section via the side rail (iPad) or sticky bar (iPhone). Clear square ON/OFF switches and vivid theme colors — orange for ARP A, lime for ARP B, cyan for Drums — make the whole panel far easier to navigate. ■ Save & Recall Four start presets (Default + SAVE 1/2/3) let you recall your favorite setups with a single tap from the start screen. Presets can be exported and imported as .arpjam files to share with other ARPJAM users. ■ Built-in Timer Choose countdown or infinite mode. The timer fades out with a gentle resolving chord — perfect as a sleep timer or as a companion to meditation. • 8 scales including pentatonic modes • 12 keys (Just Intonation / Equal Temperament switchable) • Groove control for swing feel • BPM 30–200 • English / Japanese language support • Ableton Link / MIDI Clock sync

About

Aural Studio

Read full description

Press play. Then make the sound your own. Aural Studio starts you inside a complete soundscape, not at an empty editor. Open one of four presets and listen. When a layer catches your ear, open the soundscape, reshape it, and save your version to keep exploring. MEET RESONANT TIDE A deep brown-noise bed rolls beneath two pink-noise breakers. White-noise foam brightens the surface, with a subtle binaural current underneath. Hear the whole five-layer soundscape first; then open it up. FOLLOW WHAT CATCHES YOUR EAR Mute Rolling Waves and notice what drops away. Reorder the stack or duplicate a layer before an experiment. Add sine, triangle, square, and sawtooth tones, plus white, pink, and brown noise. The controls change with the kind of layer you choose. SEND A WAVE ACROSS STEREO Give Rolling Waves a repeating path between left and right. Compatible tone and noise layers can hold a stereo position or move along a repeating path. Stereo headphones are recommended for the intended separation. DRAW HOW THE SOUND UNFOLDS Choose a value available for the layer and draw a curve across its duration. Scrub to a moment, then listen as playback follows the same rise, dip, or turn. DARKEN OR BRIGHTEN THE TEXTURE For tones and noise with filtering, choose low-pass or high-pass and adjust cutoff and resonance while you listen. LET ONE WAVE SHAPE TWO MORE When Rolling Waves swells, Sea Foam rises and the Binaural Current's beat shifts with it. In Resonant Tide, the changing volume of one layer can drive those two values. Shape one source instead of redrawing the same movement. Your original settings remain ready if you change course. KEEP YOUR VERSION Save and reopen the soundscape. Duplicate it before a new direction. Import or export editable Aural documents. Your documents stay on your device unless you explicitly export them. Aural Studio is free on the App Store. No account. No subscription. Built for iPhone; requires iOS 26 or later. Aural uses limited TelemetryDeck product analytics. See the Privacy Policy for the current data disclosure. No ads or cross-app tracking. Stereo headphones are recommended for binaural and stereo-motion playback. Listen at a comfortable level, stop if you feel discomfort, and do not listen where reduced attention could create risk. Aural Studio is creative and wellness-oriented sound software, not a medical device. It does not diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent a medical condition and does not guarantee a focus, relaxation, meditation, or sleep outcome.

Screenshots

ARPJAM4 screens
Aural Studio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Aural Studio at none against ARPJAM's 1. ARPJAM's advantage is update cadence (daily vs fortnightly) and device support (3 vs 1). On price 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

Both are free to download. ARPJAM sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Aural Studio asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ARPJAM ships an update daily, Aural Studio fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
ARPJAM versus Aural Studio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterARPJAMAural Studio
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyDaily — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTakashi TsunodaAdam Horacek

In-app purchases

1 purchases

ARPJAM

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$0.99
None

Aural Studio

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ARPJAM free?
ARPJAM is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Aural Studio free?
Aural Studio is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ARPJAM or Aural Studio have ads?
Neither ARPJAM nor Aural Studio shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ARPJAM or Aural Studio?
ARPJAM ships an update daily, and Aural Studio fortnightly. Most recently, ARPJAM was updated on October 21, 2026 and Aural Studio on October 31, 2026.

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