Comparison

SpellSynth vs M8FX

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

Head to head
About

SpellSynth

This app recreates a classic 1978 spelling toy with four engaging game modes. It allows users to type any word or phrase and hear it spoken aloud using vintage synthesized voices. Explore different speech synthesis eras and even play the keypad with a MIDI keyboard.

Highlights
  • Type and hear any word spoken
  • Four game modes (Free Play, Spell, Mystery Word, Say It)
  • Three distinct vintage voice characters
  • MIDI keyboard support
  • Export audio to WAV
  • Adjustable gap between words
Features
Read full description

SpellSynth is a playable love-letter to the 1978 spelling toy that taught a generation to read — rebuilt for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, in English and French, with five modes, a crunchy VFD display, and three vintage voice characters across two decades of speech-synthesis history. Tap a letter and it speaks. Type ANY word — your name, this week's vocabulary list — and SpellSynth speaks it back. EVERY WORD SPEAKS The 500+ bundled words across 20+ themes use a hand-recorded retro voice. Anything else — a name, your kid's spelling list — falls back to the system engine through your chosen voice, cached so the second tap is instant. • FREE PLAY — type any word, a whole phrase, or a number and hear it spoken. Tap SPACE to build a sentence; it's read back word by word as the VFD cycles. Numbers ("2" becomes "two") and contractions ("don't") speak too. A GAP control tunes the pause between words (50–500 ms), and a RECENT row keeps this session. • SEQ — a 16-step sequencer that speaks a word per step, locked to your tempo. Type four words, get a robot vocal loop. Put a single letter on a step and it says the letter name on the beat instead. FIT stretches each word to fill its step, so words pitch up as the tempo climbs. • SPELL — SpellSynth says a word. You spell it. Three mistakes and you get the answer, then try a new one. HINT reveals a letter when you're stuck. • MYSTERY WORD — the classic hidden-word game. You get the category and first letter free; pick letters until it reveals itself. Six wrong guesses ends it. • SAY IT — listen-and-repeat practice. SpellSynth spells the word letter by letter, then says it whole. REPEAT to hear it again, NEXT for a new one. • SHARE — render any word or phrase to a WAV and send it to Files, AirDrop, or your DAW. EN FRANÇAIS Pick Français in Settings and SpellSynth speaks French: 360+ words, French game screens and an apostrophe key, after the 1981 French edition. The AUv3 speaks French too. THREE VINTAGE VOICES Pick a voice character in Settings. Each one draws from a different era of speech-synthesis history, applied to every word you hear: • 1968 ODYSSEY — calm, deep-baritone monotone with a deliberately slow cadence. Aesthetic homage to the late-60s sci-fi AI voices. • 1978 LPC — the original Speak & Spell character. A 10-pole LPC vocoder driven by the actual TMS5220 chirp ROM, the same speech algorithm Texas Instruments shipped in the toy. Buzzy, granular, unmistakable. • 1986 DECTALK STYLE — fixed-pitch impulse train through formants extracted from your input. Modelled on the Klatt-style synthesis that defined Hawking's iconic computer voice. Deliberate, monotone, emphatically computery. • DEFAULT — clean system speech, no extra processing, for when you just want clear pronunciation. PLAY WITH A MIDI KEYBOARD Connect a USB, Bluetooth, or Network MIDI keyboard and the keypad plays from real keys. MIDI notes 60–85 (C4–C#6) trigger letters A–Z. BUNDLED AUDIO UNIT (AUv3) SpellSynth ships an AUv3 instrument extension, so the same voice engine loads inside GarageBand, AUM, Loopy Pro, Cubasis, Logic Pro for iPad, and any AUv3 host on iPhone or iPad. Type a word and it speaks. Twenty-four parameters cover pitch, speed, bit-crush, sample-rate reduction, filter, envelope, LFO, stutter, the step sequencer, MIDI shaping, language, and voice character. Ten factory presets; all four voices play in your DAW. A serious MIDI surface for performers: sustain pedal (CC 64) for hold-and-release phrasing, Channel Pressure (aftertouch) routable to any parameter, three velocity curves (Soft / Linear / Hard), a pitch-bend range from ±0 to ±12 semitones, and 14 MIDI Learn targets covering every performance knob — bound CCs ride along with the preset. Stutter locks to the host tempo (1/4, 1/8, 1/16), and a Letter Map mode maps A–Z onto MIDI notes 60–85 so you can sequence spelling right in your DAW. Perfect for producers chasing that Kraftwerk / Stereolab / Broadcast sound.

About

M8FX

Features
Read full description

【Description】 M8FX is a revolutionary, portable multi-track effects processor app designed specifically for iPhone to turn your Dirtywave M8 Tracker into a powerful, live-performing mixing rig. Connect using a single USB-C cable. M8FX hooks up directly to your M8 Tracker (running firmware version 6.0 or higher), allowing you to apply independent effects to each individual channel (CH1–CH8) using your favorite iOS AUv3 plugins with seamless real-time BPM synchronization, and route the processed audio directly back to the M8 hardware. Optimized for a permanent "Portrait (Vertical)" screen layout on iPhone and built with a hyper-responsive JUCE 8 + React/TypeScript hybrid architecture, M8FX delivers a latency-free, hardware-style experience. Perfect for both deep sound design in the studio and chaotic dub-mixing on stage. 【Key Features】 Clean Single-Cable Connection: No bulky adapters or messy wiring. A single USB-C to USB-C cable is all you need to handle 8-channel bi-directional audio routing and MIDI synchronization. Per-Channel Insert & Return (v6+ Sync): Seamlessly integrate with M8 Tracker (v6.0+) to process individual tracks through up to four AUv3 effect slots in a chain, routing the polished sound directly back into the M8 master bus. Flawless BPM Sync & Beat Effects: Live MIDI clock synchronization enables flawless integration of tempo-synced beat effects, rhythmic modulators, and time-based delays that lock perfectly with your M8's groove. Portrait Multi-Touch Mixing UI: Tailored for effortless one-handed control on iPhone with a compact 4x2 channel grid. Perform dynamic, hardware-style live dubs using responsive Mute, Solo, and toggling between Momentary/Latch send modes. 4 Macro Sliders & Dramatic Drop Controls: Maps vital AUv3 parameters to four thick macro sliders (M1–M4) for fluid hands-on control. Build massive tension by unleashing all sends simultaneously with the "ALL SEL" button, then trigger a clean drop in a split second with the pink "RST" (Reset) button. 【System Requirements】 Supported Hardware: Dirtywave M8 Tracker (Model:01 & Model:02) Required M8 Firmware: Version 6.0 or higher (for multichannel USB audio sending and return routing) Compatible Devices: USB-C equipped iPhones (iPhone 15 or later recommended) Setup Note: Please ensure "Microphone Permission" is allowed upon launch to enable USB-C audio inputs.

Screenshots

SpellSynth4 screens
M8FX1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: SpellSynth at $2.99 against M8FX's $4.99. On ads, in-app purchases, 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

SpellSynth costs $2.99 and M8FX $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
SpellSynth versus M8FX: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpellSynthM8FX
Price$2.99 — better$4.99
Rating3.2 (11 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings11 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size112 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChih Han LinKeisuke Kagoshima

In-app purchases

None

SpellSynth

No in-app purchases

None

M8FX

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SpellSynth free?
SpellSynth costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is M8FX free?
M8FX costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do SpellSynth or M8FX have ads?
Neither SpellSynth nor M8FX shows ads.

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