Comparison

Synesthesia Synth vs Pulseq

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

Head to head
About

Synesthesia Synth

An experimental audio-visual instrument that allows users to sculpt evolving spatial audio by manipulating floating capsules. Position, rotation, and pulse changes affect tone, texture, and synchronized particle generation. It's a visual synthesizer, not a game.

Highlights
  • Experimental audio-visual instrument
  • Sculpt evolving spatial audio
  • Manipulate floating capsules
  • Control tone, texture, and particles
  • Visual synthesizer
Read full description

Synthaestesia is a free experimental audio-visual instrument. Three capsules float in space. Every contraction produces sound. Move them, rotate them, reshape their pulse — and sculpt evolving spatial audio. Position changes tone. Rotation alters texture. Delay generates synchronized particles. This is not a game. It’s a spatial synth you can see.

About

Pulseq

This multi-stage MIDI sequencer is designed for electronic music production, allowing users to create complex patterns for external synths and AUv3 plugins. It offers extensive control over notes, velocity, gate behavior, and rhythm, with features for arranging scenes into full tracks.

Highlights
  • Multi-stage sequencing (1-16 stages)
  • Pitch and scale control with 17 scales
  • Flexible gate modes and rhythm shaping
  • Multiple play and split modes
  • Up to eight CC modulation lanes
  • Scene chaining for full track arrangements
  • Standalone and AUv3 plugin support
Features
Read full description

Pulseq is a multi-stage MIDI sequencer built for techno, acid, and experimental electronic music. It drives your external synths and AUv3 plugins over MIDI. Made up of 1-16 "stages", each stage carries its own note, velocity, gate behavior, and length. Chain scenes together into full arrangements. Use Pulseq as a standalone app or as an Audio Unit MIDI effect inside your host. SEQUENCING Build patterns from 1 to 16 stages. Each stage sets its own note, velocity, gate mode, and length in pulses. Let a stages hold for two or three pulses, and hear the loop come alive. PITCH & SCALES Pitch comes from each stage's note, guided by root and scale. Seventeen scales are available. Snap Notes to Scale keeps emitted notes in key; turn it off and stored notes play exactly as entered. GATE MODES & RHYTHM Gate mode is the character of each stage: Off, Single (one trigger per stage), Multi (retriggers every pulse, or every 2nd, 3rd, or 4th), Prob (fires by chance), Long (holds to the end), and Prog (a pattern you draw across up to 16 steps). Add Swing from 0 to 100%, shape Gate Length from tight and clipped to legato, and turn on per-stage Glide with global Portamento. PLAY & SPLIT MODES Play mode sets direction: Forward, Ping-Pong, Random, and Fixed. Split mode changes form: run a single lane, alternate lanes A and B by repeat counts (Serial, to build AAAB patterns), or run both lanes at once on two MIDI channels (Parallel) with an independent B clock multiplier. CC MODULATION Up to eight CC lanes drive filter cutoffs, mod wheels, or any destination that accepts MIDI CC. Lane values are per-stage, and every new lane starts with Don't Send so adding one can never surprise attached hardware. CLOCK & TRANSPORT When hosted, Pulseq follows the host transport and clock. Standalone, an internal tempo from 20 to 300 BPM drives playback, with clock divisions from 1/1 down to 1/32 plus triplet and dotted options. Apply Changes controls when live edits take effect: Immediate, Next Pulse, or Next Bar, for deterministic performance. SCENES & CHAIN Sixteen scene slots capture the full musical setup: stages, root, scale, tempo, split, and CC lanes, while leaving your user configuration intact. String scenes into a complete track with the Chain editor: set per-step lengths, loop the whole chain, and hand scene changes to the timeline. STANDALONE & AUV3 Use Pulseq as a standalone app or as an AUv3 MIDI effect. It runs in AUv3 hosts such as AUM, Drambo, Logic, and Cubasis.

Screenshots

Synesthesia Synth2 screens
Pulseq4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Synesthesia Synth at Free against Pulseq's $3.99. 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

Synesthesia Synth is free to download; Pulseq costs $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 Synesthesia Synth against 5.0 for Pulseq. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Synesthesia Synth ships an update every 10 days, Pulseq every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Synesthesia Synth versus Pulseq: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSynesthesia SynthPulseq
PriceFree — better$3.99
Rating5.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings2 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size141 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMICHELE ZACCAGNINIJoe Topjian

In-app purchases

None

Synesthesia Synth

No in-app purchases

None

Pulseq

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Synesthesia Synth free?
Synesthesia Synth is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pulseq free?
Pulseq costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Synesthesia Synth or Pulseq?
Synesthesia Synth and Pulseq are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Synesthesia Synth or Pulseq have ads?
Neither Synesthesia Synth nor Pulseq shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Synesthesia Synth or Pulseq?
Synesthesia Synth ships an update every 10 days, and Pulseq every 2 weeks. Most recently, Synesthesia Synth was updated on October 3, 2026 and Pulseq on October 2, 2026.

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