Gecko Comp vs M
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- One-knob compression control
- Instant visual feedback
- Musical compression settings
- AUv3 effect plugin
- iOS and macOS compatible
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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.
M
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That 8-bit sound — with the real mechanism behind it. M-NES is a chiptune workstation that recreates the RP2A03 APU, the sound chip of the classic 8-bit game console, at the register level. Two pulse channels, a triangle, a noise channel, and 1-bit DPCM samples: the five channels the hardware actually has, laid out on a piano roll. You are not composing with presets that sound "close enough" — you are driving the chip itself. FIVE-CHANNEL APU SOUND ENGINE • Two pulse waves with four duty cycles, hardware sweep, and envelopes • Triangle with the linear counter — that round, fat bass • Noise with 16 periods plus the 93-step short mode; pick the period by note pitch • DMC channel playing 1-bit DPCM samples • Switchable NTSC, PAL, and Dendy clocks and frame rates • 48 kHz mono output, just like the hardware A PIANO ROLL THAT FEELS RIGHT • Tap to write, drag to move, pull the edge to resize • 8th, 16th, and 32nd quantize • Note velocity maps straight to the APU volume registers • Per-track mute and solo, undo and redo, autosave BUILT-IN NSF PLAYER • Open .nsf or .nsfe and the built-in 6502 CPU and APU emulation play the original • Multi-song files show a track list with titles and durations • Single, repeat, and play-all modes TURN A SONG INTO EDITABLE NOTES • Re-emulates the selected song and tracks every APU register write, frame by frame • Recovers pitch, timing, velocity, duty cycles, and noise periods into five editable tracks • Use it to study, remix, or continue a track — transcribed songs play back immediately DPCM SAMPLES • Import raw 1-bit .dmc data • Convert WAV, AIFF, and CAF to hardware-spec 1-bit DPCM automatically • Place drums and voice clips with a waveform preview HARDWARE-ACCURATE EXPORT • NSF and NSFe export with a built-in 6502 driver and APU register stream • 48 kHz mono WAV master • .nesseq project files containing all editing data PRIVACY • No account, no ads, no tracking • Composing, playback, and export all happen on your device, fully offline MADE FOR • Chiptune musicians who want the real sound, not an imitation • Game developers preparing hardware-spec music and sound effects • Anyone who wants to learn how 8-bit sound actually works — duty cycles, DPCM, noise periods — hands on --- M-NES is an independent product. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by any video game console manufacturer. NSF and NSFe are community file formats used to preserve 8-bit game music. NSF files may contain third-party copyrighted material; import and export only within the rights you hold.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Gecko Comp at $1.99 against M's $6.99. M's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks). 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
Gecko Comp costs $1.99 and M $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Gecko Comp ships an update every 2 weeks, M every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Gecko Comp | M |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 — better | $6.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Dave Govert Menkehorst | Code and DESIGN inc. |
In-app purchases
Gecko Comp
No in-app purchases
M
No in-app purchases









