Comparison

Aether Synth vs Chordzilla

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

Head to head
About

Aether Synth

This music creation app offers a professional synthesizer engine with dual-layer sound design and rhythmic motion. It can be used as a standalone workstation or as an AUv3 instrument within compatible iOS hosts for recording and production.

Highlights
  • AUv3 instrument support
  • Standalone synth workstation
  • Dual preset layering
  • Melodic and drum sequencers
  • Sampler tools
  • Multitrack audio workspace
  • Arpeggiator and motion controls
Read full description

Aether Synth is an AUv3 synthesizer, sequencer and sampler for iPhone and iPad, built for creating expressive sounds that move. Start with a sound, combine two sounds into something new, introduce motion, build a pattern, capture a sample, or simply play. Aether brings synthesis, sequencing, sampling and performance together in one instrument designed to keep ideas moving. CREATE YOUR OWN SOUND Build rich synth patches for pads, basses, leads, textures, atmospheres and evolving sounds. Aether is designed to make sound creation immediate. Shape a patch directly, explore presets for inspiration, or use Random Sound to discover combinations you might not have reached manually. The result can become a finished sound or the starting point for something completely different. DUAL — TWO SOUNDS BECOME ONE Dual lets you combine two independent sounds into a new composite instrument. Choose a sound for A. Choose another for B. Blend between them and shape the result. The two sides can complement each other, contrast with each other, or create something that neither patch produces alone. Save your favorite Blends and return to them later. MAKE SOUNDS MOVE Aether is built around motion as part of the instrument. Use Motion and Random Motion to animate sound over time and create patches that evolve rather than remain static. Movement can be subtle and organic or become a major rhythmic part of the sound. This makes Aether especially suited to evolving pads, shifting textures, rhythmic sounds and patches that respond like performances rather than snapshots. SEQUENCE IDEAS Turn sounds into patterns with Aether's built-in sequencer. Create melodic and rhythmic phrases, experiment with different rates and musical feels, and develop ideas without leaving the instrument. The arpeggiator provides another immediate way to transform held notes and chords into movement, while tempo synchronization keeps rhythmic material locked to the music. SAMPLING Capture and work with audio directly inside Aether. Use sampling alongside synthesis to bring recorded material into the same creative environment as your patches, patterns and performances. A sample can become part of a larger musical idea instead of living in a separate workflow. PERFORM Aether is designed to be played. Use the keyboard and performance controls to shape sounds in real time, then connect a MIDI controller when you want a more traditional playing experience. Velocity, sustain and expressive controls allow patches to respond dynamically instead of behaving like static presets. DISCOVER INSTEAD OF SEARCHING Sometimes you know exactly what sound you want. Sometimes you don't. Random Sound and Random Motion make exploration part of the workflow. Generate a new direction, keep what works, reshape it, combine it with another sound in Dual, and continue from there. The goal is not randomness for its own sake. It is getting from a blank idea to something musically useful quickly. STANDALONE OR AUV3 Use Aether as a standalone instrument on iPhone and iPad, or load it as an AUv3 instrument inside compatible hosts and DAWs. That means the same sound-design environment can work as an instrument on its own or become part of a larger mobile production setup. BUILT FOR MUSICIANS Aether brings together: • Synthesizer sound design • Dual layered instruments and saved Blends • Motion and evolving sound • Random Sound and Random Motion • Preset exploration • Sequencing • Arpeggiation • Sampling • Performance controls • MIDI • Standalone operation • AUv3 plugin support Whether you're designing an evolving ambient texture, building a bass or lead, creating a rhythmic patch, experimenting with layered sounds, or starting a new musical idea from scratch, Aether is designed to keep the distance between inspiration and sound as short as possible. Create a sound. Make it move. Turn it into music.

About

Chordzilla

Features
Read full description

# Chordzilla — A Compact App for Creating Chord Progressions and Melodies Chordzilla is a compact songwriting app that lets you create chord progressions and melodies directly on your smartphone. Build chord progressions, compose melodies with Piano Roll editing, and export your work as WAV or MIDI. Capture musical ideas quickly with a simple and intuitive workflow. ## Chord Progression Editor Simply choose a key and scale to receive suggestions for the next chord. Explore diatonic chords, substitute chords, borrowed chords, tritone substitutions, subdominant minor chords, and more. Even without extensive music theory knowledge, you can build natural-sounding chord progressions with ease. Save your progressions as sections to build your own reusable chord library. ## Piano Roll Melody Editor Create melodies by tapping directly on the Piano Roll. Premium users can also enter notes using the on-screen piano keyboard. Melody examples matched to your chord progression are available to help inspire new musical ideas. ## Genre Presets Start with ready-made templates instead of creating everything from scratch. Includes over 18 presets, with more planned in future updates. ## Song Information Export Convert your song information into organized text, including key, scale, BPM, section structure, chord progression, and other production details. The generated text can be copied and used with compatible music production tools and external services. ## MIDI & WAV Export Export your chord progressions and melodies as MIDI files. You can also export WAV audio for further editing in your DAW or other music production software. ## Perfect For • Songwriters looking for an easy way to build chord progressions • Musicians who want to sketch melody ideas quickly • Beginners learning harmony and songwriting • Anyone who wants to compose music on a smartphone • Creators who use additional music production tools in their workflow ## Premium Plan The free version includes all essential features for creating, playing back, and reviewing chord progressions. Upgrade to Premium (monthly subscription) to unlock: • MIDI export • Piano keyboard input • Song Information Export • Preset templates • Unlimited sections ...and all future Premium features. We are committed to continuously improving Chordzilla with new features and ongoing enhancements. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Aether Synth4 screens
Chordzilla4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Chordzilla at Free against Aether Synth's $2.99. Aether Synth's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 6 days vs monthly). On ads, 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

Chordzilla is free to download; Aether Synth costs $2.99 up front. Chordzilla sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. Aether Synth asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Aether Synth ships an update every 6 days, Chordzilla monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Aether Synth versus Chordzilla: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAether SynthChordzilla
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (9 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings9 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size33 MB137 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJacob KirkKatsuhiko Tamura

In-app purchases

None

Aether Synth

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Chordzilla

Subscriptions1
  • Chordzilla Premium$1.991 Month

Questions

Is Aether Synth free?
Aether Synth costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chordzilla free?
Chordzilla is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Aether Synth or Chordzilla have ads?
Neither Aether Synth nor Chordzilla shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Aether Synth or Chordzilla?
Aether Synth ships an update every 6 days, and Chordzilla monthly. Most recently, Aether Synth was updated on October 2, 2026 and Chordzilla on October 7, 2026.

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