Comparison

SparkTune vs MS

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

Head to head
About

SparkTune

Features
Read full description

SparkTune is a private music player for your own audio files. Import songs and folders, organize your library, and listen without a streaming subscription. Your music stays yours, with playback controls built for everyday listening. Features: Import MP3s and other supported audio files Add songs from Files, iCloud Drive, external drives, or shared attachments Browse by songs, albums, artists, and playlists View lyrics when available Use favorites, play history, recently added, and most played collections Control playback speed, sleep timer, equalizer, and volume normalization Use CarPlay for safer listening in the car Sync your library across iPhone and iPad with SparkTune Pro SparkTune Pro unlocks unlimited imports, iCloud library sync, folder imports, backup/export tools, and advanced audio controls. SparkTune does not include a music subscription or streaming catalog. It is built for music files you own and choose to import.

About

MS

Create music with a 12-bit sampler and step sequencer. Record audio, manipulate its sound with a vintage digital character, and arrange it into songs. Unlock full features with a one-time purchase.

Highlights
  • 16-pad sampler and step sequencer
  • Record and edit audio with 12-bit character
  • Adjustable sample rate and bit depth
  • Real-time sequencing with velocity and tune
  • 13 built-in effects
  • Song mode for arranging patterns
  • Export to WAV
Features
Read full description

MS-12 is a 16-pad sampler and step sequencer built around the sound of classic 12-bit hardware. Sample anything through the microphone, trim it, and play it straight from the pads. The sample rate and bit depth engine gives you the gritty, saturated character early digital samplers were loved for — not a filter placed on top, but the sound of the conversion itself. SAMPLING • Record from the built-in mic, a USB or Lightning interface, or line input • Resample the app's own output to bounce layers down • Threshold recording starts the moment sound arrives • Stereo or mono (L/R) capture SOUND • Adjustable sample rate (8–44.1 kHz) and bit depth (4–32 bit) • Presets for classic 12-bit voicings • Ring modulator, compressor, punch and saturation per pad EDITING • Trim, fade in and out, normalize, reverse, gain, silence • Time stretch • Auto slice by transient detection, or set slice points live with the pads • Split a stereo sample into separate mono left and right samples SEQUENCER • Step sequencer with velocity and tune per step • Real-time recording with selectable quantize • Up to 4 bars per pattern • Note Repeat • Song Mode chains patterns into a full track PLAYBACK AND MIXING • Volume and pan per pad, mute and solo • Mute groups so pads cut each other off, like a real drum machine • Pad Link to trigger several pads at once • Multi Level and Multi Pitch to spread one sample across the grid • 13 effects: tape echo, delay, reverb, chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo/pan, distortion, overdrive, fuzz, wah, isolator and a 4-band EQ EXPORT • Bounce a pattern to a WAV file • Save projects on the device and reopen them later FREE VERSION MS-12 is free to try, and the sound engine is not held back — nothing about the audio is degraded in the free version. You get Bank A (16 pads), one 1-bar pattern, two effects, and microphone sampling up to 10 seconds per pad. A single one-time purchase unlocks everything: all four banks (64 pads), unlimited patterns up to 4 bars, Song Mode, all 13 effects, unlimited sampling time, loading your own audio files, project save and load, and WAV export. Anything you made before buying carries straight over. No subscription. No ads. No account required.

Screenshots

SparkTune4 screens
MS4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MS at none against SparkTune's 1. MS also leads on iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.4). SparkTune's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, 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

Both are free to download. SparkTune sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. MS asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
SparkTune versus MS: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSparkTuneMS
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 daysEvery 3 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.418.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSilestis Labsyuji yoshie

In-app purchases

1 purchases

SparkTune

One-time1
  • SparkTune Pro$7.99
None

MS

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SparkTune free?
SparkTune is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MS free?
MS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do SparkTune or MS have ads?
Neither SparkTune nor MS shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SparkTune or MS?
SparkTune ships an update every 3 days, and MS every 3 days. Most recently, SparkTune was updated on October 25, 2026 and MS on October 29, 2026.

Other comparisons