Arctic ProSynth vs variStretch
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Arctic ProSynth
Create bold and tough electronic music with a modern subtractive synthesizer. Explore rich sound design with powerful oscillators, dual filters, and versatile effects. Record and share your creations easily.
- HyperOscillators for fat sounds
- Dual multi-mode filters
- Master effects with adjustable order
- Integrated Vocoder
- 16x4 gated step sequencer
- Live audio and MIDI recording
- Preset and bank sharing
Read full descriptionHide full description
Be rude. Be rough. Be bold. Be tough! Arctic Pro Synthesizer / Vocoder is a modern subtractive synthesizer. It does not aim to accurately model or re-create vintage synths of yesteryear. Instead Arctic Pro offers the contemporary synthesist a rude, rough, bold and tough palette of sound to get stuck into. Including two massively fat HyperOscillators, dual filters, and easy to re-order master effects. While the Vocoder, used in conjunction with a suitable microphone, adds an extra dimension to your musical performance. HyperOscillators =========== Combine two HyperOscillators and one Sub Oscillator for some seriously fat sounds. Layer up to 8 oscillators in unison to create very thick and powerful tones. Spread detune and Mix these separate oscillators in real-time. More than just a "SuperSaw" - it's also a Super-square and Super-triangle. Powerful Presets =========== Legendary sound designer John ‘Skippy’ Lehmkuhl has exclusively designed the factory presets. John has worked as a professional sound designer since 1988 for Korg - making patches, combinations, drum kits as well as creating the sample data for almost every synth Korg has released since the M1. If you have owned one of these historic synthesizers you have heard John's presets. Sharing ===== Arctic Pro includes everything you need to record and share your audio and MIDI with others. Live record to WAV and MIDI files. Use AudioCopy, open audio directly in apps, or share with Kymatica AudioShare. Presets and Banks can be emailed and transferred via Wi-Fi and iTunes Files Sharing. And of course we also support Audiobus. SPECIFICATION ========== • Synthesis: analog modelling • Polyphony: up to 4 voices • HyperOscillators: 2 per voice, alias free, saw, triangle and square with pulse width, hard sync, ring mod, noise generator, sub-oscillator • Filter: 2 multi-mode resonating filter with 4 filter types and variable routing • Envelopes: mod, filter and amp ADSR envelopes with adjust curve • Modulation: 2 LFOs with multiple wave shapes, sample and hold, 3 routable destinations per LFO, independently sync-able • Effects: stereo master effect processors with adjustable order: 3-band EQ, Distortion, Chorus, Phaser, Vocoder, Delay, Reverb • Arpeggiator: classic arpeggiator with octave shift, MIDI-sync-able • Sequencer: 16 x 4 gated step sequencer with multiple modulation destinations, MIDI-sync-able • Keyboard: glissando, scroll, multi-touch poly pitch bend and aftertouch • Works with Wizdom Music's Geo Synthesizer continuous pitch bend • Polyphonic Aftertouch for use with CME Xkey FEATURES ======== • Inter-App Audio for iOS 7 • Audiobus • AudioCopy 2.0 • MIDI Learn • Live phrase recorder with audio and MIDI export • File and patch sharing via iTunes File Sharing, e-mail and Wi-Fi • Supports external MIDI in and out via CoreMIDI Networking and USB with the Camera Connection Kit • Audio background operation • Virtual MIDI Ports • Open Music App Collaboration compliant Requirements: iPad 2 or later recommended iOS 7.0 or later
variStretch
This app allows real-time audio speed manipulation without altering pitch. It offers three distinct playback modes and adjustable buffer settings for precise control over sound processing.
- Real-time speed adjustment (0.5-2.0x)
- Tape mode (speed & pitch change)
- Phase Vocoder mode (speed only)
- Adjustable buffer size
- Buffer clear function
- AUv3 host compatibility
Read full descriptionHide full description
Concept: The app is a so-called time-stretch machine. The user can change the speed (0.5-2.0) of audio source in real-time using keyboard or slider at will. Usage: There are three play modes: 1) Tape (to change the both speed & pitch) 2) Phase Vocoder (to change the speed alone) 3) Thru (no processing) "Buffer Size" slider determines how long the data will be stored. "Buffer Clear" button will reset the buffer to be zero. System Requirements: AUv3 host
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: variStretch at 5.0 against Arctic ProSynth's 3.3. variStretch also leads on price ($5.99 vs $9.99) and device support (3 vs 1). Arctic ProSynth's advantage is ratings volume (8 vs 1) and update cadence (every 4 months vs every 7 months). On ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Arctic ProSynth costs $9.99 and variStretch $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
variStretch holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Arctic ProSynth has 8 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Arctic ProSynth ships an update every 4 months, variStretch every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Arctic ProSynth | variStretch |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | $5.99 — better |
| Rating | 3.3 (8 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 71.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 8 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months — better | Every 7 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 47 MB | 15 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | One Red Dog Media Pty Ltd | Satoshi Kajii |
Customer experience
Arctic ProSynth
variStretch
In-app purchases
Arctic ProSynth
No in-app purchases
variStretch
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Arctic ProSynth free?
Is variStretch free?
Which has better reviews, Arctic ProSynth or variStretch?
Do Arctic ProSynth or variStretch have ads?
Which is updated more often, Arctic ProSynth or variStretch?
Other comparisons















