Comparison

Arctic ProSynth vs variStretch

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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 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

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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 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

variStretch2 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Arctic ProSynth costs $9.99 and variStretch $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Arctic ProSynth versus variStretch: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArctic ProSynthvariStretch
Price$9.99$5.99 — better
Rating3.3 (8 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews71.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings8 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 7 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.612.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size47 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOne Red Dog Media Pty LtdSatoshi Kajii

Customer experience

Arctic ProSynth

All ratings8 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative37.5%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive71.4%
Neutral3.6%
Negative25.0%

variStretch

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Arctic ProSynth

No in-app purchases

None

variStretch

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Arctic ProSynth free?
Arctic ProSynth costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is variStretch free?
variStretch costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Arctic ProSynth or variStretch?
variStretch is rated higher. Arctic ProSynth averages 3.3 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while variStretch averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Arctic ProSynth or variStretch have ads?
Neither Arctic ProSynth nor variStretch shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Arctic ProSynth or variStretch?
Arctic ProSynth ships an update every 4 months, and variStretch every 7 months. Most recently, Arctic ProSynth was updated on October 7, 2026 and variStretch on September 30, 2026.

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