Comparison

ARPJAM Studio vs SAS

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

Head to head
About

ARPJAM Studio

This app generates unique musical phrases based on user-defined rules for arpeggios, basslines, and drums. It allows for real-time performance and recording, offering a flexible sound-shaping experience without pre-set sequences.

Highlights
  • Generative synth with five machines (arpeggios, bass, drums, sampler)
  • User-defined rules for phrase generation
  • Real-time performance and improvisation
  • On-screen keyboard always in scale
  • One-bar looper with performance capture
  • AUv3 plugin for instruments and effects
  • WAV recording and export
Features
Read full description

No sequences. No loops. A generative synth that plays on by your rules. And you can play right along. Key, scale, density, complexity — just set the rules, and five machines (arpeggios, bass, drums and a sampler) keep playing, with a different phrase every time. What you shape is not a song — it is a way of sounding. No AI picks the notes: your rules and probability do. Move a slider and the sound changes shape without ever stopping. Density, contour, filter, tape movement. It is built so that nothing you touch can break it. Then play right along with your own fingers. The on-screen key pad holds only the notes of the current scale, so nothing goes off-key. Play ARP A, ARP B, BASS or DRUMS, or connect a MIDI keyboard. What you play can be captured into the looper. ■ Five machines • ARP A / ARP B — two independent arpeggio engines. Ten arpeggio types, including Phrase (builds melodies) and Fingerpick (fingerstyle guitar) • BASS — a dedicated bass engine (STEP / COMPLEXITY / OMIT / PATTERN) • DRUMS — a drum machine built from probabilities (KICK / SNARE / HIHAT / NOISE) • SAMPLE — record one bar, slice it, rearrange it • Chord progressions (presets / automatic / 16 custom slots), ten time signatures, six LFOs ■ Slice (SAMPLE) • Record one bar from a mic or line input, with count-in and click • Record the app itself (ARP A / ARP B / drums), and overdub onto it • Load audio files — and the audio from a video file • Up to 64 slices, ordered by the same rules as the arps: direction, reverse, octave, probability, groove • STRETCH (on by default) — change tempo without changing pitch • Its own filter, envelope and delay / reverb sends ■ Play • On-screen key pad — always in scale; play ARP A, ARP B, BASS or DRUMS • PEDAL (sustain) and a one-bar looper that records how hard you played and transposes with the chords • MIDI keyboard input (ARP A / ARP B / BASS; damper pedal, pitch bend, standard control changes) • XY pad and performance FX that work only while held ■ Sound (11 voices) • Piano — three velocity layers, stereo, damper release • Electric piano — harmonics shift with how hard you strike • Nylon-string guitar — synthesised with a physical string model • Marimba, kalimba, handpan and chime — struck instruments, measured from the real ones and synthesised • Waveforms (sine / triangle / saw / square) plus an acid filter • Filter, ADSR, five drive types, tremolo — shaped per voice • Delay, reverb, Glitch, Granular • DRIFT / FLUTTER — tape movement on the synth voices and the live input alike • Concert pitch A=415–444 Hz ■ Connect • AUv3 plug-in — as an instrument, as an effect, and as a MIDI effect • Ableton Link, MIDI Clock, MIDI out (ARP A / ARP B / BASS / DRUMS), LFOs and XY as MIDI CC • External audio input (line / microphone) • Background playback — keeps playing when you switch to another app (iPhone / iPad) • WAV recording and export One-time purchase. No subscription.

About

SAS

Features
Read full description

Turn your iPhone or iPad into a true production studio and live performance rig. Simple Audio Studio (SAS) is a complete Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) and Effects Processor built on an industrial-grade C++ engine to ensure maximum performance and zero latency. Crafted for producers, beatmakers, and demanding musicians, SAS combines classic studio recording with agile composition tools and stage operation. KEY FEATURES: PROFESSIONAL DAW MODULE: Produce on a classic linear timeline. Record Audio and MIDI tracks simultaneously, perform non-destructive surgical edits, and use smart loop generators (rhythmic and melodic) to build your track in seconds. SAMPLE IMPORT & MANIPULATION: Import your own audio. Our advanced editor lets you slice, time-stretch (varispeed), pitch-shift, and draw dynamic fades independently, pad by pad or right on the timeline. LIVE PADS & SEQUENCER: Compose, make beats, and trigger scenes in real-time at 60FPS with our advanced quantization engine, ensuring your groove is always perfectly on beat. DSP EFFECTS RACK: Plug in your instrument or mic (via USB interface or internal mic) and access an in-line pedal chain. Includes amp simulators, pitch shifting, analog delays, reverbs, compressors, and much more. GLOBAL MIDI CONNECTIVITY: Connect your keyboard or controller. Map buttons and knobs instantly through the Studio I/O diagnostics center. CLOUD ECOSYSTEM & GOOGLE DRIVE: Automatically sync your effects presets, MIDI mapping profiles, and favorite loops to the cloud. With the PRO STUDIO subscription, save your projects to Google Drive and open them on any screen: start on your iPhone or iPad and finish on your computer (native Mac and Windows app included). MULTI-FORMAT EXPORT: Export your mastered track to MP3, ultra-high fidelity WAV, or share your session as a multi-channel MIDI file. EDGE-TO-EDGE LAYOUT: A responsive, modern dark UI (Dark/Neon) meticulously designed to make the most of your screen with zero wasted space. Whether you are composing on the go, playing live with your band, or wrapping up a studio recording, the SAS audio engine guarantees unshakeable stability. Professional audio doesn't need to be tied to a computer. Install now and elevate your music production. I am Simple Audio Studio. But you can call me SAS.

Screenshots

ARPJAM Studio4 screens
SAS4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: SAS at Free against ARPJAM Studio's $12.99. ARPJAM Studio's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). On 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

SAS is free to download; ARPJAM Studio costs $12.99 up front. SAS sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. ARPJAM Studio asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ARPJAM Studio ships an update every 2 days, SAS every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
ARPJAM Studio versus SAS: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterARPJAM StudioSAS
Price$12.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (6 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings6 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 6 days
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size84 MB237 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTWELVETONE INC.LUIS HENRIQUE FRANCO DE GODOY LARANJEIRA DESENVOLVIMENTO DE SOFTWARE LTDA

In-app purchases

None

ARPJAM Studio

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

SAS

Subscriptions2
  • YOUR STAGE FITS IN YOUR POCKET$3.991 Month
  • YOUR STAGE FITS IN YOUR POCKET$4.991 Month

Questions

Is ARPJAM Studio free?
ARPJAM Studio costs $12.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is SAS free?
SAS is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ARPJAM Studio or SAS have ads?
SAS shows ads; ARPJAM Studio does not.
Which is updated more often, ARPJAM Studio or SAS?
ARPJAM Studio ships an update every 2 days, and SAS every 6 days. Most recently, ARPJAM Studio was updated on November 10, 2026 and SAS on November 7, 2026.

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