Comparison

Patterning vs Sightlines

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

Head to head
About

Patterning

This music creation app offers a circular drum machine with a powerful sequencer. It's free to download and includes a vast library of drum kits and effects. Unlock advanced production and sync tools through an in-app purchase or a monthly subscription.

Highlights
  • Circular drum machine interface
  • Powerful sequencer engine
  • Extensive drum kit library
  • Built-in effects and mixing
  • Song mode for arrangement
  • Audio and MIDI export options
  • Ableton Link and MIDI sync
Read full description

Patterning is a circular drum machine that is both intuitive and deep. Built on the powerful sequencer engine of "Patterning 3: Drum Machine," this new iPhone version bottles the energy and excitement of our flagship instrument for the small screen. Free to download and make music with. The full sequencer, drum kits and sampler, effects and mixing, project saving, and access to nearly 800 drum kits are all included. "Patterning Studio" is an in-app purchase that unlocks production and sync tools for life : - AUv3 : Run Patterning as an instrument plugin. - Song Mode : chain patterns into full songs - Unlimited access to over 800 free drumkits. - Audio export as stereo or multitrack stems (WAV or AIFF) - Ableton Live Set export, with a free Ableton Live 12 Lite license - MIDI file export - MIDI output to hardware and your DAW - Ableton Link - Link Audio : send stereo or multitrack audio wirelessly to Ableton Live. - MIDI clock send/receive Patterning Studio is offered at a discounted price for existing owners of "Patterning for iPhone." Alternately, you can subscribe to Patterning+ and unlock all current and any future features on a monthly basis.

About

Sightlines

Shape sounds with a playable harmonic filter. Add motion, stereo spread, and unique textures to noise, samples, or synths. Tune it like a resonator or control it with MIDI for endless sonic possibilities.

Highlights
  • Harmonic filter bank
  • MIDI control
  • Sample loading
  • Noise and synth sound sources
  • Modulation capabilities
  • Built-in chorus, delay, and reverb
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Make noise, texture, and percussion sing. Add motion and stereo spread to basic sounds. Load samples and sculpt them endlessly. Leave your mark on any sound with harmonic filtering. Sightlines is a playable harmonic filter. Built from a collection of resonant bandpass filters tuned to the harmonic series, designed to bring out a customizable set of musical frequencies in any sound. Tune it to a fixed frequency like a resonator, or send it MIDI to make it come alive as an instrument. Sightlines can be loaded as an instrument or an audio effect. As an instrument, use it with samples, noise, or oscillators to construct sounds never heard before. As an effect, add movement and interest to any sound, and even impart tonality onto unpitched input. SOUND SOURCES • Noise – filter variable color noise and random noise bursts for Sightlines’ simplest and quickest output. • Samples – send samples through resonant filters as one-shots or infinite looping versions of themselves, great for found sound and tonal samples alike. • Synth – skip the filters entirely and use Sightlines as a harmonic synth, where you can customize and modulate the proportion of each harmonic in the signal. • Audio effect – use Sightlines as an audio effect on any track. MOVEMENT AND EFFECTS • Manipulate overtones – stretch, bend, and reimagine the harmonic series to retune Sightlines’ output into realistic or indescribable sonic spaces. • Quantize frequencies – snap all of Sightlines’ filters to a scale, to impart that key quality onto any sound. • Balance bands – maneuver through the harmonic space by scanning, tilting, or spreading Sightlines’ bands. • End of chain – make your output shine with a built-in chorus, BBD-style delay, and reverb. FEATURES • Modulation – modify any control in Sightlines with multiple LFOs, sequencers, smooth random sources, and performance effects. • Presets – full preset control over every parameter in Sightlines. Cross-platform preset format for sharing with friends. • Waymaker – connect to Sightlines’ sibling application, Waymaker, for direct sequencing of Sightlines’ without MIDI routing. Also available for macOS and Windows in VST3 / AU / AAX formats from Aqeel Aadam Sound.

Screenshots

Patterning4 screens
Sightlines1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Patterning at Free against Sightlines's $7.99. Patterning also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs weekly). Sightlines's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and review sentiment (100% vs 67%). On rating, ratings volume 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

Patterning is free to download; Sightlines costs $7.99 up front. Patterning sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Sightlines asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Patterning against 5.0 for Sightlines. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10 and 6 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 67% of Patterning's written reviews are positive against 100% of Sightlines's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Patterning ships an update every 3 days, Sightlines weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Patterning versus Sightlines: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPatterningSightlines
PriceFree — better$7.99
Rating5.0 (10 ratings)5.0 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings10 — better6
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#178 — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size94 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOlympia Noise Co.Aqeel Aadam

Customer experience

Patterning

All ratings10 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%

Sightlines

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Patterning

Subscriptions1
  • Patterning+$1.991 Month
One-time2
  • Patterning Studio Upgrade$7.99
  • Studio Pack (Lifetime)$12.99
None

Sightlines

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Patterning free?
Patterning is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sightlines free?
Sightlines costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Patterning or Sightlines?
Patterning and Sightlines are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 10 and 6 ratings respectively.
Do Patterning or Sightlines have ads?
Neither Patterning nor Sightlines shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Patterning or Sightlines?
Patterning ships an update every 3 days, and Sightlines weekly. Most recently, Patterning was updated on October 13, 2026 and Sightlines on October 17, 2026.

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