Comparison

Patterning vs Pixelsynth

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

Pixelsynth

This app transforms musical input into a vibrant visual experience, allowing users to see and shape their sound in real-time. It offers a playful and immediate way to create music, with all controls and feedback displayed on a single screen. Designed by a Deaf musician, it prioritizes visual feedback as an integral part of the instrument.

Highlights
  • Real-time visual sound shaping
  • Interactive 16-pad grid
  • Adjustable waveforms, filters, and envelopes
  • LFO, delay, and reverb effects
  • AUv3 instrument compatibility
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

Make a sound in seconds—and shape it while it plays. Pixelsynth turns taps, drags, melodies, and chords into a colorful instrument you can understand by watching it. Everything you play lives on one screen. Touch a note and start exploring. FROM THE DEVELOPER OF PIXELBOOP Pixelsynth is a new visual instrument from the maker of Pixelboop. Both apps share a love of playful grids, immediate feedback, and musical ideas that begin with one touch. PLAY FIRST. LEARN BY WATCHING. Sixteen pads invite you to find a melody, hold a chord, or strum across the screen. Notes light up as you play, and every sound control moves in front of you. You can see what each gesture is doing while you hear the result. SHAPE THE SOUND LIVE • Switch waveforms to change the character of your sound. • Sweep the filter from bright and open to soft and focused. • Shape attack, decay, sustain, and release for crisp plucks, swelling notes, and long tails. • Add motion with LFO, repeating echoes with delay, and depth with reverb. Each control is a colorful tank. Touch higher or lower inside it to set the value directly. Values in the upper half stay where you leave them; notes in the lower half drain away after you lift. It feels immediate because the picture and the sound follow the same gesture. MADE TO BE SEEN Created by a Deaf musician, Pixelsynth treats visual feedback as part of the instrument. The entire musical surface is drawn on a 40 by 24 pixel grid—just 960 pixels—so every control stays visible and every change has a visual response. PLAY IT YOUR WAY Open Pixelsynth as a standalone instrument on iPhone or iPad, or load the included AUv3 instrument in a compatible iOS music host. Your host can send MIDI notes and save the instrument state with your project. A compatible host is available separately. FREE TO EXPLORE No account. No in-app purchases. No third-party ads. The instrument works offline. The standalone app may occasionally show developer news or an introduction to Pixelboop, which you can close immediately. Pixelsynth does not track you or collect the music you play. Open it. Touch a note. See where it takes you.

Screenshots

Patterning4 screens
Pixelsynth4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pixelsynth at none against Patterning's 3. Patterning's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 9 days) and ratings volume (10 vs 3). On price, rating, ads and device support 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. Patterning sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Pixelsynth 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 Pixelsynth. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10 and 3 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Patterning ships an update every 3 days, Pixelsynth every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Patterning versus Pixelsynth: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPatterningPixelsynth
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (10 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings10 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 9 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.616.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size94 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOlympia Noise Co.de Bastion, Inc

Customer experience

Patterning

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

Pixelsynth

All ratings3 ratings
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

Pixelsynth

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Patterning free?
Patterning is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pixelsynth free?
Pixelsynth is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Patterning or Pixelsynth?
Patterning and Pixelsynth are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 10 and 3 ratings respectively.
Do Patterning or Pixelsynth have ads?
Neither Patterning nor Pixelsynth shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Patterning or Pixelsynth?
Patterning ships an update every 3 days, and Pixelsynth every 9 days. Most recently, Patterning was updated on October 13, 2026 and Pixelsynth on October 11, 2026.

Other comparisons