Aria vs VU44
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Aria
Create, edit, and play back musical scores on your iPhone or iPad. This app supports MuseScore and MusicXML files, offering intuitive touch controls for note entry and playback. Organize your library, manage parts, and export your compositions in various formats.
- Create and edit music scores
- Play back compositions
- Support for MuseScore and MusicXML
- Intuitive touch controls
- Manage individual parts
- Export in multiple formats
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Aria is a notation editor for iPhone and iPad that lets you create, edit, and play back MuseScore files on the go. Open existing MuseScore and MusicXML files, make changes with intuitive touch-based notation controls, play back your score, organize your library, manage individual parts, and export your music when you’re ready to share. Built for musicians who want a lightweight, mobile-friendly way to review, create, and revise scores wherever they are. Features: * Open mcz and MusicXML score files * Create new scores from templates * Edit notes enter notes with touch controls, Apple Pencil, or Midi controller * Play back scores locally * View and manage individual parts * Export and share your work, as Mscz, Pdf, MusiXML, audio, and more.. Aria is an independent app and is not affiliated with or endorsed by MuseScore, Muse Group, or any related project. Aria is open-source software licensed under the GNU GPLv3. Source code, license notices, and build instructions are available here: https://github.com/hdi200/aria
VU44
This app transforms audio sampling into a tactile, vinyl-inspired experience. Spin a virtual platter, drop the needle, and capture loops by ear and feel, just like a crate digger. Shape your sound with onboard mixing and effects, then integrate it into your music setup.
- Tactile vinyl-style platter for scratching and nudging
- Adjustable RPM speeds for pitch shifting
- Precise loop capture with hand-played timing
- 4-band channel EQ for tone shaping
- 16 built-in effects with 4 insert slots
- Load audio from folders, files, and videos
- AUv3 plugin support for host integration
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VU44-7 — sample like a vinyl digger. VU44-7 turns sampling into a hands-on, tactile experience. Instead of staring at waveforms, you spin a real turntable platter, drop the needle and catch the perfect loop the way crate-diggers always have — by ear and by feel. Record straight off a spinning platter to get that warm, hand-played vinyl character into your sampler. Nudge the speed, scratch in a chop, cut it on the fly and grab exactly the slice you want. It's the fastest, most musical way to pull samples — whether you're flipping a record, a YouTube clip or your own field recordings. MADE FOR SAMPLING • Tactile vinyl-style platter — scratch, nudge and rewind by touch • 33 / 45 / 78 RPM — slow it down or pitch it up for instant flips • CUT & START for transform-style cuts and stabs • 6 cue points — set your hits and recall them instantly • Capture loops with real, hand-played timing and feel SHAPE THE SOUND • 4-band channel: GAIN, HIGH, MID, LOW — dial in the tone like a real mixer • 16 effects you know from VU950 — filters, EQ, comp, delays, reverb and more — across 4 insert slots • Re-colour every panel and choose a VU950 or Modern skin BRING IN YOUR OWN AUDIO • Load from Folders, Files and Videos with the built-in DISK browser WORKS IN YOUR SETUP • AUv3 plugin — run VU44-7 inside any AUv3 host, route the audio to Your favorite sampler. • Use multiple instances, automate it and bounce straight into your project • Standalone app for quick, no-fuss sampling on the go PRIVATE BY DESIGN • No accounts, no analytics, no tracking. Your audio stays on your device. Stop scrolling waveforms. Start digging.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Aria at every 2 days against VU44's every 2 months. VU44's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 86%) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Aria sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and VU44 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Aria against 4.9 for VU44. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 30 and 14 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 86% of Aria's written reviews are positive against 100% of VU44's.
Aria ships an update every 2 days, VU44 every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Aria | VU44 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (30 ratings) | 4.9 (14 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 85.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 30 — better | 14 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 278 MB | 25 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jack Gruber | Dariusz Chynek |
Customer experience
Aria
VU44
In-app purchases
Aria
- Aria Full Access$9.99
VU44
- Support$0.99








