# Aria vs VU44

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Aria | VU44 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (30 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aria-music-notation-editor/id6779437781/reviews) | **[4.9 (14 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vu44-7/id6781011563/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **30** | 14 |
| Positive reviews | 85.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 278 MB | 25 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jack Gruber](https://appshunter.io/developer/1262516427) | [Dariusz Chynek](https://appshunter.io/developer/1805845479) |

## What reviewers say

### Aria

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aria-music-notation-editor/id6779437781)

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.

**Highlights:** Create and edit music scores, Play back compositions, Support for MuseScore and MusicXML, Intuitive touch controls, Manage individual parts, Export in multiple formats

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Aria Full Access | $9.99 | one-time |


### VU44

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vu44-7/id6781011563)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Support | $0.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Aria free?

Aria is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is VU44 free?

VU44 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Aria or VU44?

VU44 is rated higher. Aria averages 4.8 out of 5 from 30 ratings, while VU44 averages 4.9 from 14 ratings.

### Do Aria or VU44 have ads?

Neither Aria nor VU44 shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Aria or VU44?

Aria ships an update every 2 days, and VU44 every 2 months. Most recently, Aria was updated on October 25, 2026 and VU44 on October 24, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*