NuSaw vs StepLoom
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
NuSaw
Create massive, detuned '90s dance sounds with this polyphonic synthesizer. Features a stack of sawtooth oscillators, a resonant filter, and a full effects chain. Generate dynamic patches with LFOs, a modulation matrix, and an arpeggiator.
- Polyphonic SuperSaw engine
- Detuned sawtooth oscillators
- Resonant low-pass filter
- Full effects chain (chorus, delay, reverb, drive)
- Multiple LFOs and modulation matrix
- Sequenced gate and arpeggiator
- AUv3 plugin and standalone app
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NuSaw is a polyphonic SuperSaw synthesizer: the huge, detuned '90s dance sound, built for accuracy and tuned to fill the room. At its heart is a stack of 3 to 25 detuned sawtooth oscillators with a sine sub, a resonant lowpass filter, and dual ADSR envelopes for amp and filter. On top sits a full effects chain: an accurately modeled chorus, a tempo-syncable stereo ping-pong delay, plate reverb, and drive. Motion is built in: three LFOs, a flexible modulation matrix, a sequenced gate, and an arpeggiator, so patches breathe, wobble, all on their own. • 50+ factory presets: leads, basses, stabs, pads, strings, arps, and keys • Authentically modeled SuperSaw engine with accurate drift and stereo spread • FX rack with authentic chorus + ping-pong delay + reverb + drive • 3 LFOs, mod matrix, sequenced gate, and arpeggiator • Resonant switchable filter, with slope control and key tracking • Save and share your own patches • AUv3 plug-in for AUM, Logic, GarageBand, Cubasis, and more, plus a full standalone app with an on-screen keyboard Whether you're chasing a festival trance lead, a snarling Reese bass, or a wide evolving pad, NuSaw gets you there fast. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Roland Corporation. Roland, JP-8000 and JP-8080 are trademarks of Roland Corporation, used for reference only.
StepLoom
Create electronic music with a touch-friendly groovebox. Quickly sketch beats, basslines, and melodies using a step sequencer, piano-roll editing, and arrangement views. Supports AUv3 plugins for expanded sound design.
- Touch-friendly beat and melody workflow
- Step sequencer and piano-roll editing
- Timeline, Session, and Flow arrangement views
- AUv3 instrument and effect plugin support
- Mixer controls for sound shaping
- MIDI input and external clock sync
- Export audio, stems, or MIDI
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StepLoom is a fast, touch-first electronic music sketchpad for making beats, loops, basslines, and melody ideas on iPhone and iPad. It gives you the focus of a compact groovebox without the weight of a full DAW, so you can start a rhythm, shape a synth line, try an AUv3 instrument, arrange patterns, and keep moving while the idea is fresh. Create drum patterns with a step sequencer, write melodic parts with piano-roll style editing, stack chords, add legato, adjust BPM, mix tracks, and switch sounds. Add Sample tracks by importing audio or recording directly in the Tracks view, then use the waveform editor to trim, reverse, normalize, tune, and shape One-shot or Loop playback. The project Media Library keeps custom audio available for reuse and arrangement. Turn loops into songs with three complementary arrangement views: shape Patterns and audio clips on the Timeline, launch quantized Patterns and Scenes in Session, or build visual paths and probability rules in Flow. Draw or record automation for mixer controls and supported AUv3 parameters. When you want to go beyond the built-in sounds, add AUv3 instrument or effect plugins, choose exposed plugin presets, open compatible plugin interfaces, and activate Plugin Sound directly from the sound picker. Optional iCloud sync keeps compatible projects and project media available across your Apple devices. StepLoom continues to work locally when sync is disabled. StepLoom is built for quick electronic music drafts: open the app, tap a grid, hear the result, and turn a loop into a structured idea. Main features: - Touch-friendly beat and melody workflow - Drum, melody, and custom Sample tracks - Step sequencer with playback highlight and loop control - Piano-roll style melody editing with chords and legato - Audio import and microphone sample recording - Waveform sample editor with trim, reverse, normalize, gain, tuning, One-shot, and Loop controls - Project Media Library for reusable custom audio - Timeline editing with drag, resize, layers, sections, loop ranges, and multi-selection - Quantized Pattern and Scene launching with Session performance recording - Blueprint-style Flow rules with Next, Jump, Random, Stop, and probability - AUv3 instrument and effect plugin slots - Plugin preset reading for AUv3s that expose factory presets - Plugin Sound option for playing tracks through AUv3 instruments - Mixer and AUv3 parameter automation - Mixer controls for volume, pan, EQ, filter, drive, meters, master gain, and limiter - MIDI input and external clock sync options - Optional iCloud project and media synchronization - Export full songs or the current pattern as audio, stems, or MIDI - Adaptive iPhone and iPad layouts StepLoom is for producers, beatmakers, songwriters, and electronic music learners who want a focused place to capture musical ideas before moving into a larger DAW.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: StepLoom at $3.99 against NuSaw's $6.99. NuSaw's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence 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
NuSaw costs $6.99 and StepLoom $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for NuSaw against 5.0 for StepLoom. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 2 respectively.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NuSaw | StepLoom |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $6.99 | $3.99 — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days | Every 2 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Charles Vestal | 宁 徐 |
Customer experience
NuSaw
StepLoom
In-app purchases
NuSaw
No in-app purchases
StepLoom
No in-app purchases









