Comparison

NuSaw vs AD

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

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.

About

AD

This app emulates a classic 1983 micro synthesizer with modern enhancements like MPE and eight-voice polyphony. It offers a rich sound engine with multiple oscillators, filters, and a comprehensive drive section for unique sonic textures. Enjoy extensive modulation options and a built-in keyboard for immediate creativity.

Highlights
  • Eight-voice polyphony
  • MPE support
  • Classic four-pole lowpass filter
  • Comprehensive drive section
  • AUv3 and standalone operation
  • Preset manager with favorites
  • Built-in chicklet keyboard
Features
Read full description

We rebuilt the legendary micro composer of 1983, then gave it everything the original owners wished for: eight voices, MPE, a sequencer worthy of the name, and a couple of new dirty tricks. The voice is the one you know: a single fat oscillator with sawtooth and pulse (manual, LFO, or envelope PWM), a three-mode sub oscillator, and a noise source, mixed and driven into a classic four-pole lowpass filter. One snappy ADSR, switchable env/gate VCA, and an LFO with triangle, square, stepped random, and noise shapes, complete with onset delay, tempo sync, and retrigger. Portamento with the proper on/auto/off modes, and gate, gate+trig, and LFO trigger modes, exactly like the hardware. And the a sequencer: eight patterns of up to 64 steps, drawn right on the panel, with accent, slide, and octave per step, follow actions and repeats, swing, and tools to randomize in a key and scale, mutate, copy, and rotate. Play a pattern from a held key, transpose it from the keyboard, lock it while you browse presets, and run it from its own clock, the host transport, or an Ableton Link session in the standalone. Sequences save with your presets. • Eight-voice polyphony, or the original mono behavior with the flip of a switch • MPE support with per-note pitch bend and pressure, four aftertouch destinations (VCO mod, VCF mod, filter freq, LFO rate), and adjustable pressure smoothing • MTS-ESP microtonal tuning, retuned continuously while notes sound • SPREAD for stereo voice panning, and AGE, which drifts each voice like forty-year-old components • A full drive section: pre-filter saturation, filter drive, post-VCA distortion, and a tilt EQ • Velocity to filter and amp • A chicklet keyboard with latch and octave shift, playable right on the panel • Full preset manager with favorites and a factory bank • Five faceplate colors, including one for console cowboys • AUv3 and standalone, with an interface that fills whatever window your host hands it AD-202 works everywhere iOS makes noise: AUM, apeMatrix, Logic Pro, GarageBand, Cubasis, and any other AUv3 host, plus a standalone app with its own audio and MIDI settings, Ableton Link, and background audio. No subscriptions. No accounts. No nonsense. Buy it once, own it forever.

Screenshots

NuSaw4 screens
AD4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: NuSaw at every 2 days against AD's every 3 weeks. NuSaw also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and chart position (#194 vs unranked). AD's advantage is ratings volume (14 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

NuSaw costs $6.99 and AD $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

NuSaw holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AD has 14 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NuSaw ships an update every 2 days, AD every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
NuSaw versus AD: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNuSawAD
Price$6.99$6.99
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better4.7 (14 ratings)
Positive reviews—85.7% of reviews
Number of ratings214 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#194 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB74 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCharles VestalAudio Damage, Inc.

Customer experience

NuSaw

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

AD

All ratings12 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%

In-app purchases

None

NuSaw

No in-app purchases

None

AD

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NuSaw free?
NuSaw costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is AD free?
AD costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, NuSaw or AD?
NuSaw is rated higher. NuSaw averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while AD averages 4.7 from 14 ratings.
Do NuSaw or AD have ads?
Neither NuSaw nor AD shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NuSaw or AD?
NuSaw ships an update every 2 days, and AD every 3 weeks. Most recently, NuSaw was updated on October 25, 2026 and AD on October 29, 2026.

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