Comparison

VJ Stage vs Chromophone

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

Head to head
About

VJ Stage

Features
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With VJ Stage you can create stunning VJ shows. Play multiple video loops or generators, blend them together, add effects and audio reactive modulations. EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Chromophone

Features
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Chromophone turns whatever is playing in the room into a living psychedelic picture. Play, sing, or put a record on: the visuals follow the sound as it happens. Every frame is built from the sound arriving right now. Low frequencies swing the whole shape, mids and highs cut the detail, sharp hits snap the pattern into a new one, and the mood of the music slowly steers color and scale. When the room falls quiet, the picture fades to black. Nothing is prepared in advance and no video file is playing behind the screen. The picture is generated on the device from what it hears at that moment, so what you see belongs to that moment in the room. WHERE PEOPLE USE IT Watching sound become picture. Put the phone down while music plays and let the room draw itself. On stage. Mirror the screen to a projector or a TV and let the visuals run through the whole set; the screen stays awake while it plays. In a stream. Keep a live backdrop moving behind a set instead of a looping clip that ignores the music. While you play. Point it at an amp, a piano or your own voice and watch what you are playing take shape. TWO THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU START It makes no sound of its own. It listens, and the music comes from wherever you already play it: your playing, your voice, or a speaker across the room. It takes the system audio input, so a line from an external interface arrives exactly as a microphone does. In a silent room the screen goes dark, because nothing is ever faked. It draws for the moment, not for later. There is no export and no rendering: this is a live picture while the music is happening, not a clip to publish afterwards. NOTHING LEAVES THE DEVICE The app contains no networking code at all. Audio is analyzed on the device, frame by frame, and is never recorded, never stored and never sent anywhere. Switch on Airplane Mode and everything still works exactly the same. FOR PEOPLE WHO SEE SOUND If you have ever wanted music to look like the way synesthetes describe it, or watched sand jump into patterns on a Chladni plate, this is that idea driven live by the room around you.

Screenshots

VJ Stage4 screens
Chromophone4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chromophone at none against VJ Stage's 2. On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. VJ Stage sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Chromophone asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

VJ Stage ships an update fortnightly, Chromophone every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference ยท 5 level
VJ Stage versus Chromophone: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVJ StageChromophone
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyFortnightly โ€” betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo โ€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac โ€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.017.6 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size39 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMarvin KruegerMaxim Oransky

In-app purchases

2 purchases

VJ Stage

Subscriptions2
  • VJ Stage PRO$3.997 Days
  • VJ Stage PRO3 Days trial$29.991 Year
None

Chromophone

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is VJ Stage free?
VJ Stage is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chromophone free?
Chromophone is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do VJ Stage or Chromophone have ads?
Neither VJ Stage nor Chromophone shows ads.
Which is updated more often, VJ Stage or Chromophone?
VJ Stage ships an update fortnightly, and Chromophone every 3 weeks. Most recently, VJ Stage was updated on October 28, 2026 and Chromophone on October 22, 2026.

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