Comparison

MBR vs Airwave

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

Head to head
About

MBR

Features
Read full description

MBR-01 is an expressive polyphonic synthesizer you play by touch. No keys, no menus to get lost in — just a living surface that responds to where and how you press. Slide across the XY pad to bend pitch and open the filter at once. The instrument is locked to the scale you choose, so every note lands in key: explore freely without ever playing a wrong note. SIX VOICES, ONE EXPRESSIVE SURFACE • 6-voice polyphony with glide • Morphing oscillator (sine → triangle → saw → square) plus a sub • Resonant ladder filter with its own range control • Full ADSR envelope ARPEGGIATOR • Up, Down, Up/Down and Random modes • Tempo with tap, adjustable divisions and octave range • Hold to let chords ring LIVE FX RACK • Drive, bitcrusher, ring modulator, pitch shifter, phaser and chorus • Delay, reverb and glide for space and movement • Toggle and tweak everything while you play 31 SCALES From major and minor to whole tone, diminished and blues — through Hirajoshi, Iwato, Kumoi, Pelog, Bhairav, Marwa and more. Set the root and octave range and the whole surface re-tunes. PRESETS A curated library across Bass, Leads, Plucks, Pads and FX — plus save your own. Each preset carries its own reactive visual style. REACTIVE VISUALS A Metal-powered visualizer reacts to your playing in real time, with external display output for performance and visuals. MIDI OUT Send what you play to hardware synths or other apps over Core MIDI, with channel selection. BILINGUAL Full English and Spanish, switchable inside the app at any time. Built for iPad and iPhone. No account, no data collection — just sound.

About

Airwave

Features
Read full description

Hovertone turns your screen into a theremin. Slide your finger across the full-screen pad — left and right changes pitch, up and down shapes the volume — and play continuous, gliding tones the way no keyboard can. AN INSTRUMENT, NOT A TOY • Continuous pitch across four octaves with true glide • Shaped volume curve down to true silence • Rock-solid single-touch tracking that ignores stray touches • Recovers gracefully from calls, route changes, and interruptions SHAPE YOUR SOUND • Waveforms: sine, square, triangle, sawtooth • Effects: reverb and delay • Scale snapping: major, minor, or pentatonic when you want to stay in key — off when you want it raw ACCESSIBLE BY DESIGN VoiceOver users get assistive pitch and volume sliders, and Reduce Motion is respected throughout. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account, no recordings, no tracking. Hovertone is an instrument — it makes sound and keeps nothing. FREE TO PLAY The pad, sine waveform, and reverb are free forever — a genuinely playable instrument. LIFETIME ACCESS One optional purchase unlocks all waveforms, delay, and scale snapping. One payment — no subscription, ever. Best experienced with headphones or a decent speaker.

Screenshots

MBR4 screens
Airwave4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Airwave at Free against MBR's $4.99. MBR's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Airwave is free to download; MBR costs $4.99 up front. Airwave sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. MBR asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences Ā· 2 level
MBR versus Airwave: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMBRAirwave
Price$4.99Free — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCristopher Alejandro Yescas ArreolaRemi Herbiet

In-app purchases

None

MBR

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Airwave

One-time1
  • Lifetime Access$9.99

Questions

Is MBR free?
MBR costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Airwave free?
Airwave is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do MBR or Airwave have ads?
Neither MBR nor Airwave shows ads.

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