Comparison

Mix Compare vs Refract

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

Head to head
About

Mix Compare

This app allows musicians and engineers to compare audio files side-by-side with synchronized playback. It offers tools for critical listening, such as waveform navigation and volume trim, to help users make informed mixing decisions.

Highlights
  • A/B/C/D audio comparison
  • Synchronized playback
  • Interactive waveform navigation
  • Volume Trim for level matching
  • Spectrum Analyzer
  • EQ and Filter tools
Features
Read full description

Mix Compare is a focused audio comparison app built for music producers, mixing engineers, and musicians who want a fast and practical way to evaluate their mixes. Import your audio files and compare multiple versions side by side with synchronized playback. Switch instantly between tracks, seek through the waveform, and hear differences without interrupting your workflow. Mix Compare includes tools designed to help you make better mixing decisions: • A/B/C/D audio comparison • Synchronized playback between tracks • Interactive waveform navigation • Volume Trim for level-matched comparisons • Spectrum Analyzer • EQ and Filter tools • Fast switching between different mixes and reference tracks • Clean, simple interface designed for critical listening Use Mix Compare to check different mix versions, compare your work against reference tracks, analyze frequency balance, and make more confident decisions before your final master. The free version includes essential comparison tools, while Mix Compare Pro provides access to the complete set of analysis and comparison features. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Refract

Create dynamic music videos from any audio track using your own photos, text, and effects. This app analyzes music to choreograph visuals in real-time, offering a full timeline editor and export options for major social platforms.

Highlights
  • Beat-synced visualizers
  • Customizable effects and overlays
  • Full multi-track timeline editor
  • Import audio from various sources
  • One-tap presets for social platforms
  • Offline processing and export
Features
Read full description

TURN ANY TRACK INTO A VIDEO THAT MOVES WITH IT An audio visualizer and music video maker: beat-synced visualizers, your photos, text and effects, exported for Reels, Shorts, TikTok and YouTube. Refract is an audio-reactive video studio for your iPhone. Load a song and a real-time engine listens to its beat, bass and energy, then choreographs every layer to the music. No keyframes. No guesswork. No template that ignores your track. No account, no sign-in. Your music and your videos never leave your phone. YOUR MUSIC, FROM ANYWHERE Pick a song from Files, iCloud Drive or Voice Memos. Take the soundtrack straight from a video you shot, in Photos or Files, or from a direct link to an audio or video file. Refract checks the video first, keeps only its sound, and lets you hear it before you begin. Keep that sound as its own audio file in one tap. A VISUAL ENGINE THAT LISTENS • 8 GPU-accelerated visualizers — Linear Spectrum, Waveform, Ring, Polar Bars, Dual Wave, Pulse, Streaks and Dots • 20 studio effects — Glow, VHS, CRT Scanlines, Film Grain, RGB Shift, Oil Paint, Fisheye, Wave Warp, Swirl, Posterize, Edge Detect and more • 8 particle overlays for depth, atmosphere and motion • 6 auto-choreographed looks — Neon Pulse, VHS, Poster, Liquid, Handheld, Drift — each a finished edit in a single tap • A text tool with 8 typefaces and 4 ink styles, and type that pulses with the bass A REAL TIMELINE, NOT A TEMPLATE Every layer lives on a full multi-track timeline. Move it, retime it, restyle it, bind any parameter to the audio, and watch the preview follow at 60 fps. Trim a five-minute track to its strongest thirty seconds, add precise fades, and export exactly that. READY FOR EVERY PLATFORM One-tap presets for portrait, square, tall and widescreen — 9:16, 1:1, 4:5 and 16:9 — with resolution, frame rate and quality set for you. Or take full manual control, up to 4K at 60 fps, at any length. LIGHT OR DARK Refract follows your iPhone's appearance, or stays in the one you choose. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Analysis and rendering happen on your phone's GPU. Nothing is uploaded, so creating and exporting work anywhere — on a plane, in a studio, offline. Refract counts which features get used, anonymously and with no identifier of any kind, so we can see what to improve. Unlimited projects and exports, every aspect ratio, your own photos and the full timeline editor — free. Refract Pro unlocks the entire catalogue, 4K at 60 fps, unlimited length and watermark-free export. Everything you make keeps working and keeps exporting, whichever you're on. Made for musicians, producers, DJs, podcasters and labels who need a release-ready visual for every track. Privacy Policy: https://greg-wolny.github.io/refract/privacy.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Mix Compare4 screens
Refract4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Mix Compare at 10 against Refract's 2. Mix Compare also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, review sentiment 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Mix Compare sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Refract sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Mix Compare against 5.0 for Refract. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mix Compare has 10 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Mix Compare versus Refract: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMix CompareRefract
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (10 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings10 — better2
Update frequency—Every 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFARSHAD HESAMIGreg Wolny

Customer experience

Mix Compare

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Refract

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Mix Compare

Subscriptions2
  • Mix Compare Pro 1 Month7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Mix Compare Pro Annual7 Days trial$14.991 Year
2 purchases

Refract

Subscriptions2
  • Refract Pro — Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Refract Pro — Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Mix Compare free?
Mix Compare is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Refract free?
Refract is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Mix Compare or Refract?
Mix Compare and Refract are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 10 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do Mix Compare or Refract have ads?
Neither Mix Compare nor Refract shows ads.

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