Comparison

Harmonizer vs Pixelsynth

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

Head to head
About

Harmonizer

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Harmonizer - AUv3 is a real-time vocal harmonizer for iPhone and iPad. Sing into a microphone, select piano keys or chord pads, and hear live harmonies with low latency. Use it as a standalone instrument or load it as an AUv3 effect in compatible hosts such as GarageBand and Logic Pro for iPad. Key Features: - Live Vocal Harmonies: Process your voice in real time with harmonies based on held notes, piano keys, chord pads, or connected MIDI input. - Standalone and AUv3: Use Harmonizer as a standalone app or as an AUv3 audio effect in compatible music apps. Record the harmonized result directly in your host project. - Chord Pads: Play and hold chords with touch pads. Move between pads naturally, prepare the next chord while another is held, and use multiple octave ranges within each pad. - Audio Controls: Adjust dry vocal level, harmony level, output gain, and, in the standalone app, reverb amount and space preset. - Custom Chord Sets: Create, rename, duplicate, edit, and delete chord sets for different songs or performances. Choose the number of pads, chord roots, qualities, octaves, and pad layouts. - Piano Keyboard: Play with a multitouch piano keyboard designed for live performance. Choose Glide mode for sliding notes or Scroll mode to move across the keyboard while continuing to play. - iPad Dual Keyboard: On iPad, use two independent keyboard rows with separate positions for wider playing ranges. - MIDI Input: Use connected MIDI keyboards and controllers to play harmonies. MIDI works with chord pads and keys, including AUv3 host MIDI where supported. - MIDI Mapping: Map MIDI notes to chord pad positions and map MIDI knobs to key mixing controls such as Dry, Harmony, Reverb, and Output level. - Hand Control: Optionally control chord pads using the front camera. Hover over a pad with your hand and pinch to hold its chord. Includes a short tutorial plus low-light, no-hand, and multiple-hand guidance. - Local Processing: Microphone audio, camera input, chord sets, and performance settings stay on your device. Harmonizer does not upload or sell your audio or camera data. - Apple Intelligence Chord Progressions - Describe a mood, style, key, or progression idea to generate a named playable chord set with a short description; preview each chord, edit it, then save and use it live in Harmonizer. Requires a compatible device with Apple Intelligence enabled and availability may vary by language and region. Enjoy!

About

Pixelsynth

This app transforms musical input into a vibrant visual experience, allowing users to see and shape their sound in real-time. It offers a playful and immediate way to create music, with all controls and feedback displayed on a single screen. Designed by a Deaf musician, it prioritizes visual feedback as an integral part of the instrument.

Highlights
  • Real-time visual sound shaping
  • Interactive 16-pad grid
  • Adjustable waveforms, filters, and envelopes
  • LFO, delay, and reverb effects
  • AUv3 instrument compatibility
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

Make a sound in seconds—and shape it while it plays. Pixelsynth turns taps, drags, melodies, and chords into a colorful instrument you can understand by watching it. Everything you play lives on one screen. Touch a note and start exploring. FROM THE DEVELOPER OF PIXELBOOP Pixelsynth is a new visual instrument from the maker of Pixelboop. Both apps share a love of playful grids, immediate feedback, and musical ideas that begin with one touch. PLAY FIRST. LEARN BY WATCHING. Sixteen pads invite you to find a melody, hold a chord, or strum across the screen. Notes light up as you play, and every sound control moves in front of you. You can see what each gesture is doing while you hear the result. SHAPE THE SOUND LIVE • Switch waveforms to change the character of your sound. • Sweep the filter from bright and open to soft and focused. • Shape attack, decay, sustain, and release for crisp plucks, swelling notes, and long tails. • Add motion with LFO, repeating echoes with delay, and depth with reverb. Each control is a colorful tank. Touch higher or lower inside it to set the value directly. Values in the upper half stay where you leave them; notes in the lower half drain away after you lift. It feels immediate because the picture and the sound follow the same gesture. MADE TO BE SEEN Created by a Deaf musician, Pixelsynth treats visual feedback as part of the instrument. The entire musical surface is drawn on a 40 by 24 pixel grid—just 960 pixels—so every control stays visible and every change has a visual response. PLAY IT YOUR WAY Open Pixelsynth as a standalone instrument on iPhone or iPad, or load the included AUv3 instrument in a compatible iOS music host. Your host can send MIDI notes and save the instrument state with your project. A compatible host is available separately. FREE TO EXPLORE No account. No in-app purchases. No third-party ads. The instrument works offline. The standalone app may occasionally show developer news or an introduction to Pixelboop, which you can close immediately. Pixelsynth does not track you or collect the music you play. Open it. Touch a note. See where it takes you.

Screenshots

Harmonizer4 screens
Pixelsynth4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Pixelsynth at every 9 days against Harmonizer's every 2 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Harmonizer ships an update every 2 months, Pixelsynth every 9 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Harmonizer versus Pixelsynth: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHarmonizerPixelsynth
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—4 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPeter Hafnerde Bastion, Inc

In-app purchases

None

Harmonizer

No in-app purchases

None

Pixelsynth

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Harmonizer free?
Harmonizer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pixelsynth free?
Pixelsynth is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Harmonizer or Pixelsynth have ads?
Neither Harmonizer nor Pixelsynth shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Harmonizer or Pixelsynth?
Harmonizer ships an update every 2 months, and Pixelsynth every 9 days. Most recently, Harmonizer was updated on October 31, 2026 and Pixelsynth on October 31, 2026.

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