Comparison

Rithmatic vs Laleuca Looper

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

Head to head
About

Rithmatic

This app is an FM synthesizer with a vast library of classic voices. It allows users to explore, learn, build, and blend sounds, and can be used as a standalone instrument or an AUv3 plugin within DAWs. It offers a visual representation of sound and a patch builder for understanding FM synthesis.

Highlights
  • 36,118 classic DX7 voices included
  • AUv3 plugin for DAWs
  • Patch Builder for learning FM synthesis
  • Sound blending feature
  • On-screen and MIDI keyboard support
  • Arpeggiator and latch functionality
  • WAV recording and export
Features
Read full description

Rithmatic is an FM synthesizer with 36,118 classic DX7 voices built in, and an AUv3 plugin for GarageBand on iPad and your DAW on the Mac. Browse them by family and by character, learn how FM works by watching it shape each one, build and blend your own, and play them from the on-screen keys or a MIDI keyboard. No account, no ads, nothing locked. Built for iPhone Duo: half open, it stands like a keyboard synth, the waves above the fold and long keys on the flat half. IN YOUR DAW • Put it on a track in GarageBand on iPad, or in an Audio Unit host on the Mac such as Ableton Live. • Its window is the app's own Patches screen and Patch Builder, with your library. • Your bank appears as the plugin's presets, and Brightness, Attack, Decay, Release and Feedback can be automated. The patch is saved with your project. A LIBRARY THAT SHIPS FULL • 36,118 unique DX7 voices come with the app: no download, no account, no network. • Start with Essentials: the famous sounds and the songs they're on. • Browse by family, or by character: percussive, plucked, metallic, bright, sustained, swell, evolving, mellow. Or search by name. • Patch of the day: one classic voice each day, in the app and in a widget for iPhone, iPad and Mac. PLAY IT • A DX7-compatible synthesis engine runs inside the app, so every patch plays with nothing plugged in. • Play from the on-screen keys, your Mac's keyboard, or any MIDI keyboard you connect. • Pitch bend, mod wheel, breath, sustain and aftertouch, with aftertouch set to vibrato, tremolo or swell. • Velocity from a MIDI keyboard, or turn it off and choose how hard every note plays. • An arpeggiator (up, down, up and down, random or as played, over up to three octaves) and a latch that holds each key. • Record what you play and share it as a WAV. • Five tunings: equal, just, and Wendy Carlos's Alpha, Beta and Gamma scales. • Light or dark, as your device is set or as you choose. Drag the keys taller or shorter. SEE THE SOUND The waveform follows what you play: each operator's envelope, how hard you hit, the pitch, the LFO's wobble, and a chord as one layer per note. Resize it, go full screen, or watch the output itself in the Scope look. PATCH BUILDER: LEARN HOW FM WORKS FM is famous for being hard to program. The Patch Builder shows you why a sound sounds the way it does. • All six operators on a graph, each cable carrying its wave: see a modulator reshape its carrier as you drag. • Draw a cable and the builder snaps to the nearest of the 32 algorithms, so you learn routing by doing it. • Plain words beside the jargon. Edit each operator's ratio, level, envelope and tuning, the LFO and pitch envelope, or use FEEL: thickness, touch and brightness. BLEND Pick two patches and Rithmatic blends them into eight new ones. Play each, and keep the ones you like. YOUR BANK AND FILES • Gather patches from anywhere into your bank, then drag pads to swap or reorder them. • Export the bank as standard DX7 .syx files. Open .syx banks, or a .zip of them, from Files, Mail, AirDrop or the Finder. • Share a sound as a short clip of it playing, with a card and a code that brings the patch into anyone's Rithmatic. WITH A SYNTH, IF YOU HAVE ONE Hardware is optional. Choose your synth in Settings: • Korg Volca FM2 (firmware 1.10 or later, over MIDI): read its current patch, write to any of its 64 memory slots, back up and restore all 16 sequencer patterns, and capture the whole instrument to a snapshot. • DX7 family: send patches and 32-voice banks to a DX7, TX7, TX802, the original Volca FM or the M-VAVE FM-1 over standard Yamaha voice dumps. FREE AND PRIVATE Every feature is free; tips are optional and unlock nothing. Rithmatic works offline and collects no personal data: no account, no analytics, no ads. KORG and volca are trademarks of Korg Inc., DX7 and TX of Yamaha Corporation, M-VAVE of its owner. Rithmatic is an independent app, not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.

About

Laleuca Looper

This music app offers a three-channel experimental looper with features like auto-record, random parameter adjustments, and rhythmic playback. It includes advanced modulation and LFO capabilities for creative sound design.

Highlights
  • Three-channel experimental looper
  • Auto Record for multiple sources
  • Randomize parameters (RND)
  • Rhythmic loop playback (Rhythm Mode)
  • Crossfade between parameter settings (Mod)
  • Four LFOs per looper
Features
Read full description

Laleuca is a three-channel experimental looper for iPhone (standalone and AUv3). Some nice features: Auto Record – automatically capture new loops from multiple sources. RND – randomise octave, direction, length, repeats, or almost any parameter. Rhythm Mode – play back your recorded loops rhythmically. Mod – crossfade between different parameter settings. LFO – four LFOs per looper, routable to any destination.

Screenshots

Rithmatic4 screens
Laleuca Looper4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Rithmatic at Free against Laleuca Looper's $4.99. Rithmatic also leads on device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Laleuca Looper's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 67%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Rithmatic is free to download; Laleuca Looper costs $4.99 up front. Rithmatic sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Laleuca Looper sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Laleuca Looper holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 8 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Rithmatic's written reviews are positive against 100% of Laleuca Looper's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Rithmatic ships an update every 2 days, Laleuca Looper daily. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Rithmatic versus Laleuca Looper: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRithmaticLaleuca Looper
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating4.6 (9 ratings)5.0 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings9 — better8
Update frequencyEvery 2 daysDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size61 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMADE WITH BEST PRACTICE LLCJonathon Stewart

Customer experience

Rithmatic

All ratings9 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Laleuca Looper

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Rithmatic

One-time4
  • Small Tip$4.99
  • Medium Tip$9.99
  • Large Tip$19.99
Show 1 more
  • Extra Large Tip$49.99
1 purchases

Laleuca Looper

One-time1
  • Unlock Looper C$0.49

Questions

Is Rithmatic free?
Rithmatic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Laleuca Looper free?
Laleuca Looper costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Rithmatic or Laleuca Looper?
Laleuca Looper is rated higher. Rithmatic averages 4.6 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Laleuca Looper averages 5.0 from 8 ratings.
Do Rithmatic or Laleuca Looper have ads?
Neither Rithmatic nor Laleuca Looper shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Rithmatic or Laleuca Looper?
Rithmatic ships an update every 2 days, and Laleuca Looper daily. Most recently, Rithmatic was updated on November 1, 2026 and Laleuca Looper on October 31, 2026.

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