Comparison

Simple NAM Chain vs CronSequitur

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

Head to head
About

Simple NAM Chain

Transform your mobile device into a powerful guitar rig. Load amp captures and cabinet impulse responses to create custom guitar chains. Offers a built-in tuner and advanced gain staging for optimal sound.

Highlights
  • Load .nam amp captures
  • Add cabinet impulse responses
  • Stack up to six effect blocks
  • Reorder and bypass blocks
  • Built-in tuner
  • Automatic gain staging
  • Live CPU readout
Features
Read full description

Turn your iPhone or iPad into a guitar rig. Simple NAM Chain plays amp captures in the Neural Amp Modeler format, including A1 and A2. Load a capture, add a cabinet impulse response, and play. It runs on its own, or as an Audio Unit inside GarageBand, AUM and other hosts. BUILD A CHAIN Stack up to six blocks in series — a drive pedal into an amp head into a cab, or whatever order you want. Drag to reorder, bypass any block, remove the ones you don't need. Tag each one Full Rig, Amp Head, Pedal, Outboard or IR so the chain reads at a glance. EVERY BLOCK IS A FULL RIG Each block has its own input level, noise gate, amp capture, cabinet IR, three-band EQ and output level. The gate, the EQ and the IR each switch off independently. LOAD WHOLE MODEL PACKS Captures usually arrive as a folder holding the same amp at a range of settings. Point the app at the folder and step through every capture with the arrows, without going back to a file browser between takes. Keep your packs anywhere on the device, or drop them into the Full Rig, Amp Head, Pedal, Outboard and IR folders the app creates for you in Files. GAIN STAGING HANDLED Captures that carry calibration data are gain-staged automatically as you reorder the chain, so stacking blocks doesn't wreck your levels. Set your interface's input level in dBu once, and pick Raw, Normalized or Calibrated output. ALSO INCLUDED • Built-in tuner • Slim control, to trade a little accuracy for lower CPU on captures that support it • Live CPU readout • Recovers cleanly from phone calls, route changes and unplugged interfaces WHAT YOU NEED An audio interface to plug your guitar into gives the best results — the built-in microphone works, but isn't meant for playing. You'll need captures in .nam format (A1 and A2 are both supported), and impulse responses as .wav files if you want cabinets; thousands are free at tone3000.com. Headphones or monitors, so the mic doesn't feed back. FREE FOR THREE DAYS Everything is unlocked for three days. After that the app stops processing audio until you unlock it, which is a single payment of $4.99. Not a subscription, no accounts, no ads, and nothing is collected about you.

About

CronSequitur

Read full description

CronSequitur is a step sequencer with a grid layout that feels like real hardware, not a menu system with deeply nested functions you may never find. Some features require an in-app purchase: Standard (a one-time purchase) or Pro (a one-time purchase or an annual subscription). If you already own Standard, the one-time Pro purchase is offered to you as an upgrade. Every paid feature is listed below under the purchase it requires. Everything else described here is included without a purchase. Every step can carry more than a note. Program changes and control changes sit right alongside the note, not buried in a separate menu. A 2 to 64 step grid and full time-signature control mean odd meters and unusual pattern lengths aren't an afterthought, they're just supported. INCLUDED WITHOUT A PURCHASE • The step sequencer and step editor, with program changes and control changes on any step, 2 to 64 steps per pattern and full time-signature control • Sending MIDI to your external gear • The built-in synth • Unlimited presets • The metronome's audio click, beat indicator and count-in, and tap tempo • Exporting, importing and backing up your presets and songs in CronSequitur's own file format • Building and editing songs from your patterns, with sections, repeats and tempo changes • Full playback of the demo songs in the Library's Factory section • A preview of the first section of each song in My Songs, which holds the songs you build and your copies of demo songs (duplicating a demo song, or editing and saving it, makes a copy; the original stays in Factory). Full playback of these songs requires Pro (Song Playback, below). • Daylight mode, a high-contrast display for direct sun REQUIRES THE STANDARD IN-APP PURCHASE (ONE-TIME) • Virtual MIDI Output: send MIDI to other apps on the same device, no cables • Tags: tag your presets and filter your presets by tag • MIDI File Import & Export: standard MIDI files, to and from any DAW or device • Device Profiles: built-in and custom profiles that show your gear's own controls and labels • Screen Flash: a full-screen flash on each metronome beat • Metronome Haptics: a vibration on each metronome beat (iPhone only) • Tap Tempo Guard: TAP must be armed with one tap before it changes the tempo, so a stray touch mid-set does nothing REQUIRES THE PRO IN-APP PURCHASE (ONE-TIME, OR AN ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION) Pro includes everything in Standard, plus: • Song Playback: full playback of the songs in My Songs, start to finish, with every section, repeat and tempo change • Section Pads: jump to or loop any song section live • Audio Backing Tracks: import audio files to play along with your songs • Tempo-Locked Playback: backing tracks detect their tempo and stretch to match your song • Band Sync: live synchronization across devices on the same Wi-Fi network. Every device in the session needs Pro. • Section Audio Tracks: give each song section its own backing track Independently made in Maine. Fair pricing, no dark patterns, no surprises, built by a musician who wanted this to exist.

Screenshots

Simple NAM Chain4 screens
CronSequitur4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Simple NAM Chain at 15.0 against CronSequitur's 17.0. 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. Simple NAM Chain sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and CronSequitur sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Simple NAM Chain versus CronSequitur: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimple NAM ChainCronSequitur
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyDaily—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developeraziz bou harbFortyFourSquirrels

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Simple NAM Chain

One-time2
  • 3-day TrialFree
  • Full Unlock$4.99
4 purchases

CronSequitur

Subscriptions1
  • CronSequitur Pro (Annual)7 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time3
  • CronSequitur Standard$7.99
  • CronSequitur Pro Upgrade$22.00
  • CronSequitur Pro$29.99

Questions

Is Simple NAM Chain free?
Simple NAM Chain is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is CronSequitur free?
CronSequitur is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Simple NAM Chain or CronSequitur have ads?
Neither Simple NAM Chain nor CronSequitur shows ads.

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