Syntheremin vs HandyStrum
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Syntheremin
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Play the air. Syntheremin Instrument turns the space in front of your iPhone into a continuous musical instrument. Move both hands through the camera view to perform without touching the screen. PLAY CONTINUOUS PITCH Move your dominant hand horizontally through the note field. Raise or lower it to keep gliding smoothly across octaves—without the steps of a keyboard. CONDUCT THE VOLUME Raise your other hand to swell and lower it to quiet. Keep it still for a steady level, or close your fist for an immediate mute. SCULPT THE SOUND Roll your pitch wrist to sweep an analog-style filter. Roll your volume wrist to move from dry and focused to wide with a short echo. BUILD HARMONIC THREADS Touch matching fingertips to layer an octave, scale third, scale fifth, or high shimmer. Stretch the glowing connections to intensify them, then pinch a connected finger to release its voice. MADE TO BE PLAYED • Classic, Choir, and Glass synth characters • Scale-based note gravity that helps intonation while preserving glides • Live pitch lanes, note readout, and tuner • Role-colored hand tracking that shows what the instrument hears • Right- and left-handed layouts • No account, ads, or microphone access PRIVATE CAMERA PROCESSING Camera frames and hand landmarks are processed on the iPhone and are never saved or uploaded. The bundled Google MediaPipe SDK sends limited usage and performance metrics to Google; details are available in the in-app Privacy screen and privacy policy. REQUIREMENTS Syntheremin Instrument requires an iPhone with a front TrueDepth camera—the hardware used for Face ID. For the most responsive playing experience, use the built-in speaker, wired audio, or low-latency headphones.
HandyStrum
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HandyStrum is a guided magic sing-along camera. Pick a song you already know, set up your iPhone, and play with both hands in the air. Follow the lyrics, chords, and motion cues. The app recognizes your gestures on device, locks them to the beat, and turns the take into a vertical video you can watch, save, and share. You don't need an instrument or music theory, and the app does not score your singing. Miss a motion and the song keeps going. Hit one, and you hear that it was you. You can: • Choose a song and learn the moves in a short rehearsal • Record a vertical sing-along with both hands in frame • Watch a finished take, not a screen recording of the app UI • Save or share without creating an account Camera frames, microphone audio, and rendered takes stay on your iPhone by default. Hands up. Magic on.
Screenshots
Verdict
Syntheremin and HandyStrum are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | Syntheremin | HandyStrum |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | — | Every 5 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 44 MB | 153 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | XYK LLC | Shanghai Twiddle Technology Co., Ltd |
In-app purchases
Syntheremin
No in-app purchases
HandyStrum
No in-app purchases








