Comparison

Kinetic by folina vs PolyQuad

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

Head to head
About

Kinetic by folina

This app creates dynamic, evolving audio performances by generating continuous movement in filters, stereo position, and tonal balance. It offers six unique movement engines and intuitive controls to make sounds feel alive without obvious modulation.

Highlights
  • Generates evolving audio movement
  • Six unique movement engines
  • Organic modulation without repetition
  • Stereo and spatial animation
  • Dynamic tonal evolution
  • Intuitive character-first interface
Read full description

Kinetic transforms static sounds into living performances. Instead of relying on a single LFO or repeating modulation pattern, Kinetic continuously generates evolving movement throughout your audio. Filters drift, stereo position breathes, tonal balance shifts, spatial depth changes, and countless subtle interactions combine to create the feeling that your sound is alive. The result isn't obvious modulation. It's motion. Every control shapes a different aspect of that movement: • Motion determines the overall amount of animation. • Drift adds slow organic evolution that never repeats exactly. • Width expands movement across the stereo field. • Flow changes the speed and energy of internal motion. • Character selects one of six unique movement engines, each with its own personality. • Mix blends your original signal with the animated result. Choose from six Character modes: • Tide — Slow, relaxed, ocean-like movement. • Orbit — Rhythmic circular motion with electronic energy. • Current — Constant forward momentum. • Swarm — Dense competing layers of animated movement. • Ghost — Ethereal textures that appear and disappear. • Voodoo — Funky, asymmetrical motion with unpredictable attitude. Perfect for pads, guitars, synths, vocals, drums, ambience, and creative sound design. Features • Motion-focused audio processor • Six unique movement engines • Organic evolving modulation without repetitive LFO cycles • Stereo animation and spatial movement • Dynamic tonal evolution • Character-first interface with six intuitive controls Movement isn't something added afterward. In Kinetic, movement is the sound. Controls Motion — Overall amount of movement Drift — Slow evolving organic variation Width — Stereo movement and spatial expansion Flow — Energy and speed of internal motion Character — Select one of six movement engines Mix — Blend dry and processed audio

About

PolyQuad

Create complex analog-style synthesizer sounds using four independent voices. Design each voice with its own oscillator, filter, and envelopes, then combine them in various modes for massive layered textures, polyphonic chords, or unique stereo arrangements. Explore a vast library of presets or build your own from scratch.

Highlights
  • Four independent analog-style voices
  • Multiple oscillator and filter types per voice
  • Dual envelope generators per voice
  • Three voice combination modes (UNI, POLY, 2x2)
  • Extensive LFO modulation capabilities
  • Integrated effects unit (reverb, delay, chorus, phaser, drive)
  • 160 factory presets and user preset management
Features
Read full description

PolyQuad is one synthesizer built from four complete voices — and the instrument is what they make together. Each of the four channels is a full analog-style voice: its own oscillator, its own resonant filter, its own envelopes, its own amplifier, its own place in the stereo field. Design each channel for a role — a sub, a body, a sparkle, a slow swell — then play them as one. Three voice modes decide how they combine. UNI stacks all four on every note for one massive layered sound. POLY spreads chords across the channels, so every note of a chord lands on its own instrument. 2×2 plays note pairs on matched couples. Add glide, retrigger control and detune spread on top. THE CHANNELS - Four oscillators: triangle, sawtooth, pulse with PWM, sine — per channel, with octave and fine tune - Four resonant filters with envelope amount and FM depth per channel - Two envelopes per channel (filter and amp), each with three time ranges from snappy to minutes-long - Per-channel VCA with velocity amount and curve, level, pan, AUX send, solo and mute - Per-channel oscilloscope displays, and keys that light up with the voice that took them MOTION - Four LFOs with five shapes, routed to pitch, pulse width, filter FM, resonance, amplitude, pan or send - Each channel decides how much modulation to accept — one LFO can wobble one channel and leave another still - One effect unit — reverb, delay, chorus, phaser, drive — fed by per-channel AUX sends with a master return PRESETS - 160 factory presets in eight categories: Pads, Keys, Strings, Bass, Lead, Drone, Texture, Percussion - Every preset uses the four channels as four different instruments — layered stacks, rotating timbres, per-drum kits - Channel presets: capture one channel's design and load it into any channel of any patch - Your presets are plain JSON files in the Files app — back them up, share them, drop new ones in IN THE STUDIO - AUv3 instrument for AUM, Drambo, Logic Pro, GarageBand and other hosts - MIDI 2.0 with 16-bit velocity; MIDI 1.0 hosts are translated automatically - Every knob on the panel is a host parameter — full automation and session recall - Standalone app with keyboard, so it plays on its own too No account, no ads, no tracking, no network. Your sounds stay on your device.

Screenshots

Kinetic by folina1 screens
PolyQuad4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Kinetic by folina at $2.99 against PolyQuad's $4.99. Kinetic by folina also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). PolyQuad's advantage is ratings volume (3 vs 1). On rating, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Kinetic by folina costs $2.99 and PolyQuad $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Kinetic by folina against 5.0 for PolyQuad. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 3 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Kinetic by folina versus PolyQuad: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKinetic by folinaPolyQuad
Price$2.99 — better$4.99
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings)
Number of ratings13 — better
Update frequency—Every 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJeremy PhillipsLASZLO DOBROVOLSZKI

Customer experience

Kinetic by folina

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

PolyQuad

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Kinetic by folina

No in-app purchases

None

PolyQuad

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Kinetic by folina free?
Kinetic by folina costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is PolyQuad free?
PolyQuad costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Kinetic by folina or PolyQuad?
Kinetic by folina and PolyQuad are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 3 ratings respectively.
Do Kinetic by folina or PolyQuad have ads?
Neither Kinetic by folina nor PolyQuad shows ads.

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