Comparison

MS vs Gelato Synth

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

Head to head
About

MS

Create music with a 12-bit sampler and step sequencer. Record audio, manipulate its sound with a vintage digital character, and arrange it into songs. Unlock full features with a one-time purchase.

Highlights
  • 16-pad sampler and step sequencer
  • Record and edit audio with 12-bit character
  • Adjustable sample rate and bit depth
  • Real-time sequencing with velocity and tune
  • 13 built-in effects
  • Song mode for arranging patterns
  • Export to WAV
Features
Read full description

MS-12 is a 16-pad sampler and step sequencer built around the sound of classic 12-bit hardware. Sample anything through the microphone, trim it, and play it straight from the pads. The sample rate and bit depth engine gives you the gritty, saturated character early digital samplers were loved for — not a filter placed on top, but the sound of the conversion itself. SAMPLING • Record from the built-in mic, a USB or Lightning interface, or line input • Resample the app's own output to bounce layers down • Threshold recording starts the moment sound arrives • Stereo or mono (L/R) capture SOUND • Adjustable sample rate (8–44.1 kHz) and bit depth (4–32 bit) • Presets for classic 12-bit voicings • Ring modulator, compressor, punch and saturation per pad EDITING • Trim, fade in and out, normalize, reverse, gain, silence • Time stretch • Auto slice by transient detection, or set slice points live with the pads • Split a stereo sample into separate mono left and right samples SEQUENCER • Step sequencer with velocity and tune per step • Real-time recording with selectable quantize • Up to 4 bars per pattern • Note Repeat • Song Mode chains patterns into a full track PLAYBACK AND MIXING • Volume and pan per pad, mute and solo • Mute groups so pads cut each other off, like a real drum machine • Pad Link to trigger several pads at once • Multi Level and Multi Pitch to spread one sample across the grid • 13 effects: tape echo, delay, reverb, chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo/pan, distortion, overdrive, fuzz, wah, isolator and a 4-band EQ EXPORT • Bounce a pattern to a WAV file • Save projects on the device and reopen them later FREE VERSION MS-12 is free to try, and the sound engine is not held back — nothing about the audio is degraded in the free version. You get Bank A (16 pads), one 1-bar pattern, two effects, and microphone sampling up to 10 seconds per pad. A single one-time purchase unlocks everything: all four banks (64 pads), unlimited patterns up to 4 bars, Song Mode, all 13 effects, unlimited sampling time, loading your own audio files, project save and load, and WAV export. Anything you made before buying carries straight over. No subscription. No ads. No account required.

About

Gelato Synth

This music creation app makes it easy to play and compose, ensuring every note is in key. Explore a variety of sounds, play chords with a single tap, and record your musical ideas with multi-layer looping.

Highlights
  • Play in key with automatic scale and chord adjustments
  • FM synthesis with two oscillators, LFO, and effects
  • Chord mode for one-finger chord playing
  • Multi-track looping recorder
  • Customizable sound library
  • Import custom drum hits
Read full description

Gelato Synth is a chunky, friendly synthesizer for iPhone. Pick a sound, tap the big pads, and it sounds good straight away, because every note is already in key. NEVER PLAY A WRONG NOTE Choose a key and a scale and the pads rebuild themselves. Every button is a note that fits. Slide across them, hold them, stack them. You cannot hit a clunker. MAKE A SOUND THAT IS YOURS Real FM synthesis with two oscillators, noise, an envelope, a filter, an LFO and effects, all on big sliders you can understand. Watch the wave change on the scope as you move them. Start from one of 52 sounds or from a blank slate. PLAY CHORDS WITH A BUTTON Switch to Chords and the pads become the chords of your key: triads, sevenths, ninths, sus and power chords. Whole chords under every finger. RECORD YOUR IDEA Tap record for a quick take, or set a tempo and a beat and loop it. Add another layer on top with +1, up to eight, each with its own sound. Mute, balance and share the mix. BUILD YOUR LIBRARY Save the sounds you make into My Sounds and they are there next time. Drop your own drum hits into the Files app and the beats use them. WHAT IS FREE Notes mode with every scale, a handful of sounds in each category with all the sliders, and quick record. THE FULL LIBRARY One purchase, yours forever: chord buttons, every sound, the loop recorder with beats and layers, and saving your own sounds. No subscription, no ads, no account. Gelato Synth is made by a tiny team who wanted a synth their friends could pick up without a manual. Questions and ideas: hello@gelatoaudio.com

Screenshots

MS4 screens
Gelato Synth4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MS at none against Gelato Synth's 1. On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Gelato Synth sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. MS asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for MS against 5.0 for Gelato Synth. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MS ships an update every 3 days, Gelato Synth every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
MS versus Gelato Synth: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMSGelato Synth
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 4 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developeryuji yoshieCerrone LLC

In-app purchases

None

MS

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Gelato Synth

One-time1
  • Full Gelato Synth$4.99

Questions

Is MS free?
MS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Gelato Synth free?
Gelato Synth is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, MS or Gelato Synth?
MS and Gelato Synth are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do MS or Gelato Synth have ads?
Neither MS nor Gelato Synth shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MS or Gelato Synth?
MS ships an update every 3 days, and Gelato Synth every 4 days. Most recently, MS was updated on October 31, 2026 and Gelato Synth on October 31, 2026.

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