KAGARIBI vs Pixelsynth
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
KAGARIBI
This music creation tool allows users to shape and understand sound with a powerful synthesizer and an integrated sound anatomy feature. It offers extensive sound design capabilities, MIDI support, and advanced tuning options for both standalone use and as an AUv3 instrument.
- Dual oscillators with analog waveforms and wavetables
- Extensive modulation matrix and effects suite
- Integrated Sound Anatomy for sound explanation
- Support for MPE and MIDI 2.0
- Advanced tuning systems beyond 12-TET
- Offline WAV export
- Live Safe mode for reduced audio dropouts
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Play a sound. Shape it. Understand why it sounds that way. KAGARIBI is a free synthesizer for iPhone and iPad with no ads, tracking, account, or network connection required. Play it standalone or load it as an AUv3 instrument. CREATE YOUR SOUND • Two oscillators with analog waveforms and six wavetable families • Up to seven-voice unison, FM, ring modulation, and hard sync • Six filter types, three envelopes, two LFOs, and an eight-slot modulation matrix • Drive, phaser, chorus, delay, reverb, compressor, and limiter • Arpeggiator and four performance macros UNDERSTAND IT — SOUND ANATOMY Sound Anatomy reads the patch you are playing and explains why it sounds the way it does. Connect what you hear to unison, filters, envelopes, LFOs, effects, and more—without leaving the instrument. PLAY AND PRODUCE • 30 factory presets • Multitouch keyboard, Hold, and Arpeggiator • MPE and MIDI 2.0, plus USB and Bluetooth MIDI input • AUv3 host automation for 95 parameters • One preset library shared between the app and AUv3 • A/B comparison, search, favorites, and a recoverable trash • Offline 48 kHz / 24-bit WAV export BEYOND 12-TET Explore 16 included tunings—from just intonation and Pythagorean to Japanese scales, 19/24/31-EDO, and Bohlen–Pierce. Import Scala .scl and .kbm files and set reference pitch from A=415 to 466 Hz. READY FOR LIVE PLAY Live Safe watches real-time processing headroom and adjusts the voice limit when needed to reduce the risk of audio dropouts. Choose Studio or Offline HQ when the session calls for more detail. Your data stays on your device. KAGARIBI includes no third-party ad SDKs, tracking, or network transmission.
Pixelsynth
This app transforms musical input into a vibrant visual experience, allowing users to see and shape their sound in real-time. It offers a playful and immediate way to create music, with all controls and feedback displayed on a single screen. Designed by a Deaf musician, it prioritizes visual feedback as an integral part of the instrument.
- Real-time visual sound shaping
- Interactive 16-pad grid
- Adjustable waveforms, filters, and envelopes
- LFO, delay, and reverb effects
- AUv3 instrument compatibility
- Offline functionality
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Make a sound in seconds—and shape it while it plays. Pixelsynth turns taps, drags, melodies, and chords into a colorful instrument you can understand by watching it. Everything you play lives on one screen. Touch a note and start exploring. FROM THE DEVELOPER OF PIXELBOOP Pixelsynth is a new visual instrument from the maker of Pixelboop. Both apps share a love of playful grids, immediate feedback, and musical ideas that begin with one touch. PLAY FIRST. LEARN BY WATCHING. Sixteen pads invite you to find a melody, hold a chord, or strum across the screen. Notes light up as you play, and every sound control moves in front of you. You can see what each gesture is doing while you hear the result. SHAPE THE SOUND LIVE • Switch waveforms to change the character of your sound. • Sweep the filter from bright and open to soft and focused. • Shape attack, decay, sustain, and release for crisp plucks, swelling notes, and long tails. • Add motion with LFO, repeating echoes with delay, and depth with reverb. Each control is a colorful tank. Touch higher or lower inside it to set the value directly. Values in the upper half stay where you leave them; notes in the lower half drain away after you lift. It feels immediate because the picture and the sound follow the same gesture. MADE TO BE SEEN Created by a Deaf musician, Pixelsynth treats visual feedback as part of the instrument. The entire musical surface is drawn on a 40 by 24 pixel grid—just 960 pixels—so every control stays visible and every change has a visual response. PLAY IT YOUR WAY Open Pixelsynth as a standalone instrument on iPhone or iPad, or load the included AUv3 instrument in a compatible iOS music host. Your host can send MIDI notes and save the instrument state with your project. A compatible host is available separately. FREE TO EXPLORE No account. No in-app purchases. No third-party ads. The instrument works offline. The standalone app may occasionally show developer news or an introduction to Pixelboop, which you can close immediately. Pixelsynth does not track you or collect the music you play. Open it. Touch a note. See where it takes you.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Pixelsynth at 5.0 against KAGARIBI's 4.5. KAGARIBI's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 9 days). On price, ratings volume, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Pixelsynth holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 3 respectively.
KAGARIBI ships an update every 2 days, Pixelsynth every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | KAGARIBI | Pixelsynth |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (4 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days — better | Every 9 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Code and DESIGN inc. | de Bastion, Inc |
Customer experience
KAGARIBI
Pixelsynth
In-app purchases
KAGARIBI
No in-app purchases
Pixelsynth
No in-app purchases









