Comparison

ThreeTuring vs ihapiNES

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

Head to head
About

ThreeTuring

Create evolving musical sequences with a semi-modular groove box. This app offers a hands-on, hardware-like creative experience without complex menus. It features a dual oscillator monosynth, generative modules, and a modmatrix for extensive control.

Highlights
  • Evolving sequence construction
  • Dual oscillator monosynth
  • Generative modules
  • Turing machine sequencer
  • Modmatrix for modulation
  • Built-in effects
Features
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Construct evolving sequences. The creative experience of using a constrained hardware system rather than the lazy freedom of just being able to “add another module”. ThreeTuring lays out everything in front of you without the need to keep going back to the manual. No menu diving, no alternative pages and easy to pick up if you haven’t used it for a few weeks or months. Having fun making music. ThreeTuring consists of a dual oscillator monosynth, a clock module for generating trigger patterns alongside a collection of generative modules encompassing a range of modular generative techniques including a turing machine, random generators, LFOs, envelope generators, a quantiser, a note accent and a set of effects modules. Pretty much every control can be modulated via the nine slot modmatrix, including the modulation settings themselves.

About

ihapiNES

Create chiptune music with a pocket-sized groovebox. Emulates classic NES sounds with four tracks for bass, voices, and drums. Offers hands-on sequencing, performance effects, and MIDI input.

Highlights
  • Four-track sound engine (bass, 2 voices, drums)
  • Realistic NES emulation for authentic chip sounds
  • Hands-on sequencing with live recording
  • Performance effects like arpeggios and vibrato
  • Standalone app and AUv3 instrument
  • MIDI input for external control
  • Ableton Link for network jamming
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ihapiNES — Hardware roots. Pocket chiptunes. Built upon the original battery-powered Twisted Electrons hapiNES, ihapiNES brings the little hardware groovebox to your iPhone—built directly from its original firmware, with its distinctive chip sound and hands-on sequencing intact. Its sound engine draws on a realistic NES emulation core for more authentic triangle and pulse tones, bringing extra detail and character to that unmistakable NES sound. Triangle bass, two square-wave voices and a punchy drum track come together in a pocket-sized playground for melody and rhythm. Shape your sound with arpeggios, pulse-width tweaks and vibrato, then bring it to life with slides, swing and playful performance effects. Start with 16 factory grooves, from spacious melodies to busy chip jams. Write each track step by step, record notes live, or chain patterns and key changes into evolving arrangements. Build a beat, find a bassline and let the little square waves sing. Play standalone or load ihapiNES as an AUv3 instrument in your favourite host. Each plugin instance keeps its own patterns and sound settings, with optional host transport following and independent Run control. • Four tracks: triangle bass, two square voices and drums • 16 editable patterns with slides, swing and live recording • Pattern chaining and recorded key changes • Arpeggios, vibrato, pulse-width control and performance effects • Kick drums, snares, hats, toms, crashes and quirky effects • MIDI input: play the selected track or address each voice separately • Standalone app and AUv3 instrument, designed exclusively for iPhone • Floating-point mixing with extra headroom and warm volume-knob saturation • Tactile haptic feedback in standalone mode • Ableton Link for jamming with apps and devices on the same network • Life slider for live rhythmic variations without rewriting your patterns • Illustrated playing guide and printable cheat sheet Your little chip music machine—reborn for iPhone.

Screenshots

ThreeTuring1 screens
ihapiNES2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ThreeTuring at 5.0 against ihapiNES's 3.0. ThreeTuring also leads on device support (3 vs 1). ihapiNES's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $9.99). On ratings volume, 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

ThreeTuring costs $9.99 and ihapiNES $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ThreeTuring holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 2 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
ThreeTuring versus ihapiNES: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThreeTuringihapiNES
Price$9.99$2.99 — better
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better3.0 (2 ratings)
Number of ratings22
Update frequencyEvery 4 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPagefall limitedTwisted-Electrons

In-app purchases

None

ThreeTuring

No in-app purchases

None

ihapiNES

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ThreeTuring free?
ThreeTuring costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ihapiNES free?
ihapiNES costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ThreeTuring or ihapiNES?
ThreeTuring is rated higher. ThreeTuring averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while ihapiNES averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.
Do ThreeTuring or ihapiNES have ads?
Neither ThreeTuring nor ihapiNES shows ads.

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