Comparison

Gelato Synth vs SwaySynth

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

Head to head
About

Gelato Synth

This music creation app offers a user-friendly synthesizer experience, ensuring every note played is in key. Explore various scales, play chords easily, and record layered musical ideas with built-in effects and editing tools.

Highlights
  • Play in key with automatic scale reconstruction
  • FM synthesis with two oscillators
  • Chord mode for easy chord playing
  • Multi-track recording and looping
  • Save and manage custom sounds
  • Built-in effects and filters
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

About

SwaySynth

Features
Read full description

Turn your iPhone or iPad into an instrument you can move. Hold the on-screen keys, then lift your device for volume, roll it for texture, and flick left or right to bend held notes. Pads and choirs let you build chords; lead sounds give you an expressive melodic voice. FULL SWAYSYNTH • Eight synth sounds: Warm Pad, Glass Pad, Air Pad, Choir Aah, Choir Ooh, Soft Lead, Saw Lead and Square Lead. • Motion volume, texture and pitch gestures. • Adjustable motion response, calibration and texture range. • A keyboard range bar from C1 to B7, with portrait and landscape layouts. • Native layouts for iPhone and iPad, including portrait, landscape and resizable iPad windows. Use AUTO / LOCK to keep your playing orientation when the system allows it. FREE BASIC KEYBOARD Play the piano, flute and cello sounds with touch. Basic mode uses fixed tone and volume, without phone motion or texture controls. TRY FIRST, BUY ONCE Start the free full-feature trial when you are ready. It lasts two continuous hours from confirmation with Apple, including time while the app is closed. When it ends, the basic keyboard stays available. Synth sounds, phone motion and texture require the one-time full unlock. There is no subscription and no automatic charge. The purchase screen shows your local App Store price. Restore Purchases restores an existing full unlock with the same Apple Account. Audio is generated on your phone. No microphone, account or advertising is required. Motion gestures require your device’s motion sensors. iPad uses its full available window. The keyboard keeps one octave in portrait and two in landscape. Privacy: https://swaysynth.com/privacy.html Support: https://swaysynth.com/support.html Terms: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Gelato Synth4 screens
SwaySynth3 screens

Verdict

The call

Gelato Synth and SwaySynth are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Gelato Synth sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and SwaySynth sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Gelato Synth ships an update every 5 days, SwaySynth every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 13, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Gelato Synth versus SwaySynth: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGelato SynthSwaySynth
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (2 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 8 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB32 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCerrone LLCPanlab Limited

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Gelato Synth

One-time1
  • Full Gelato Synth$4.99
2 purchases

SwaySynth

One-time2
  • 2-hour TrialFree
  • Full SwaySynth$4.99

Questions

Is Gelato Synth free?
Gelato Synth is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SwaySynth free?
SwaySynth is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Gelato Synth or SwaySynth have ads?
Neither Gelato Synth nor SwaySynth shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Gelato Synth or SwaySynth?
Gelato Synth ships an update every 5 days, and SwaySynth every 8 days. Most recently, Gelato Synth was updated on November 10, 2026 and SwaySynth on November 13, 2026.

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