Comparison

BAND BOY vs S

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

Head to head
About

BAND BOY

Enhance your instrument practice with a versatile tool that offers vocal, LR, and bass cuts for karaoke-style sessions. Adjust key and speed, integrate with other audio apps, and utilize various effects and recording capabilities.

Highlights
  • Vocal/LR/Bass Cut
  • Key and Speed Control
  • Inter App Audio Integration
  • Microphone/Guitar Input
  • Various Effectors
  • Recording Functionality
Features
Read full description

BAND BOY is the BEST tool for instrument practice with plenty of awesome features! BAND BOY will absolutely help you practice instruments in lots of ways. [VOCAL/LR/BASS CUT] Use Vocal Cut for a vocal practice like KARAOKE! Play a part of your favorite band with a guitar/piano-reduced sound by LR cut or a bass-reduced sound by Bass cut! [KEY/SPEED CONTROL] You can change the key and the speed. Control the key and the speed freely as you like for the practice! [INTER APP AUDIO] You can use effect applications of Inter App Audio such as "Amplitube". Moreover this application is available on other applications such as "Garage Band" as sound sources of Inter App Audio. [MICROPHONE(LINE) INPUT/VARIOUS EFFECTORS] Connect to a microphone or a guitar through an audio interface with a 3.5mm 4 pole plug!*2 Reverb, EQ etc. various effectors are available.*3 You can also switch effectors using "iReg Blueboard". (Please execute pairing of it and an iOS device by iRig Blueboard app, and change the setting to "CONTROL CHANGE MODE".) [RECORDING] Recording system is certainly equipped!*4 You can take out the recording file through iTunes. There are plenty of other useful functions on BAND BOY. Surely brings you a marvelous experience, download BAND BOY now! *1 Download add-on within the application. *2 Interfaces using a DOCK connector are not available. Internal microphone is effective when normal stereo earphones are connected. *3 To use more than two effectors at the same time, purchase "Release Effector Restriction". *4 To record longer than 20 seconds, purchase "Release Recording Time Restriction".

About

S

This app is a polyphonic synthesizer that works with specific hardware. It offers a variety of sound engines, filters, and effects for creating unique audio textures. Advanced modulation options and a flexible routing system allow for deep sound design.

Highlights
  • Dual engine slots per voice
  • Multiple sound flavors (analog, wavetable, FM, speech)
  • Classic and Modern filter modes
  • Advanced FX rack
  • Two free-routing LFOs
  • Unified mod matrix
  • Standalone, AU, and AUv3 formats
Features
Read full description

s-2 is a polyphonic synthesizer designed to work with the Roland AIRA Compact S-1. ENGINE Each voice runs two parallel engine slots that mix together. Pick a sound flavor per slot, including: • Classic analog — saw, square, sub, noise, pulse-width • Wavetable • FM • Speech • Chord • Plucked string FILTER AND FX Classic mode runs a vintage-style ladder filter into a simple Delay → Chorus → Reverb chain. Modern mode swaps in a multi-mode SVF (LP / BP / HP) followed by a 3-slot Advanced FX rack with Bitcrusher, Drive, Flanger, Phaser, Auto-Filter, Tape Delay, Plate Reverb and Chorus. MODULATION Two free-routing LFOs (sine / triangle / saw / square / random / noise, with optional clock-sync), a dedicated filter envelope with two destination slots, and a unified mod matrix dialog that visualizes every routing in one place. Click any knob in Learn mode to assign — no digging through menus. FORMATS • Standalone for iOS • Audio Unit (AU) for Logic Pro and other AU hosts • AUv3 plugin for iPad / iPhone in AUM, GarageBand, Cubasis and more - s-2 is an independent third-party application. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Roland Corporation. "Roland", "AIRA", "AIRA Compact", and "S-1" are trademarks of Roland Corporation, used here only to describe MIDI compatibility between this app and that hardware.

Screenshots

BAND BOY3 screens
S3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: BAND BOY at 50% against S's 0%. BAND BOY also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and iOS requirement (7.0 vs 16.0). S's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 5 months). On price, ads and device support 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. BAND BOY sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. S asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

BAND BOY holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of BAND BOY's written reviews are positive against 0% of S's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BAND BOY ships an update every 5 months, S every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
BAND BOY versus S: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBAND BOYS
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.5 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings14 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS7.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHiroaki IwaiMathias Kirkerød

Customer experience

BAND BOY

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

S

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

BAND BOY

One-time4
  • Release Effector Restrictions$0.99
  • Release Recording Time Restrictions$0.99
  • Release Advertisement$0.99
Show 1 more
  • Release All$1.99
None

S

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BAND BOY free?
BAND BOY is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is S free?
S is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, BAND BOY or S?
BAND BOY is rated higher. BAND BOY averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while S averages 4.5 from 4 ratings.
Do BAND BOY or S have ads?
Neither BAND BOY nor S shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BAND BOY or S?
BAND BOY ships an update every 5 months, and S every 6 weeks. Most recently, BAND BOY was updated on October 6, 2026 and S on October 12, 2026.

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