Comparison

e vs Relic Flow

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

Head to head
About

e

Create retro-style music with a sampling keyboard featuring tempo-based looping. Record, manipulate, and play back samples with various effects and flexible playback modes. Integrate with other audio apps and control parameters via MIDI.

Highlights
  • Retro sampling keyboard
  • Tempo-based looping
  • Reverb, bit crusher, resonant filter
  • Multiple loop and start/stop modes
  • MIDI control and Core MIDI support
  • AUv3, Audiobus, Inter App Audio integration
Features
Read full description

Elsa is a retro style sampling keyboard with tempo based looping. Record, save, load, reverse samples with a multi octave on screen keyboard or plug in your core midi device of choice, soft- or hardware. Elsa comes with three built in effects, a reverb, a resonant filter and a sample rate/bit crusher. Samples are looped in three different modes, one off, forward and/or forward-reverse. The start and end of playback also comes in three modes, one set of start and stop for all, one set per note and/or one set per octave, allowing for many different types of samples. Additionally at playback time, sample length can also be controlled by a set of sample dividers, 1-8. Elsa supports connections with AudioCopy, AudioBus, Inter App Audio and AUv3. Plus all audio parameters can be modulated by MIDI. +++ Sample keyboard +++ Tempo based looping +++ ADSR +++ Bit/sample crush +++ Reverb +++ Resonant filter: low, band or high pass +++ Record, trim, normalise, reverse, zoom +++ Chromatic and scale keyboard +++ 3 loop modes (one off, forward, forward-reverse) +++ 3 start/stop modes (one for all, one per note, one per octave) +++ Playback length dividers (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8) +++ Arpeggiator +++ Presets: save/load settings +++ Audio connections: AUv3, Audiobus, Inter App Audio +++ Midi: Core Midi, Bluetooth Midi, AUv3 Midi +++ Ableton Link

About

Relic Flow

Generate unique Lo-Fi rhythms, noise patterns, and drum loops using advanced synthesis algorithms. Explore billions of sound samples with intuitive controls and real-time audio recording. Perfect for musicians and sound designers seeking endless creative possibilities.

Highlights
  • Lo-Fi rhythm and drum loop generation
  • Billions of unique sound samples
  • Real-time audio recording to WAV
  • Multiple input methods (on-screen, PC keyboard, MIDI)
  • Export to WAV, SunVox, and text clipboard
  • iOS Audio Unit Extension (AUv3) support
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Relic Flow is a generator of Lo-Fi rhythms, noise patterns and drum loops based on unique synthesis algorithms from NightRadio. More than 4 billion samples from the depths of the Mathematical Universe! Features: * search for new sounds with three buttons: next random set, edit code, previous set; each set of 12 sounds corresponds to a code of 8 characters; * three types of keyboards for live performing: on-screen buttons, PC keyboard, MIDI input; * several processing parameters + control via MIDI; * real-time audio recording to WAV (32-bit); * export to: WAV (one file or a set), SunVox (samples + effects in one file), text clipboard; * the LCK button freezes individual samples - they will not change during the search for new sets; * iOS Audio Unit Extension (AUv3). Double clicking on a parameter opens a window for setting the exact value. If you enable the Hold option, the notes will play endlessly, without reacting to key release (noteOff) events; turning the note on again works like turning it off; there are two ways to enable this option: 1) using the Hold parameter in the "MIDI Mapping" window; 2) by pressing the HOLD button, which appears in place of LCK while playing the musical keyboard: press HOLD, release the desired notes - then the released notes will continue to play.

Screenshots

e4 screens
Relic Flow2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: e at every 3 weeks against Relic Flow's every 17 months. Relic Flow's advantage is price ($1.99 vs $5.99) and chart position (#198 vs unranked). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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

e costs $5.99 and Relic Flow $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for e against 4.8 for Relic Flow. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 31 and 26 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 87% of e's written reviews are positive against 93% of Relic Flow's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

e ships an update every 3 weeks, Relic Flow every 17 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
e versus Relic Flow: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametereRelic Flow
Price$5.99$1.99 — better
Rating4.9 (31 ratings) — better4.8 (26 ratings)
Positive reviews87.1% of reviews93.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings31 — better26
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 17 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank—#198 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size43 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperErik SigthAlexander Zolotov

Customer experience

e

All ratings31 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews31 reviews
Positive87.1%
Neutral12.9%
Negative0.0%

Relic Flow

All ratings26 ratings
Positive96.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative3.8%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive93.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.7%

In-app purchases

None

e

No in-app purchases

None

Relic Flow

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is e free?
e costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Relic Flow free?
Relic Flow costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, e or Relic Flow?
e is rated higher. e averages 4.9 out of 5 from 31 ratings, while Relic Flow averages 4.8 from 26 ratings.
Do e or Relic Flow have ads?
Neither e nor Relic Flow shows ads.
Which is updated more often, e or Relic Flow?
e ships an update every 3 weeks, and Relic Flow every 17 months. Most recently, e was updated on September 22, 2026 and Relic Flow on September 17, 2026.

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