Comparison

PhaseRings vs StringVest

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

Head to head
About

PhaseRings

Create expressive music with intuitive touch gestures. Explore various sound schemes and generative composition tools to craft unique musical pieces. Supports MIDI and Audiobus for advanced integration.

Highlights
  • Expressive touch gesture music creation
  • Seven unique sound schemes
  • Generative composition engine
  • Customizable pitch compositions
  • Core MIDI support
  • AudioBus and Inter-App Audio support
Features
Read full description

PhaseRings is a musical instrument for performing expressive music with touch gestures. Anyone can create a beautiful piece of music with our sound schemes and generative composition engine! Each ring on the screen represents a different pitch, and you can tap and swirl on each ring to create combinations of long and short notes. The angle and size of your tap will change the timbre of the notes you create! New in version 3.0, PhaseRings is also an AUv3 Audio Unit plugin. Load it as an instrument in hosts like AUM, GarageBand, Logic Pro for iPad, and Cubasis — play the rings inside your host, run several instances at once, drive it from MIDI tracks, and record it through your host's effects. PhaseRings includes seven expressive "sound schemes" featuring percussive sounds like marimba and singing bowls as well as pure synth sounds like phase and string synthesis. Four "compositions" of pitches are included in the app, but you can also create your own custom composition by choosing three base notes and scales. PhaseRings will do the rest, generating a series of great setups from the harmony you choose! Features: - AUv3 Audio Unit instrument for AUM, GarageBand, Logic Pro, Cubasis, and other hosts - 7 sound schemes - 4 built-in compositions - Custom generative composition - 11 scales and modes - Core MIDI in and out for iOS MIDI accessories and MIDI-enabled apps - VoiceOver support and light/dark appearance

About

StringVest

Features
Read full description

An electronic music groovebox for your iPad or iPhone, that has everything you need to make a track in one app, all tied together in time and in key. 3 instruments to get you rocking with saveable session states so you can come back and start where you left off. 1. A classic take on the 303 bassline synth, with its own generative sequencer and drive control to get super squelchy 2. A great sounding Karplus Strong physical modelling synth, that goes from bass guitar, up to singing leads 3. A Cutdown 808 and Linn drum sounding drum machine, with preset patterns to get you going without any fuss A built in tape recorder to record your jam Mixer with built in dub delay when you want things to get a bit spacey! All functions exposed to midi learn, so you can control via a midi controller, plus midi in and out for the 3 instruments.

Screenshots

PhaseRings3 screens
StringVest3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: PhaseRings at Free against StringVest's $0.99. StringVest's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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

PhaseRings is free to download; StringVest costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PhaseRings ships an update every 5 months, StringVest every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
PhaseRings versus StringVest: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhaseRingsStringVest
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating4.4 (16 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings16 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCharles MartinPhilip Vincent

In-app purchases

None

PhaseRings

No in-app purchases

None

StringVest

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PhaseRings free?
PhaseRings is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is StringVest free?
StringVest costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do PhaseRings or StringVest have ads?
Neither PhaseRings nor StringVest shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PhaseRings or StringVest?
PhaseRings ships an update every 5 months, and StringVest every 2 months. Most recently, PhaseRings was updated on October 15, 2026 and StringVest on October 19, 2026.

Other comparisons