Comparison

PhaseRings vs Fishtail

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

Fishtail

This app generates complete musical forms using algorithmic composition based on music theory. Users can shape, perform, and rearrange these compositions, routing seven musical channels to their chosen instruments via MIDI. It offers extensive control over keys, modes, and expressive elements.

Highlights
  • Algorithmic music generation
  • Multi-section compositions
  • Seven-channel MIDI output
  • Retain, reorder, and perform Takes
  • Multiple intonation systems
  • AUv3 MIDI plug-in support
  • Ableton Link integration
Features
Read full description

Fishtail is a generative MIDI instrument for iPhone and iPad. It composes complete musical forms, then lets you shape, perform, retain and rearrange them! Fishtail does not use AI to generate music. Its musical output is created through algorhythmic generation grounded in musical theory. Build pieces from sections with independent keys, modes, meters, cadences and expressive treatments. Generate distinct Takes, compare them, reorder them and hand the next Take over at a natural whole-piece boundary. Fishtail produces MIDI rather than sound. Use it standalone or as an AUv3 MIDI plug-in, and route its seven musical channels to the instruments you choose. Ableton Link supports shared tempo and transport. Features: • Complete multi-section generative compositions • Seven-channel MIDI output • Retain, reorder and perform Takes • Seven intonation systems • Normal MIDI, pitch-bend and MPE output • MTS output • Ableton Link • .fishtail project save and recall • Standard MIDI and per-channel export • Experimental analogue CV file packages • Accessible light and dark interfaces No account, advertising, analytics or tracking. Tested in AUM

Screenshots

PhaseRings3 screens
Fishtail3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: PhaseRings at Free against Fishtail's $14.99. PhaseRings also leads on ratings volume (16 vs 3). Fishtail's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.4) and update cadence (every 2 days 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; Fishtail costs $14.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Fishtail holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PhaseRings has 16 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of PhaseRings's written reviews are positive against 100% of Fishtail's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PhaseRings ships an update every 5 months, Fishtail every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
PhaseRings versus Fishtail: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhaseRingsFishtail
PriceFree — better$14.99
Rating4.4 (16 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings16 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB26 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCharles MartinAMY NICOLA MCBRIDE

Customer experience

PhaseRings

All ratings12 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral8.3%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews20 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral5.0%
Negative15.0%

Fishtail

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

PhaseRings

No in-app purchases

None

Fishtail

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PhaseRings free?
PhaseRings is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Fishtail free?
Fishtail costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PhaseRings or Fishtail?
Fishtail is rated higher. PhaseRings averages 4.4 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while Fishtail averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do PhaseRings or Fishtail have ads?
Neither PhaseRings nor Fishtail shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PhaseRings or Fishtail?
PhaseRings ships an update every 5 months, and Fishtail every 2 days. Most recently, PhaseRings was updated on September 30, 2026 and Fishtail on October 1, 2026.

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