# PhaseRings vs Fishtail

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.

PhaseRings is free to download; Fishtail costs $14.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | PhaseRings | Fishtail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $14.99 |
| Rating | [4.4 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phaserings/id924795988/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fishtail/id6790423528/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **16** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Size | 6 MB | 26 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Charles Martin](https://appshunter.io/developer/560849533) | [AMY NICOLA MCBRIDE](https://appshunter.io/developer/6790423530) |

## What reviewers say

### PhaseRings

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phaserings/id924795988)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Fishtail

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fishtail/id6790423528)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked 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.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*