Comparison

WretchUp vs SoundBow

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

Head to head
About

WretchUp

This app offers a unique audio manipulation experience, allowing users to create sonic mayhem with pitch-shifted delays, filters, and sampling. It's designed for live performance and studio use, enabling musicians and sound enthusiasts to generate wild noises and unique effects.

Highlights
  • Pitch-shifted delay with feedback and filter
  • Live performance-oriented controls
  • Gesture-based play
  • Record vocals and instruments
  • Sample and manipulate loops
  • Inter-App-Audio and Audiobus support
Features
Read full description

An effect instrument anyone can play - sonic anarchy in the palm of your hand. iOS Mars: "Barely controlled chaos“, "sonic extremes“, "well suited for live use“ Music App Blog: "if you like the occasional dose of sonic mayhem, then this is an app that will let you make it" WretchUp is the sonic instrument from the imagination of Mouse on Mars Instruments. Used by the duo in their live performances, it's a playable effect inspired by analog hardware. Sing into it, speak into it, plug in an instrument, sample sounds, and then make sonic mayhem. It's been tested in Mouse on Mars' live shows and used in studio albums. But now it's available to anyone - whether you're a musician wanting to create unique sounds or you just want to make some wild noises and frighten friends and enemies. // FEATURES - Pitch-shifted delay with feedback and filter - Unique controls, designed to be used in live performance and tested onstage - Play with gestures, even without looking closely at the screen - Record vocals or instruments from the built-in mic or another input - Sample loops and change their speed - Adjust the feedback loop, pitch, and filter for unique sounds - Make inputs by holding down your finger, or lock input for continuous sampling - Inter-App-Audio supported - Audiobus supported www.mouseonmars.com/mominstruments Features artwork by Rupert Smyth. Pure Data-based, open source patch created by Florian Grote and Peter Kirn with Mouse on Mars. App design by Oliver Greschke. Powered by free and open source software libpd. Note: like all mic-based effects, you need to enable microphone input. If you accidentally did not allow mic input, you can allow later via: Device settings, WretchUp, Data settings, Microphone, allow mic input.

About

SoundBow

Create music by drawing curves and gestural movements on a clean interface. Record your own sounds, build melodies, and export compositions as audio files. This app offers a unique, interactive approach to music production.

Highlights
  • Drawing-based music creation
  • Gesture-based sound manipulation
  • Record and use own sounds
  • Export compositions as audio
  • Rescale instrument elements
Features
Read full description

SoundBow is a drawing based music instrument with a clean and simple visual interface. You can create music by drawing curves over the screen with lines and gestural movements. Apart from drawing, you can rescale your instrument by moving graphical elements around. Record your own sounds through the microphone and start creating melodies, soundscapes with your own voice. If you wish, you can also export your composition as an audio file. "Touch-based mobile devices allowed interactive, gesture-based music production to hit the masses. So far, this type of musical creation hasn't exactly taken the world by storm. But SoundBow, a drawing-based musical instrument app, should shake things up a little bit with its clean, minimal visual interface and mesmerizing potential for complex, loop-based music production." - The Creators Project "Binaura bring their beautiful SoundBow app to iOS at last. It is a gorgeous instrument with huge possibilities for expression and creativity. I think that in many ways these are the kinds of apps that iOS was made for." - Palm Sounds SoundBow is made with free and open source tools. The interface is built with OpenFrameworks. The sound engine is made with SodaLib, a free Data Sonification Library built on top of libPd (Pure Data).

Screenshots

WretchUp3 screens
SoundBow2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: SoundBow at 4.7 against WretchUp's 3.1. SoundBow also leads on price ($1.99 vs $4.99). WretchUp's advantage is review sentiment (91% vs 63%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

WretchUp costs $4.99 and SoundBow $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SoundBow holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 13 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 91% of WretchUp's written reviews are positive against 63% of SoundBow's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

WretchUp ships an update every 3 weeks, SoundBow every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
WretchUp versus SoundBow: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWretchUpSoundBow
Price$4.99$1.99 — better
Rating3.1 (9 ratings)4.7 (13 ratings) — better
Positive reviews90.9% of reviews — better63.3% of reviews
Number of ratings913 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.011.0
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMoMinstruments GbRAgoston Nagy

Customer experience

WretchUp

All ratings9 ratings
Positive55.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative44.4%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive90.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative9.1%

SoundBow

All ratings13 ratings
Positive92.3%
Neutral7.7%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews30 reviews
Positive63.3%
Neutral13.3%
Negative23.3%

In-app purchases

None

WretchUp

No in-app purchases

None

SoundBow

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is WretchUp free?
WretchUp costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is SoundBow free?
SoundBow costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, WretchUp or SoundBow?
SoundBow is rated higher. WretchUp averages 3.1 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while SoundBow averages 4.7 from 13 ratings.
Do WretchUp or SoundBow have ads?
Neither WretchUp nor SoundBow shows ads.
Which is updated more often, WretchUp or SoundBow?
WretchUp ships an update every 3 weeks, and SoundBow every 2 months. Most recently, WretchUp was updated on October 3, 2026 and SoundBow on October 21, 2026.

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