Comparison

Blackdove Video Art vs The Sorting Synth

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

Head to head
About

Blackdove Video Art

Stream a curated collection of digital video art directly to your home or office. Build personalized collections and enjoy a vast library of works from numerous artists. Experience video art risk-free with a 7-day free trial.

Highlights
  • Stream video art to your TV
  • Build personalized art collections
  • Access over 3,000 artworks
  • Supports ApplePlay and Chromecast
  • Dedicated TV apps available
  • 7-day free trial
Features
Read full description

Blackdove delivers the most compelling digital video artists to your home or office environment. Build Collections and stream the art to your television using either the TV apps downloadable to your television or the Chromecast and ApplePlay tools built into the mobile app. When you register with the mobile app you get an immediate 7-day free trial. We recommend downloading our television apps for AppleTV, Sony, Samsung, LG, Vizio, and Amazon Fire to get the best experience. Smart television apps include a free featured collection once downloaded. Blackdove pays 50% of all revenue generated to artists in the form of royalties. The most popular artworks in the platform get paid their increased share. When you are ready to unlock the entire library of content, currently over 3,000 works from 350+ artists you can subscribe for a $4.99 monthly fee. Any support questions please email us at support@blackdove.com Welcome to Blackdove. Additional Details: - Blackdove is a monthly renewing $4.99 monthly subscription managed from within the App Store - Everyone gets a free trial, so experience the wonderful world of video art without risk. - Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Manage Subscriptions page - No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period - Privacy Policy: https://blackdove.gitbook.io/legal-agreements/privacy-policy - Terms of Use: https://blackdove.gitbook.io/legal-agreements/collector-terms-and-conditions - Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication. - If you have any questions please email us at support@blackdove.com

About

The Sorting Synth

This app offers a creative outlet for generating unique musical patterns and textures. Inspired by vintage synthesizers, it allows for endless sonic exploration with configurable settings and effects. It's perfect for both casual time-passing and serious music composition.

Highlights
  • Vintage synthesizer design
  • Configurable settings
  • Built-in effects
  • Speed controls
  • Vast pattern possibilities
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

The simple joys in life are fun for the sake of fun, while sparking your creativity and letting the chaos sort itself out. The Sorting Synth embodies that philosophy. You can mindlessly pass the time or use it as an instrument to add colorful melodies and textures to your music.  Features include: - Design inspired by 1970's synthesizers - Configurable settings - Effects - Speed Controls - 11,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 unique patterns possible (1.1 x 10^21) - No internet required after install Happy Sorting!

Screenshots

Blackdove Video Art4 screens
The Sorting Synth2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Blackdove Video Art at Free against The Sorting Synth's $2.99. Blackdove Video Art also leads on update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 18 months) and ratings volume (25 vs 5). The Sorting Synth's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 3.5) and in-app purchases (none vs 19). On ads 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

Blackdove Video Art is free to download; The Sorting Synth costs $2.99 up front. Blackdove Video Art sells 19 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. The Sorting Synth asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

The Sorting Synth holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Blackdove Video Art has 25 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 41% of Blackdove Video Art's written reviews are positive against 50% of The Sorting Synth's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Blackdove Video Art ships an update every 6 weeks, The Sorting Synth every 18 months. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Blackdove Video Art versus The Sorting Synth: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBlackdove Video ArtThe Sorting Synth
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating3.5 (25 ratings)4.8 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews40.5% of reviews50.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings25 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 18 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionPaid — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBlackdove IncKelly Mylett

Customer experience

Blackdove Video Art

All ratings25 ratings
Positive56.0%
Neutral12.0%
Negative32.0%
Written reviews37 reviews
Positive40.5%
Neutral10.8%
Negative48.6%

The Sorting Synth

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

19 purchases

Blackdove Video Art

Subscriptions5
  • Blackdove Monthly Subscription$4.991 Month
  • Blackdove Open Monthly Subscription1 Month trial$4.991 Month
  • Blackdove Curated Monthly Subscription$19.991 Month
Show 2 more
  • Blackdove Yearly Subscription$79.991 Year
  • Blackdove Monthly Subscription$99.991 Month
One-time14
  • $1.99 Blackdove Video$1.99
  • $9.99 Blackdove Video$9.99
  • $14.99 Blackdove Video$14.99
Show 11 more
  • $19.99 Blackdove Video$19.99
  • $24.99 Blackdove Video$24.99
  • $29.99 Blackdove Video$29.99
  • $39.99 Blackdove Video$39.99
  • $44.99 Blackdove Video$44.99
  • $79.99 Blackdove Video$79.99
  • $59.99 Blackdove Video$99.99
  • $99.99 Blackdove Video$99.99
  • $149.99 Blackdove Video$149.99
  • $199.99 Blackdove Video$199.99
  • $999.99 Blackdove Video$999.99
None

The Sorting Synth

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Blackdove Video Art free?
Blackdove Video Art is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Sorting Synth free?
The Sorting Synth costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Blackdove Video Art or The Sorting Synth?
The Sorting Synth is rated higher. Blackdove Video Art averages 3.5 out of 5 from 25 ratings, while The Sorting Synth averages 4.8 from 5 ratings.
Do Blackdove Video Art or The Sorting Synth have ads?
Neither Blackdove Video Art nor The Sorting Synth shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Blackdove Video Art or The Sorting Synth?
Blackdove Video Art ships an update every 6 weeks, and The Sorting Synth every 18 months. Most recently, Blackdove Video Art was updated on September 17, 2026 and The Sorting Synth on September 8, 2026.

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