Motion Synth vs Mazetools Soniface
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Motion Synth
This app turns your iPhone or iPod touch into a musical instrument. Play notes with touch and control sound with motion. It can be used standalone, with other iOS music apps, or even external hardware and laptop software.
- Play notes via touch
- Shape sound through motion
- Control in-app sounds
- Control other iOS music apps
- Control external hardware synths
- Control laptop audio/visual software
Read full descriptionHide full description
Music through motion: The AUUG Motion Synth transforms your iPhone or iPod touch into an expressive musical instrument that lets you play notes via touch and shape their sound through motion. Visit http://www.auug.com to see a demonstration video. Available here is the free version of the AUUG Motion Synth App, designed to allow users to easily experience motion-based music creation. Follow the in-app video tutorial to learn how to play the musical instrument sounds included with the app (See 'SETUP VIDEO' button). An upgraded version of the app is also available, and has been carefully designed to work with the AUUG Motion Synth Grip. Together, the Motion Synth App and Grip transform your iPhone or iPod touch into a practical and powerful musical instrument. Get yours here: http://www.auug.com/order/ ------ Play in-app sounds, iOS music apps (e.g. GarageBand), or laptop software through movement: The AUUG Motion Synth tracks your movements and screen touches to expressively play in-app musical sounds. The AUUG Motion Synth also allows you to play the sounds of other iOS music apps, giving you access to a vast array of sounds and effects. You can also play external devices like hardware synths or vocal harmonizers as well as control audio or visual software on a laptop (via WiFi or cabled connections). The Motion Synth app is also compatible with the Music IO app, allowing you to control your laptop software via your iPhone cable (Lightning). ------ Use the Motion Synth App by itself or with a Motion Synth Grip: The Motion Synth App has two modes: 1) Single-Key mode (free version): This Motion Synth App mode allows you to quickly engage with motion-based music control, and includes tutorial videos explaining how to use the in-app sounds. 2) Multi-Key mode (upgrade): This Motion Synth App mode is designed to work with the AUUG Motion Synth Grip: a physical holder that securely attaches your iPhone or iPod touch to your hand, thereby improving the dexterity and accuracy with which you can trigger notes via the touch screen.
Mazetools Soniface
Explore sound and music visually with a unique motion-controlled interface. Create and manipulate audio and visual elements using gestures, touch, and body tracking. Offers a modular approach to instruments and advanced automation for creative expression.
- Visual sound and music exploration
- Motion interface for gesture control
- Modular synth, sampler, and rhythm modules
- Generative Gridsynth synthesizer
- Advanced controller automation
- MIDI input/output and Ableton Link
Read full descriptionHide full description
Mazetools opens up a unique approach to music and creativity. It's about exploring sounds in a new way, experiencing them visually, changing them through gestures, coming across something in the process, a sound, a melody, a groove, a song... For the first time, we have integrated an interface that allows you to control sound through movement. This is done through the camera of your device and ML-based body recognition. It enables new musical experiences and shared creative moments. Mazetools are unique in their operation and complex in their own way. For some it's a welcome change, for others it's too crazy, for some it's just the right introduction to the world of sound. There are currently two Mazetools: Mutant and Soniface. Mutant is comparable to a loop machine and works with a defined number of instruments. It produces results quickly, but thanks to the Hypercube it offers the possibility to change everything with a swipe and to hear sounds that always surprise us. Soniface, on the other hand, is more modular when it comes to adding instruments. The settings of the synth, sampler and rhythm modules go into great detail. An important feature is the Gridsynth, an area of lines that correspond to a scale over several octaves. Automation plays a major role in Soniface: all instruments and their controllers can be controlled via LFOs, touch and camera-based body tracking. Key Features - Creative space to explore sound, music and geometric visuals - Experiment with audio and visual objects and create your own scenes - Operate controllers and play instruments via multitouch - Motion interface to control instruments and parameters through gestures, movements and dance - Cross-platform compatibility of project files - Simple design for mobile devices, complex (regular) design for tablets and desktops - Advanced in-app guide, FAQ & help function in English and German Instruments - Gridsynth - A generative, visual synthesizer for drones and melodies incl. sequencer & arpeggiator - Rhythm sequencer for sample- and synth-based basses and drums - Spatial & granular soundscape sampler incl. mic input, sample library and file integration - Key interface for cross-instrument tonality incl. progression sequencer - Interactive LivePad and keyboard for Gridsynth, Bass & Sampler Automation & Connectivity - Advanced controller automation incl. multi-touch editor, body tracking interface - MIDI input and output - Master FX and Ableton Link - Audiobus & Inter-App Audio (experimental support) - Normal mouse and keyboard support Mazetools Soniface is free worldwide and without advertising. You can support our work, our vision and all Soniface users by purchasing Soniface Pro, which includes additionally: - Unlimited instruments (Mazes) - Pattern mode to create unlimited scenes for songs and performances - Visual mode with Airplay live video output for performance & VJing - Unlimited internal audio recording (.wav, up to 7.1 on desktop). We do our best to avoid bugs. So feel free to write us bugs and problems. Much more content, terms of use, credits and FAQ are in the app's guide. About Mazetools We are Stephan and Jakob, when we were 13 in 1999, we exchanged our first beat loops on floppy disks and wrote raps on them. Today we are still fascinated by sound, release our music and realize multimedia performances. You can find more information on Ectoplastic.com. With this background, we share a lot of practical experience with Mazetools, from generative sound & visual patches to the development of multi-touch & motion tracking interfaces and VR sound development. We use this technological core to empower creativity, make musical expression inclusive and thus democratize electronic music. We are still within this process, but there is a lot of potential! We invite you to join us. Every purchase directly supports, every positive review, post and constructive feedback. Thank you very much!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Mazetools Soniface at 4.5 against Motion Synth's 3.5. Mazetools Soniface also leads on update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 4 months). Motion Synth's advantage is review sentiment (73% vs 60%) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 14.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Mazetools Soniface holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 40 and 25 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 73% of Motion Synth's written reviews are positive against 60% of Mazetools Soniface's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Motion Synth ships an update every 4 months, Mazetools Soniface every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Motion Synth | Mazetools Soniface |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (40 ratings) | 4.5 (25 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 73.3% of reviews — better | 60.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 40 — better | 25 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 14.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 48 MB | 478 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | AUUG | Ectoplastic |
Customer experience
Motion Synth
Mazetools Soniface
In-app purchases
Motion Synth
No in-app purchases
Mazetools Soniface
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Motion Synth free?
Is Mazetools Soniface free?
Which has better reviews, Motion Synth or Mazetools Soniface?
Do Motion Synth or Mazetools Soniface have ads?
Which is updated more often, Motion Synth or Mazetools Soniface?
Other comparisons















