TC vs Aparillo
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
TC
Experience unique sound synthesis through intuitive multi-touch gestures. This app offers a button-free performance environment where your touch movements generate all sounds. Discover diverse sonic landscapes and control instruments with taps, pulls, and stretches.
- Multi-touch performance environment
- Gesture-based sound generation
- No buttons, keys, or sliders
- Downloadable patch packs
- Transposition for key changes
- Audiobus compatibility
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Explore unreal synthesis with the most unique performance control on iOS! TC-Performer presents a multi-touch performance environment unlike any other synthesizer. Simply touch the screen; there are no buttons, keys, or sliders to hit. The sounds are generated entirely by your touch movements. Each patch has a unique method of control. Pull, tap, drag, twist, and stretch your touches on the screen. There is no wrong way to play! Every instrument is a new landscape of sound creation. Pads, leads, effects, and indescribable oddities await. You can download more patches in packs inside the app. There is also a transposition section available to change the key of the patch to fit your song, and Audiobus compatibility to record via inter-app audio. Start exploring touch synthesis with TC-Performer!
Aparillo
This advanced FM synthesizer is designed for creating complex, evolving soundscapes and atmospheres ideal for film, TV, and games. It offers deep sound design capabilities with two interacting synthesizers, integrated effects, and an intuitive 'mass-controller' for one-touch sound morphing. Seamlessly integrate it into your mobile studio setup with extensive MIDI and syncing options.
- 16-voice FM Synthesizer
- Formant Shifting, Wave Folding & Shifting
- Multi-Mode Filter with Spacializer
- Orbiter for one-touch Sound Morphing
- 500 handpicked Presets
- Full MIDI Support
- Preset iCloud Sync
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The Cinematic Machine Aparillo is an advanced 16 voice FM synth tailored for complex sound structures , majestic motions, moving and evolving soundscapes and atmospheres that are perfect for film, TV or games. It‘s not limited to the conventional fm sounds but also delivers a huge range of styles from basses to brasses, pads to leads to even percussion. ••• SYNTH ••• It is based on two interacting FM Synthesizers capable of forming the most complex timbres. A clever arrangement of synthesis, wave shaping, filtering, FX and modulation unfolds into a serious sound design tool for epic sonic creation. Aparillo uses many parameters that can be modulated for individual adjustments PER voice. Each of the sixteen voices interact with almost two dozen targets in a variety of ways for a continuous transformation and to create endless rhythms and melodic progressions. ••• FX ••• The integrated effects include a free-signalflow Filter/Spacial Comb device, a polyphonic Auto Pan with multiple waveforms, the obligatory Delay, our finest Reverb algorithm, and a Sugar Bytes innovation, the Spacializer. This is a very special breed of delay based effect, which can work as a delay, reverb or tuned comb filter and can add room, plucked strings or even pinged percussion to your sound. ••• ORBITER ••• The superstar of Aparillo is the Orbiter, an instinctual "mass-controller" you move through Aparillo's endless sonic universes for one-touch sound morphing. That finally gives you unlimited control over new grounds of sound manipulation. Aparillo for iPad will seamlessly integrate with your mobile studio setup. We built in MIDI support (Virtual, Network, External, Bluetooth), Audio Unit v3 and Ableton Link. Syncing your presets to use them accross other devices couldn't be easier with iCloud. Enjoy Aparillo, the more you dig into it the more you fall in love with it! Features: • Standalone & Audio Unit v3 • FM Synthesizer with 16 Voices • Formant Shifting, Wave Folding & Shifting • Multi-Mode Filter with Spacializer • Orbiter for one-touch Sound Morphing • 500 handpicked Presets • Ableton Link Support • Full MIDI Support (Virtual, Network, External, Bluetooth), MIDI Learn & Host Automation • Preset iCloud Sync • Preset Share
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Aparillo at 4.9 against TC's 4.6. Aparillo also leads on ratings volume (507 vs 42) and review sentiment (89% vs 78%). TC's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 4 months) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, 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
Both are free to download. TC sells 7 one-off in-app purchases and Aparillo sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Aparillo holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Aparillo has 507 ratings behind it against 42, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of TC's written reviews are positive against 89% of Aparillo's.
TC ships an update every 5 weeks, Aparillo every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | TC | Aparillo |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (42 ratings) | 4.9 (507 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 78.0% of reviews | 88.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 42 | 507 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 67 MB | 55 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bit Shape | Sugar Bytes GmbH |
Customer experience
TC
Aparillo
Bugs and requests
TC
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Aparillo
Reported bugs
2 issues- Saved patches not compatible across versions
- Orbiter parameters not accessible on latest iOS
Requested features
4 requests- More preset packs and sound libraries
- Improved MIDI and automation support
- Custom tuning and scale options
- Expanded keyboard and note range
In-app purchases
TC
- Expansion Pack 1$0.99
- Expansion Pack 2$0.99
- Pad Pack 1$0.99
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- Transposition$1.99
- Core Pack$3.99
- All Packs + Transposition$6.99
- All Packs + Transposition$7.99
Aparillo
- Aparillo Full Version$24.99









