Musaic vs Acapella: an Acapella alternative for iPhone
Both apps record you several times and put every take into one split-screen video. Acapella's last update was 4.46 on 14 July 2025. Its App Store reviews from 2026 report recording that needs wired headphones, late takes, a login that shows "service unavailable", and a free version cut from one minute to 30 seconds in August 2026. Musaic 2.1.0 (2 November 2026) works with AirPods for listening and lines up late takes, has no account, and its free version has no time limit. Acapella has a community where you find other singers and record with them. If that is what you want, Acapella is the better app.
| Acapella, from its reviews | Musaic 2.1.0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Updates | Version 4.46 on 14 July 2025, no update since (App Store version history) | 2.1.0 on 2 November 2026 |
| Bluetooth headphones | 22 April and 5 May 2026, US: recording does not work without headphones, and the reviewers have only Bluetooth ones. One writes that Bluetooth has a delay | AirPods and other Bluetooth headphones work for listening while the iPhone microphone records. Musaic remembers a sync offset for each pair of headphones and microphone, free. Without headphones Musaic still records and warns that the playback leaks into the microphone. How it works |
| Takes out of sync | 24 March 2026, US: in a four-part project the fourth part is recorded behind the beat, with wired headphones. 15 May (Japan) and 10 September (Canada): takes drift out of sync | Auto Align, new in 2.1.0, compares every new take with layer 1 before you listen back and offers to line it up. Sync Offset moves a layer by hand in 1 ms steps. Both free |
| Login | 3 and 17 April 2026, US: logging in shows "service unavailable", for months in one case, also after reinstalling | No account and no login |
| Free recording length | 27 August and 1 November 2026, US: videos longer than 30 seconds now need premium, after one minute had been free. The App Store page sells 3 minutes ($2.99) and 10 minutes ($7.99) | No time limit in the free version |
| Crashes and errors | 4 January, 2 July and 4 September 2026, US: an error message when recording, crashes every day for a paying user, hearing the track while recording does not work | Musaic has bugs too. Known bugs and fixes are listed in public on github.com/dersn/likwest, and Send feedback in the app starts an email to me |
| Trial and cancelling | 23 February 2026, US: the free trial asks for payment and bills after a week. 22 March 2026, US: cancelling the subscription without deleting the profile seemed impossible | The free version needs no trial and no payment details. When Musaic offers a free trial of Pro, it is an App Store trial too and renews unless you cancel it. You cancel in the iPhone Settings, there is no profile |
| Musaic | Acapella | |
|---|---|---|
| Price and account | ||
| Free version | Yes | Yes |
| Paid version | $2.99 a month or $24.99 a year | $9.99 a month or $47.99 a year, plus one-time purchases for length and frames ($0.99 to $7.99) |
| Account | None | An Acapella account to collaborate, separate from your Apple ID |
| Watermark | In the free version, removed with Pro | Acapella branding, removed with Pro |
| Recording | ||
| Layers in one video | Up to 10, free | Up to 9 |
| Recording length | No limit, free | 30 seconds free since August 2026, according to reviews. 3 and 10 minutes are sold as upgrades |
| Modes | Mosaic (split screen), Single (one video), Live Studio (cut between takes), Twin Beta (you twice in one shot), Audio only | Split screen |
| Layouts | 77 layouts, free | Frames, more in paid packs |
| Layout changes during the song | Yes, free | Not advertised |
| Lean over border | Yes, free. Your head or guitar reaches into the next pane | Not advertised |
| Metronome | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth headphones | Yes, for listening. The iPhone microphone records. How it works | Not advertised. Reviewers in 2026 report that only wired headphones work |
| Latency and sync | A sync offset remembered for every combination of headphones and microphone, in 5 ms steps, and Auto Align on every take, free | Not advertised |
| Microphone and output | Chosen separately in the recorder, for example AirPods for listening and the iPhone microphone for recording | Not advertised |
| Import a video | Yes, free | One video per project Pro |
| Editing and sound | ||
| Timeline | Trim and move takes, layout events, text overlays, free | Not advertised |
| Audio effects per layer | Reverb, echo, EQ, compressor, warmth, tube saturation, doubler, pan, 12 voice styles, your own presets, free | EQ, noise gate, pan |
| Keyframes | Audio and video effects change over the song, free | Not advertised |
| Fix one line in a take | Yes, in Audio Lab Pro | Record the whole grid again |
| Harmonies | Extra voices around your own, in the key of the song Pro | Not advertised |
| Instruments | Keys, bass, drums, strings, synth and more, played in the app, free | Not advertised |
| Chord detection | Chords, beat and key from your take, then bass, drums and keys generated from them Pro | Not advertised |
| Lyrics in the video | Transcribed and synced word by word, in the language you sing Pro | Not advertised |
| Animations | An animated scene or figure for every sung line Pro | Not advertised |
| Export and sharing | ||
| Video quality | 1080p or 4K, 30 or 60 fps, free | 1080p Pro |
| Audio export | The mix and every track separately, free | ALAC or m4a, CD quality with Pro |
| Working with others | Send the project as an iCloud link or a file, the other person gets an editable copy | Collabs inside the app |
| Community and feed | No, on purpose | Yes, a discover tab |
| The app | ||
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro |
| Requires | iOS 26 or later | iOS 14.4 or later |
| App language | English | English and 10 more, Japanese among them |
| Ratings on the US App Store | 2 | 25,457, average 4.6 |
| Last update | 2 November 2026 (2.1.0) | 14 July 2025 (4.46) |
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Bluetooth and sync
Listen in AirPods while the iPhone microphone records. Musaic remembers the delay of every pair of headphones and microphone, and Auto Align offers to line up a late take before you listen back.
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Five ways to record
Mosaic puts every take on screen at once. Single is one video with any sound. Live Studio shows one take at a time and you cut between them. Twin puts you twice into the same shot. Audio records without the camera.
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Timeline and keyframes
Trim and move each take, change the layout at any point of the song, and let audio and video effects change between two keyframes.
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Effects on every layer
Reverb, echo, a three-band EQ, compressor, warmth, tube saturation, doubler and 12 voice styles. Save a chain as a preset and start new layers with it.
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Chords and instruments Pro
Musaic finds the chords, beat and key in your take and generates bass, drums and keys from them. The instruments themselves are free to play.
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Lyrics and animations Pro
Musaic transcribes your lyrics in the language you sing, times them word by word and shows them in the video. Animate turns every line into a small scene.
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Audio Lab Pro
Every layer with sound on one screen. Mark one passage, sing it again and keep the rest of the take.
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No account
Nothing to sign up for and nothing to log in to. Pro is an App Store subscription on your Apple ID.
Acapella has a discover tab and in-app collabs. You can find singers you do not know yet and record a song together with them. Musaic has nothing like that. Acapella has been around since 2015 and has 25,457 ratings on the US App Store, Musaic has 2. Acapella runs on iOS 14.4 and later, on Apple Vision Pro, and in Japanese and nine other languages besides English. Musaic needs iOS 26 and is in English only.
Musaic is a recording app, not a social network. There is no account and no feed. Your video goes where your audience already is: TikTok, Instagram Reels or YouTube.
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Is Musaic a good alternative to Acapella?
If you record the parts of a song yourself and want one split-screen video, yes. Musaic needs no account, records up to 10 layers with no time limit in the free version, works with AirPods and other Bluetooth headphones for listening, and adds a timeline, per-layer effects, lyrics and chord detection. If you want to find other singers inside the app and collaborate with them, Acapella is the better fit, because Musaic has no community. Musaic needs iOS 26 and its interface is in English.
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Can I record with AirPods or other Bluetooth headphones in Musaic?
Yes. You hear the earlier layers in your AirPods while the iPhone microphone records, because a Bluetooth microphone only records at phone-call quality. Bluetooth adds a delay: Musaic remembers a sync offset for every combination of headphones and microphone, and since 2.1.0 Auto Align compares each new take with layer 1 before you listen back and offers to line it up. All of this is free.
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Does the free version of Musaic have a time limit?
No. A take can be as long as the song, in the free version too. The free export carries a Musaic watermark, which Musaic Pro removes. Acapella reviewers report that since August 2026 its free version records 30 seconds, after one minute before, and its App Store page sells 3 and 10 minutes as upgrades.
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Do I need an account to use Musaic?
No. Musaic has no account and no sign-in, so there is no login that can fail. Pro is an App Store subscription on your Apple ID, and you cancel it in the iPhone Settings like any other subscription. Acapella needs its own account to collaborate with other people, separate from your Apple ID.
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How much does Musaic cost compared to Acapella?
Musaic is free, and Musaic Pro costs $2.99 a month or $24.99 a year in the US. Acapella is free, and its subscriptions cost $9.99 a month or $47.99 a year, with one-time purchases for recording length and frames on top. Prices from the US App Store on 10 November 2026.
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Can I collaborate with other people in Musaic?
Yes, with people you already know. You send the whole project as an iCloud link or a .musaic file, and the other person gets an editable copy with every take. There is no feed and no way to find strangers to sing with, and sharing is free.
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Can I fix one line without recording the whole part again?
In Musaic, yes. In Audio Lab you mark one passage of a layer and record it again; only that passage is replaced, and the old one is kept. Recording in Audio Lab is part of Musaic Pro. Acapella's help center describes redoing a whole grid.
Musaic - Recording Studio is free on the App Store for iPhone and iPad. Musaic Pro adds lyrics, animations, chord detection, harmonies and Audio Lab, and removes the watermark.
Acapella: its App Store page (prices, version history, languages, requirements, ratings) and its reviews through Apple's review feed, read on 10 November 2026, and its help center, read on 27 September 2026. Musaic: the 2.1.0 build and its App Store page. Acapella is a trademark of Mixcord Inc. This page is mine and not connected to Mixcord. If something here is out of date, tell me and I will fix it.