Comparison

Viking Synth vs SoundForest

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

Head to head
About

Viking Synth

This app emulates a classic monophonic analog synthesizer with advanced DSP technology. It features three variable wave oscillators, dual ladder filters, an LFO, and two modulation busses for versatile sound design. An intuitive interface and extensive preset library make it ideal for creating thick bass and rich lead sounds.

Highlights
  • Three continuously variable wave oscillators
  • Dual ladder filters (Lowpass/Highpass)
  • Multi-wave LFO
  • Two modulation busses
  • Intuitive user interface with expandable controls
  • 228 presets including Bass, Lead, and Synthwave
  • State-of-the-art DSP for authentic sound
Read full description

Viking Synth is an authentic emulation of a classic monophonic analog synthesizer. It has three continuously variable wave oscillators, two ladder filters with a Dual Lowpass or Highpass/Lowpass configuration, a multi-wave LFO, and two modulation busses. Viking Synth uses state of the art DSP technology to accurately reproduce the sound of the hardware. You get a desktop quality plug-in at an iOS friendly price. Viking Synth is an Audio Unit Extension Instrument (AUv3) that works as a plug-in inside host apps. Just open up your favorite host that supports Audio Unit Instruments and select it from the list of available Audio Units. Compatible with GarageBand, Cubasis, Auria, BeatMaker, AudioBus, AUM, Modstep, and more. The user interface of Viking Synth is designed for quick and intuitive control. Knobs and sliders expand during tweaking and are designed so the current value isn't hidden below your finger. The six pages divide the synth into logical sections that can be accessed quickly. The filter display acts as an XY pad for controlling cutoff and resonance. Simply double tap a knob or slider to reset it to its default value. Presets Viking Synth comes with 228 presets in the categories Bass, Bright Lead, Electro Bass, FX, Percussive Lead, Soft Lead, and Synthwave. The synth excels at thick bass and rich lead sounds. The 50 Electro Bass and 50 Synthwave presets were designed by renowned sound designer eXode. Presets work perfectly with GarageBand, Cubasis, and AUM. Oscillators At the heart of Viking are three adjustable wave oscillators. The continuously variable waveform knob gives the oscillators a unique sound that can’t be achieved with the fixed waveforms found in most synths. A noise oscillator provides three types of noise, one specifically modeled after the hardware. Modulation Two modulation busses and an LFO provide flexible modulation capabilities. All of the options hidden deep in menus on the hardware are immediately accessible with one tap. Filters The filters are classic transistor ladder filters modeled meticulously. Two DSP varieties are available allowing for either reduced CPU load or soft clipping plus three additional overdriven modes. The number of poles is adjustable for a wider range of filter sounds. Compare Viking to other synths: – Viking’s oscillators are free running, not sampled, wavetable based, or generated from a zero point – Viking’s oscillators use advanced techniques to avoid aliasing – Viking’s oscillators have instability, which is controllable through the tuning drift control – Viking’s nonlinear filter uses circuit modeling and provides soft clipping

About

SoundForest

Instantly compose music by tapping on unique musical creatures that represent notes. Create hypnotic tunes and build a musical ecosystem with various environments and pitch levels. Explore endless song possibilities with this intuitive mini music maker.

Highlights
  • Instant music loop composition
  • 160 unique musical elements
  • 4 distinct musical environments
  • Adjustable pitch levels
  • Create quick loops or mini songs
  • Endless song creation possibilities
Features
Read full description

SoundForest is a mini music maker that allows you to instantly compose a song using a collection of musical creatures. Compose a loop by tapping animal instruments and mix them into a hypnotic tune. Make a musical ecosystem with SoundForest. FEATURES: * Instantly compose awesome music loops * 160 elements, each a unique music note * 4 musical environments (SoundForest, ElectroJungle, SynthSavanna, EchoOcean) * 6 pitch levels for each music note * Make a quick loop or compose a mini song * Endless song possibilities TUTORIAL: 1. Listen to whatever the Alien says. 2. Creating music is best with headphones 3. Swipe and tap on the music note bar to select a music note 4. Tap on the song grid to add the music note to your song 5. Tap on the sky to pause or play your song 6. Double tap the sky to change you song's speed 7. Swipe the song grid over to make your song longer 8. Tap the menu button to return to the song modules 9. Tap a blank circle to create a new song 10. Swipe for more environments Visit Soundforestapp.com for more information.

Screenshots

Viking Synth4 screens
SoundForest4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: SoundForest at Free against Viking Synth's $3.99. SoundForest also leads on ratings volume (447 vs 42) and iOS requirement (7.0 vs 12.0). Viking Synth's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and rating (4.7 vs 4.2). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads and device support 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

SoundForest is free to download; Viking Synth costs $3.99 up front. SoundForest sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Viking Synth asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Viking Synth holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SoundForest has 447 ratings behind it against 42, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of Viking Synth's written reviews are positive against 67% of SoundForest's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Viking Synth ships an update every 4 months, SoundForest every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Viking Synth versus SoundForest: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterViking SynthSoundForest
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (42 ratings) — better4.2 (447 ratings)
Positive reviews71.2% of reviews — better67.3% of reviews
Number of ratings42447 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.07.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB89 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBlamsoft, Inc.Justin Alexander

Customer experience

Viking Synth

All ratings42 ratings
Positive92.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews66 reviews
Positive71.2%
Neutral10.6%
Negative18.2%

SoundForest

All ratings447 ratings
Positive79.9%
Neutral9.2%
Negative11.0%
Written reviews199 reviews
Positive67.3%
Neutral15.1%
Negative17.6%

User reviews

Viking Synth

From 42 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎶 Great sound quality
  • 💡 Versatile sound options
  • 💰 Excellent value (free)
  • 💻 Lightweight and efficient
  • 🎹 Good for learning synthesis

Room to improve

  • ❓ Preset issues
  • 🔌 Not a standalone app
  • 🐛 Occasional crashes
  • 💾 Settings not saving
  • 🤷‍♂️ Difficult to find/use

SoundForest

From 447 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Cute and creative visuals
  • 🎶 Diverse and fun sound palette
  • 💰 Affordable unlock of full features
  • 👍 Easy to use and intuitive interface
  • 🤩 Engaging and entertaining music creation

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
  • 🔌 Ads not working to unlock features
  • 💳 In-app purchases not working as expected
  • 🔍 Limited ability to delete/modify songs
  • 🔊 Audio quality/tuning issues

Bugs and requests

Viking Synth

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Presets not showing up
  • Presets disappear
  • App not showing in AUv3 menu
  • Settings not saving after iOS 14 update
  • Crashes when opening presets browser
Show 1 more
  • Saved presets not loading

Requested features

5 requests
  • More subtle drive mode
  • Categorized preset browser
  • Polyphony option
  • Dark mode
  • More apps from developer

SoundForest

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Repeated tutorial loops
  • Restore purchases button not working
  • Compatibility issues on newer devices
  • Audio not working with headphones
  • Crashes when trying to unlock features

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to export/share created songs
  • Option to create longer/more complex songs
  • More themes, environments, and sound options
  • Customization and personalization features
  • Community features to discover and collaborate

In-app purchases

None

Viking Synth

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

SoundForest

One-time1
  • Unlock Everything$1.99

Questions

Is Viking Synth free?
Viking Synth costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is SoundForest free?
SoundForest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Viking Synth or SoundForest?
Viking Synth is rated higher. Viking Synth averages 4.7 out of 5 from 42 ratings, while SoundForest averages 4.2 from 447 ratings.
Do Viking Synth or SoundForest have ads?
Neither Viking Synth nor SoundForest shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Viking Synth or SoundForest?
Viking Synth ships an update every 4 months, and SoundForest every 2 months. Most recently, Viking Synth was updated on October 16, 2026 and SoundForest on October 15, 2026.

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