Viking Synth vs Skoog Skratch
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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 descriptionHide 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
Skoog Skratch
Easily create and share music by recording sounds into colored tiles. Tap to play, scratch samples like a DJ, and collaborate with others globally. No prior musical skill is needed to start making great-sounding tracks.
- Record custom audio samples
- DJ-style scratching with samples
- Save and load multiple sample sets
- Import samples via AirDrop/Files
- Play multiple sounds simultaneously
- Share music globally
Read full descriptionHide full description
Make and share music in seconds. Simply tap to RECORD, PLAY and SHARE with music makers all over the world. If you are new to music making, getting started making great sounding tracks has never been this easy — and sounded so great! Skoog Skratch is a fully VoiceOver accessible sampling app for children, musicians, and everyone in between! Skoog Skratch has five coloured tiles. Record a sound into each one. Tap the tile to play it back. Create an addictive beat when out in the park using the microphone on your iPhone, then Airdrop to your iPad back at home or at school and share with all your friends! FEATURES • Record your own samples with up to five sounds each • Skratch through your samples using your Skoog 2.0 like a DJ • Save and load as many sample sets as you like • Load your own samples into Skratch using Airdrop or from the Files app • Tap a sound to play • Press and hold on a sample to enable auto-trimming and skratch mode • Record and share your jams • Play many sounds at once • Share music with people all over the world • No previous playing skills required • Large buttons for easy use on all devices (iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone) • Connect to Garageband with Inter-App audio to jam along with and record into your Garageband tracks Use on its own or with Skoog 2.0. Connect your Skoog, and use it to play and skratch your own samples recorded straight into the app. Skoog is an easy to play musical instrument that can change the way you and your family can enjoy, create and learn music - no matter what your skills, abilities or musical talents. Skoog 2.0 hardware is available to buy online from Apple and in selected Apple retail stores. www.skoogmusic.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Skoog Skratch at Free against Viking Synth's $3.99. Skoog Skratch also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 4 months). Viking Synth's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (42 vs 8). On review sentiment, ads, in-app purchases 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
Skoog Skratch is free to download; Viking Synth costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Viking Synth holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Viking Synth has 42 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 69% of Viking Synth's written reviews are positive against 75% of Skoog Skratch's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Viking Synth ships an update every 4 months, Skoog Skratch every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Viking Synth | Skoog Skratch |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (42 ratings) — better | 4.0 (8 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 69.4% of reviews | 75.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 42 — better | 8 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 16 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Blamsoft, Inc. | Playable Tech ltd. |
Customer experience
Viking Synth
Skoog Skratch
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 moreShow fewer
- Saved presets not loading
Requested features
5 requests- More subtle drive mode
- Categorized preset browser
- Polyphony option
- Dark mode
- More apps from developer
Skoog Skratch
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Viking Synth
No in-app purchases
Skoog Skratch
No in-app purchases









