Comparison

Viking Synth vs Mellowsound

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

Mellowsound

Experience the iconic sounds of a 1960s keyboard sampler with this app. It offers professional audio quality, allowing you to play vintage orchestra sounds on your device. Customize your sound with various effects and recording options.

Highlights
  • Authentic Mellotron emulation
  • Professional 16-bit/44.1Khz audio
  • Photo-realistic user interface
  • Blend mode for two instruments
  • MIDI and Audio Unit support
  • In-app purchases for more instruments and FX
Features
Read full description

Play the iconic Mellotron keyboard sampler heard on The Beatles, Radiohead and King Crimson records — now on your iPhone, iPad & Mac. Mellowsound is built from real recordings of our own Mellotron M400, sampled note by note across all instrument tapes. Every sound is authentic, every detail is preserved. Professional audio quality — 16bit / 44.1kHz Photo-realistic vintage interface AUv3 Audio Unit — plug into any DAW or AUM FREE VERSION includes: • 3 instruments: Flute, Clarinet & Sax • Blend mode: play two instruments simultaneously • Full Mixer, Metronome • MIDI & MIDI Mapping • AudioBus & Inter-App Audio (iOS) FULL VERSION (IAP) includes: • 18 Mellotron instruments: Strings, Piano, Flute, Guitar, Vibraphone and more • User Presets • ADSR Envelope • 6 FX: Tube Amp, Tremolo, Chorus, Pitch-shifter, Delay & Reverb • Live Recording CHAMBERLIN PACK (IAP) includes: • 18 additional instruments: Brass, Pizzicato Violins, Cello, Harpsichord and more Questions or feedback? We'd love to hear from you: contact@fingerlab.net Stay tuned! The Fingerlab Team

Screenshots

Viking Synth4 screens
Mellowsound4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Mellowsound at Free against Viking Synth's $3.99. Mellowsound also leads on update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (237 vs 41). Viking Synth's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and rating (4.7 vs 4.3). On 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

Mellowsound is free to download; Viking Synth costs $3.99 up front. Mellowsound sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. 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 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mellowsound has 237 ratings behind it against 41, 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 60% of Mellowsound's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Viking Synth ships an update every 4 months, Mellowsound every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Viking Synth versus Mellowsound: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterViking SynthMellowsound
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (41 ratings) — better4.3 (237 ratings)
Positive reviews71.2% of reviews — better60.5% of reviews
Number of ratings41237 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB899 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBlamsoft, Inc.Fingerlab

Customer experience

Viking Synth

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

Mellowsound

All ratings237 ratings
Positive83.5%
Neutral3.0%
Negative13.5%
Written reviews177 reviews
Positive60.5%
Neutral11.9%
Negative27.7%

User reviews

Viking Synth

From 41 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

Mellowsound

From 237 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎹 Authentic Mellotron sounds
  • 🔊 Great sound quality
  • 🎨 Nice visual design
  • 💸 Good value for money
  • 🔌 Integrates well with other apps

Room to improve

  • 🔇 Limited free version
  • 🔒 Paywall for full functionality
  • 🎹 Keyboard range limited to 3 octaves
  • 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
  • 🔋 High battery drain

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

Mellowsound

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Incompatibility with some iOS versions and devices
  • Issues with Inter-App Audio and AUv3 functionality
  • Keyboard not responsive or disappearing

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to blend/layer multiple instruments
  • Expanded sound library with more Mellotron presets
  • Sustain pedal support
  • MIDI channel selection
  • Improved performance in DAWs

In-app purchases

None

Viking Synth

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Mellowsound

One-time2
  • Chamberlin Instruments Pack$8.99
  • Full Version$9.99

Questions

Is Viking Synth free?
Viking Synth costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Mellowsound free?
Mellowsound is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Viking Synth or Mellowsound?
Viking Synth is rated higher. Viking Synth averages 4.7 out of 5 from 41 ratings, while Mellowsound averages 4.3 from 237 ratings.
Do Viking Synth or Mellowsound have ads?
Neither Viking Synth nor Mellowsound shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Viking Synth or Mellowsound?
Viking Synth ships an update every 4 months, and Mellowsound every 4 weeks. Most recently, Viking Synth was updated on November 2, 2026 and Mellowsound on November 4, 2026.

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