Viking Synth vs SynthShred
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
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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
SynthShred
This app is a virtual musical instrument offering a vast library of sound presets, including pianos, guitars, and synths. It provides customizable guitar tunings and a selection of musical scales with root key adjustments for easier playing. Enjoy expressive sound shaping with built-in effects and multiple playing modes.
- 139 sound presets
- 29 guitar tuning presets
- 14 musical scales
- Diatonic surface option
- Monophonic and Polyphonic Mode
- Reverb and Echo effects
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SynthShred is musical instrument containing 139 sound presets including piano, guitars, ethnic instruments, chromatic percussions, strings, pipes, synth pads, reed instruments, brass, organs, ensemble, bass, synth leads and many more. SynthShred comes with 29 guitar tuning presets including standard guitar, all fourths, drop tunings, open tunings, major minor tunings and many more. SynthShred also contains 14 mostly used musical scales including Major, Minor, Harmonic Minor, Pentatonic and many more. SynthShred provides the ability to change the root key for the the selected scale to be in the key every time. The diatonic surface option will remove the notes from the surface that are not part of the scale. It's easier for the player to be in key. SynthShred features includes: - Expressive physical guitar surface - Monophonic and Polyphonic Mode - Diatonic surface - Adjustable string and fret counts - 139 sound presets - 29 unique guitar tuning presets - 14 commonly used scales - Modulation slider - On screen Reverb and Echo effects controls - Sustain button for acoustic instruments Available for iPhone, iPad and iPods for free. Minimum Requirements: iOS 9.0 or later.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: SynthShred at Free against Viking Synth's $3.99. SynthShred also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (205 vs 41). Viking Synth's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). 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
SynthShred is free to download; Viking Synth costs $3.99 up front. SynthShred sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Viking Synth asks for nothing beyond the download.
Viking Synth holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SynthShred has 205 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 55% of SynthShred's.
Viking Synth ships an update every 4 months, SynthShred every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 20, 2026.
| Parameter | Viking Synth | SynthShred |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (41 ratings) — better | 4.4 (205 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 71.2% of reviews — better | 54.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 41 | 205 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 9.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 141 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Blamsoft, Inc. | Yugal Sharma |
Customer experience
Viking Synth
SynthShred
User reviews
Viking Synth
From 41 App Store ratingsWhat 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
SynthShred
From 205 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ✨ Incredible app for musical exploration
- 🎶 Great tool for learning and making music
- 👍 Smooth and soft playing
- 🎵 Best music appreciation
- 💡 Underrated app with good sounds
Room to improve
- 👎 No in-app purchases
- 🔇 Sound muted in the app
- 💸 Shameful theft/knock-off
- 🚫 Logic for iPad issue (AUv3 not working)
- 📉 Limited usefulness without AUv3/IAA
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
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- Saved presets not loading
Requested features
5 requests- More subtle drive mode
- Categorized preset browser
- Polyphony option
- Dark mode
- More apps from developer
SynthShred
Reported bugs
11 issues- Sound is muted only in this app
- Doesn't show up as available audio unit in Logic/GarageBand
- Notes not sliding on the pad, sound individual notes
- Issue with sustain option: some instrument notes never stop
- Pop up to go pro comes up every minute
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- No sound at all
- Bug where trying an instrument makes the app stop making any sounds
- Bug where some notes randomly sound modulated with pitch shift / vibrato
- When a “Try Free” option is chosen for a patch the entire app goes silent
- Asked for payment again after uninstalling and reinstalling
- No restore purchase button
Requested features
20 requests- Add MIDI support
- Add AUv3 support
- Add IAA support
- Add sliding option
- Add velocity touch sensitivity
Show 15 moreShow fewer
- Add pitch bend function
- Add legato types
- Add transpose button
- Add dual tune mode
- Add record option to wav
- Add simple metronome with tempo
- Improve slide feature smoothness
- Improve mid wheel effect
- Add chords/notes option
- Add auto accompaniment & sound mixing
- Add recording
- Add manual, tutorial & support
- Add feature to change note name font
- Make a simpler version for iOS 8 & later
- Add fretless patches to pro version
In-app purchases
Viking Synth
No in-app purchases
SynthShred
- Full Upgrade to SynthShred Pro$3.99
Questions
Is Viking Synth free?
Is SynthShred free?
Which has better reviews, Viking Synth or SynthShred?
Do Viking Synth or SynthShred have ads?
Which is updated more often, Viking Synth or SynthShred?
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