Viking Synth vs Filterstep
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
Filterstep
This app offers a creative motion filter plugin for real-time rhythmic movement. Explore intricate patterns and sonic possibilities with various filter effect settings and randomization. Shape any sound into a unique groove.
- Real-time rhythmic movement
- Intricate filter effect settings
- Filter randomization
- Three filter types
- Sequencer movement control
- Infinity mode
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Filterstep is a creative motion filter plugin which provides all kinds of intricate rhythmic movement to any input in real-time. It can give you incredibly complex and nuanced results based on various filter effect settings, and almost infinite possibilities for sonic exploration through filter randomization. You can choose between three filter types, range, frequency, quantization, sequencer movement and more. Craft interesting patterns, or let it run endlessly using the infinity mode. Add filter motion and shape any sound into a groove.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Filterstep at Free against Viking Synth's $3.99. Filterstep also leads on iOS requirement (9.3 vs 12.0). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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
Filterstep is free to download; Viking Synth costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Viking Synth against 4.7 for Filterstep. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 42 and 42 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 70% of Viking Synth's written reviews are positive against 73% of Filterstep's.
Viking Synth ships an update every 4 months, Filterstep every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and August 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Viking Synth | Filterstep |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (42 ratings) | 4.7 (42 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 69.8% of reviews | 73.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 42 | 42 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 9.3 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Blamsoft, Inc. | AUDIOMODERN |
Customer experience
Viking Synth
Filterstep
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
Filterstep
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Viking Synth
No in-app purchases
Filterstep
No in-app purchases







