Comparison

Viking Synth vs Magic Switch

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

Magic Switch

This audio effect plugin provides a lush, one-button chorus inspired by analog synthesizers. It adds dimension and depth to music tracks with a dark, detuned character. A mix slider allows for blending the effect to your preference.

Highlights
  • One-button lush chorus effect
  • Juno-60 analog chorus inspiration
  • Dark and detuned character
  • Adds dimension and depth
  • Mix slider for blending
  • Based on Super VHS plugin's 'Magic' button
Features
Read full description

Since its original release, Baby Audio's Magic Switch has been one of the most popular free plugins on the desktop market. Now it's finally available as an AUv3 plugin. Features: * Lush one-button chorus effect loosely inspired by the Juno-60 analog chorus * Dark and detuned character, perfect for adding dimension and depth to your tracks * Mix slider lets you blend the effect to taste * Based on the "Magic" button in Baby Audio's award-winning Super VHS plugin Note: This is an Audio Unit Effect Plugin (AUv3), which requires a host such as AUM or Audiobus – or a DAW such as GarageBand or Cubasis.

Screenshots

Viking Synth4 screens
Magic Switch1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Magic Switch at Free against Viking Synth's $3.99. Magic Switch also leads on review sentiment (80% vs 69%). Viking Synth's advantage is update cadence (every 4 months vs every 10 months). On rating, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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

Magic Switch is free to download; Viking Synth costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Viking Synth against 4.8 for Magic Switch. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 42 and 33 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 69% of Viking Synth's written reviews are positive against 80% of Magic Switch's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Viking Synth ships an update every 4 months, Magic Switch every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Viking Synth versus Magic Switch: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterViking SynthMagic Switch
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (42 ratings)4.8 (33 ratings) — better
Positive reviews69.4% of reviews80.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings42 — better33
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 10 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBlamsoft, Inc.Baby Audio Inc.

Customer experience

Viking Synth

All ratings42 ratings
Positive92.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews62 reviews
Positive69.4%
Neutral11.3%
Negative19.4%

Magic Switch

All ratings33 ratings
Positive97.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

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

Magic Switch

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Viking Synth

No in-app purchases

None

Magic Switch

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Viking Synth free?
Viking Synth costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Magic Switch free?
Magic Switch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Viking Synth or Magic Switch?
Magic Switch is rated higher. Viking Synth averages 4.7 out of 5 from 42 ratings, while Magic Switch averages 4.8 from 33 ratings.
Do Viking Synth or Magic Switch have ads?
Neither Viking Synth nor Magic Switch shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Viking Synth or Magic Switch?
Viking Synth ships an update every 4 months, and Magic Switch every 10 months. Most recently, Viking Synth was updated on September 23, 2026 and Magic Switch on September 2, 2026.

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