Comparison

Viking Synth vs Overdrive Synth

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

Overdrive Synth

Explore unique synth sounds processed through classic guitar overdrive pedals. This app offers professionally recorded samples with multiple keyboard layouts and AUv3/MIDI support. Unlock over 100 additional instruments to expand your sonic palette.

Highlights
  • Vintage synths re-amped through guitar pedals
  • Multiple keyboard layouts
  • AUv3 and MIDI support
  • Professionally recorded samples
  • Expandable instrument library via IAP
Features
Read full description

What does a synthesizer sound like through an overdrive pedal? To answer this great mystery, I visited NightSound Studio to re-amp a plethora of synth tones through various classic guitar pedals. The results are now available for your ears in Overdrive Synth! FEATURES: • Vintage Synths Re-amped Through Guitar Pedals • 3 Keyboard Layouts (Piano, Guitar & Scaled) • AUv3 & MIDI Support • Professionally Recorded Samples • 10 Instruments (+100 more with IAP) • Proudly Built With AudioKit The app comes with 10 default instruments, and If you like the starting sounds, unlock the full version (+100 instruments) and become a turbo-powered crunch synth master! I'm also EXTREMELY excited to bring you the full video development story on how this app was made! If you're curious to see what all went into making this app including the recording process, follow the behind-the-scenes link in the app! Special thanks to Nightsound Studios where the samples were recorded, AudioKit for providing the tools to build this app, the amazing open source synth community, and you for supporting indie developers. Thank You & Enjoy! Nick Culbertson MobyPixel.com

Screenshots

Viking Synth4 screens
Overdrive Synth4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Overdrive Synth at Free against Viking Synth's $3.99. Overdrive Synth also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months) and rating (4.9 vs 4.7). Viking Synth's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). On review sentiment, ratings volume, 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

Overdrive Synth is free to download; Viking Synth costs $3.99 up front. Overdrive Synth sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Viking Synth asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Overdrive Synth holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 42 and 34 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of Viking Synth's written reviews are positive against 79% of Overdrive Synth's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Viking Synth ships an update every 4 months, Overdrive Synth monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Viking Synth versus Overdrive Synth: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterViking SynthOverdrive Synth
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (42 ratings)4.9 (34 ratings) — better
Positive reviews71.2% of reviews79.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings42 — better34
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB247 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBlamsoft, Inc.Moby Pixel

Customer experience

Viking Synth

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

Overdrive Synth

All ratings34 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive79.2%
Neutral12.5%
Negative8.3%

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

Overdrive Synth

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Viking Synth

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Overdrive Synth

One-time1
  • Unlock Full Version$4.99

Questions

Is Viking Synth free?
Viking Synth costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Overdrive Synth free?
Overdrive Synth is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Viking Synth or Overdrive Synth?
Overdrive Synth is rated higher. Viking Synth averages 4.7 out of 5 from 42 ratings, while Overdrive Synth averages 4.9 from 34 ratings.
Do Viking Synth or Overdrive Synth have ads?
Neither Viking Synth nor Overdrive Synth shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Viking Synth or Overdrive Synth?
Viking Synth ships an update every 4 months, and Overdrive Synth monthly. Most recently, Viking Synth was updated on October 16, 2026 and Overdrive Synth on October 9, 2026.

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