Comparison

Viking Synth vs Panflow

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

Panflow

This app generates complex, evolving panning patterns and adds rhythmic stereo movement to audio tracks in real-time. Its intuitive interface and powerful pattern editor allow for precise stereo editing, bringing dynamic life to static sounds. It can be used as a standalone application or as an AUv3 plugin within iOS DAWs.

Highlights
  • Evolving panning patterns
  • Rhythmic stereo movement
  • Real-time audio modulation
  • Precise stereo editing
  • Powerful pattern editor
  • Standalone and AUv3 plugin support
Read full description

Panflow is a Creative Panning Modulator & Stereo rhythm generator plugin designed to Shape complex, evolving panning patterns and add random, rhythmical movement to any audio track in real-time. You can Create Instant fluid motion with precise stereo editing, with an easy-to-use interface and powerful pattern editor and give your audio a more lively, dynamic feel, or add dynamism to any static sound. Use as Standalone or as an Audio Unit (AUv3) plugin in your favorite iOS Host or DAW Panflow is endlessly variable & endlessly interesting.

Screenshots

Viking Synth4 screens
Panflow4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Panflow at Free against Viking Synth's $3.99. Panflow also leads on review sentiment (89% vs 70%) and iOS requirement (9.3 vs 12.0). 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

Panflow 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 4.7 for Panflow. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 42 and 27 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 70% of Viking Synth's written reviews are positive against 89% of Panflow's.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Viking Synth versus Panflow: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterViking SynthPanflow
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (42 ratings)4.7 (27 ratings)
Positive reviews69.8% of reviews88.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings42 — better27
Update frequencyEvery 4 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.09.3 — better
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBlamsoft, Inc.AUDIOMODERN

Customer experience

Viking Synth

All ratings42 ratings
Positive92.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews63 reviews
Positive69.8%
Neutral11.1%
Negative19.0%

Panflow

All ratings27 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral7.4%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive88.9%
Neutral11.1%
Negative0.0%

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

Panflow

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Viking Synth

No in-app purchases

None

Panflow

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Viking Synth free?
Viking Synth costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Panflow free?
Panflow is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Viking Synth or Panflow?
Viking Synth and Panflow are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 42 and 27 ratings respectively.
Do Viking Synth or Panflow have ads?
Neither Viking Synth nor Panflow shows ads.

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