Comparison

Viking Synth vs Filterjam

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

Filterjam

This app offers a multiband resonant filter for creating unique audio effects. It divides input signals into four bands, allowing for various sonic manipulations from subtle enhancements to extreme sound mangling.

Highlights
  • Multiband resonant filtering
  • 4-band signal division
  • Sum or multiply band modes
  • Versatile sound shaping
  • Ringmod-like effects
Features
Read full description

Filterjam is a multi-band resonant filter delivering weird ringmod-like filtered sounds. The input signal is divided into 4 bands that are then summed or multiplied together according to the selected mode. Filterjam can be very harsh or gentle, it can add brightness or depth to synth sounds, but it can also completely mangle acoustic sources.

Screenshots

Viking Synth4 screens
Filterjam2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Filterjam at Free against Viking Synth's $3.99. Filterjam also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and review sentiment (83% vs 71%). Viking Synth's advantage is update cadence (every 4 months vs every 22 months) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases 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

Filterjam 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

Filterjam holds the better App Store score, 5.0 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 83% of Filterjam's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Viking Synth ships an update every 4 months, Filterjam every 22 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Viking Synth versus Filterjam: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterViking SynthFilterjam
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (42 ratings)5.0 (34 ratings) — better
Positive reviews71.2% of reviews83.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings42 — better34
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 22 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBlamsoft, Inc.AudioThing Ltd.

Customer experience

Viking Synth

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

Filterjam

All ratings34 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral16.7%
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

Filterjam

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Viking Synth

No in-app purchases

None

Filterjam

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Viking Synth free?
Viking Synth costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Filterjam free?
Filterjam is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Viking Synth or Filterjam?
Filterjam is rated higher. Viking Synth averages 4.7 out of 5 from 42 ratings, while Filterjam averages 5.0 from 34 ratings.
Do Viking Synth or Filterjam have ads?
Neither Viking Synth nor Filterjam shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Viking Synth or Filterjam?
Viking Synth ships an update every 4 months, and Filterjam every 22 months. Most recently, Viking Synth was updated on October 12, 2026 and Filterjam on October 1, 2026.

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