Comparison

Troublemaker vs AudioKit Synth One Synthesizer

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Troublemaker

This app emulates the iconic TB-303 bassline synthesizer, offering its distinctive sound with a diode filter, sawtooth, and square wave oscillators. It provides extensive MIDI and sequencer features, allowing for creative sound design and integration with DAWs.

Highlights
  • Diode filter emulation
  • Sawtooth and square wave oscillators
  • Realtime Mutation Probability Engine
  • Standalone sequencer (1-64 steps)
  • Audio Unit (AUv3) compatibility
  • MIDI CC controllers
  • MIDI Clock Sync
Features
Read full description

Featured in the US Appstore! Here's what the reviews say: "Perfect for on the move acid sessions, the Trouble Maker app faithfully recreates the sound of the original TB-303" - DJ Mag "Troublemaker is absolutely no trouble at all to heartily recommend" - SoundOnSound "If you want to make the bassline from Josh Wink’s ‘Higher State of Consciousness’ on the bus, this is the app for the job" - Factmag.com "Top-notch stuff from a developer that just keeps getting better" - Musicappblog.com "This app has been consuming all of my time this week! Love it!" - Discchord.com Introducing Troublemaker: this is not a 303 The legendary TB-303 has magical properties; it is filled to the brim with analog shimmer. Its output jack is a gateway to a parallel universe and when you twiddle the filter knobs an army of highly trained pixies chisel the square waves from freshly harvested unicorn souls. So if you want a TB-303, you should buy a TB-303. But if you're after *that sound* Troublemaker will give you everything you need in spades. Troublemaker sports a carefully crafted diode filter emulation and among the available oscillators are the typical raspy, nasal sawtooth and rubbery square wave with its oddball shape and shifting pulse width. It also has the wow. Troublemaker is fully Audio Unit (AUv3) compatible, so you can go wild running multiple instances in your favorite DAWs. It also has: - MIDI CC controllers for all knobs (predefined), - Core Midi, Virtual Midi, Bluetooth Midi input, - MIDI Clock Sync, MIDI Start / Stop support - Realtime Mutation Probability Engine - Standalone sequencer supports 1-64 steps - Audiobus 3 support (audio + MIDI) - Exports MID and WAV files from the standalone sequencer - User manual and MIDI charts on ruismaker.com - Comes with an extra AUv3 plugin version of a modded Troublemaker unit And unlike the TB-303, it can actually sound like a bass guitar ;-)

About

AudioKit Synth One Synthesizer

This is a free, open-source professional synthesizer app for iOS devices. It offers over 300 presets, MIDI support, a sequencer, and vintage-inspired filters. Learn music production basics and create your own sounds.

Highlights
  • Over 300+ Presets
  • MIDI Support
  • Vintage-Style Sequencer
  • Analog Filters
  • Expressive Arpeggiators
  • Open-Source
Features
Read full description

“A big step forward for mobile music” - CDM (Create Digital Music) "Groundbreaking iOS synth app" - Cult of Mac "Must-download for every iPad owner" - MacBreak *** "2018 App of the Year, Runner up" – Stuff.tv *** *** “Best iOS Music Apps of 2018” – Cult of Mac *** *** “Best of 2018: iOS Apps for Musicians” – Ask.Audio *** "AudioKit Synth One is a free feature-packed synth for your iPad, including 300+ presets created by professional sound designers behind M83, Tycho, and Rihanna" - Engadget *** “Best Music Apps of 2018” – Music Radar *** LEARN OUR INCREDIBLE STORY: Audiokitpro.com/synth *** Optimized for newer iPads & iPhones for best performance. Note: Requires iPhone 6 or higher screen size. App will not work on older iPhone 5/SE/Touch devices "A Stunning Endeavor... Sounds Amazing!" - Francis Preve, Electronic Musician Magazine “Amazing & Brilliant… Sounds fantastic!” – The Sound Test Room "A great example of human endeavor" - Gaz Williams, Sonic State "Sounds amazing... the start of something huge." - Ask.Audio AudioKit Synth One is the first completely free & open-source professional iOS Synthesizer app in history. No Ads. No IAP. It will always be free. "Powerful... Awesome" - Synthtopia.com "An amazing synth app for your iPad that’s as close to sorcery as it gets" - GarageBand Guide "Must Have iOS Synthesizer" - Synth Anatomy "Synth One is a robust piece of free software" - The Verge "It WOWS you... immediately fun to start tweaking!" - discchord "A damn fine synth" - Computer Music Magazine "Open-source and seriously powerful" - Future Music Magazine "A labour of love that everyone can enjoy" - Music Radar "Extremely exciting passion project" - Music Tech Magazine "Make your own imposing synthesizer sounds and teach yourself the basics of music production" - Lifehacker Learn more: audiokitpro.com/synth Created by over 100+ volunteers around the world (including sound designers for M83, Rihanna, Kanye West, Neon Trees, Mike Posner, Tycho, and more), this app includes MIDI support (play it with a MIDI keyboard or controller), sequencer, vintage-inspired analog filters, expressive arpeggiators, warm analog delays, and, over 300+ presets to get you started! Email us your music & bugs: hello@audiokitpro.com SYNTH ONE FEATURES: This synthesizer is completely free, fully functional, and ad-free. There are no IAP or anything to buy -- It’s the ultimate free iPad music instrument app! • Hybrid Analog/FM Poly Synthesizer • Over 300+ Presets crafted by famous sound designers • Audiobus 3 & Inter-app Audio (IAA) • Ableton Link • Five Oscillators (2 DCO, FM, Sub, Noise) • 2 LFOs with over a dozen routing possibilities • Vintage-Style 16-Step Sequencer • Classic poly arpeggiator • MIDI in (Control with a MIDI Keyboard or AudioBus/IAA) • Touchable ADSR Envelopes for Amp & Filter • FM Oscillator w/ Mod • Mono glide and legato • Dedicated Sine/Square -12/24 Sub Osc • 4-Pole Vintage Low-Pass Filter • High-Pass/Band Pass Filters • Beautiful Costello Reverb • Multi-tap (ping-pong) delay • TouchPads • Preset & Bank Import/Export & More… BONUS: Full Source code is now available! AudiokitPro.com/Synth Plus, it’s completely open-source. Use the code to learn how to build your own synth app or modify the app yourself! OFFICIAL VIDEO: https://youtu.be/hwDNgCYowYs "Amazing noises that will make your ears squee with glee" - Stuff Magazine "Pick of the Week" - MacBreak On the roadmap: • MPE Support (Play w/ a Roli Seaboard) • AUv3 Plug-in support

Screenshots

Troublemaker2 screens
AudioKit Synth One Synthesizer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: AudioKit Synth One Synthesizer at Free against Troublemaker's $8.99. AudioKit Synth One Synthesizer also leads on ratings volume (27K vs 64) and rating (4.9 vs 4.6). Troublemaker's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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

AudioKit Synth One Synthesizer is free to download; Troublemaker costs $8.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

AudioKit Synth One Synthesizer holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AudioKit Synth One Synthesizer has 27K ratings behind it against 64, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of Troublemaker's written reviews are positive against 95% of AudioKit Synth One Synthesizer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Troublemaker ships an update every 2 weeks, AudioKit Synth One Synthesizer monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Troublemaker versus AudioKit Synth One Synthesizer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTroublemakerAudioKit Synth One Synthesizer
Price$8.99Free — better
Rating4.6 (64 ratings)4.9 (27K ratings) — better
Positive reviews77.9% of reviews94.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6427K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB34 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBram BosAudioKit Pro

Customer experience

Troublemaker

All ratings64 ratings
Positive90.6%
Neutral3.1%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews95 reviews
Positive77.9%
Neutral10.5%
Negative11.6%

AudioKit Synth One Synthesizer

All ratings26,818 ratings
Positive98.5%
Neutral1.0%
Negative0.6%
Written reviews677 reviews
Positive94.5%
Neutral2.7%
Negative2.8%

Bugs and requests

Troublemaker

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

AudioKit Synth One Synthesizer

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Login screen freezes
  • Incompatible with older devices
  • Keyboard issues on iPhone
  • Crashes with Audiobus 3
  • Mod wheel issues

Requested features

12 requests
  • Add AU support
  • Add just intonation feature
  • Add dotted-8th-note delay option
  • Add more sound packs
  • Add drum machine/sequencing capabilities
Show 7 more
  • Add more complex waveforms
  • Add multi-filter support
  • Add more than 2 oscillators
  • Add ability to record MIDI tracks
  • Add support for Bluetooth MIDI controllers
  • Add dark mode option
  • Add advanced analytics dashboard

In-app purchases

None

Troublemaker

No in-app purchases

None

AudioKit Synth One Synthesizer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Troublemaker free?
Troublemaker costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is AudioKit Synth One Synthesizer free?
AudioKit Synth One Synthesizer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Troublemaker or AudioKit Synth One Synthesizer?
AudioKit Synth One Synthesizer is rated higher. Troublemaker averages 4.6 out of 5 from 64 ratings, while AudioKit Synth One Synthesizer averages 4.9 from 27K ratings.
Do Troublemaker or AudioKit Synth One Synthesizer have ads?
Neither Troublemaker nor AudioKit Synth One Synthesizer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Troublemaker or AudioKit Synth One Synthesizer?
Troublemaker ships an update every 2 weeks, and AudioKit Synth One Synthesizer monthly. Most recently, Troublemaker was updated on November 6, 2026 and AudioKit Synth One Synthesizer on November 10, 2026.

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