Comparison

Factory vs SynthMaster 2

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

Head to head
About

Factory

Create complex and organic sounds with a powerful modular synthesizer. Explore a vast array of synthesis types, a deep modulation matrix, and dynamic signal flow. Easily find and morph between sounds with a built-in browser and crossfader.

Highlights
  • Modular synthesis with extensive modulation matrix
  • Multiple oscillator engines and synthesis types
  • Dynamic signal flow with 3-FX chain
  • Morph crossfader for sound transformation
  • Preset browser with tagging and rating
  • Sequencers, Arpeggiator, and Quantizer
Read full description

Made for complex and organic sounds, Factory sports a big modulation matrix with all kinds of features to create a wildlife of sounds. A vast array of DSP is ready to play: Analog style oscillators and filters, but also different flavors of wavetable synthesis, Wavetable driven Waveguide resonators and a 3-FX-Chain in a dynamic signal flow. With the Morph crossfader, sounds can be changed drastically, but always musically. The Preset Browser with tags and rating makes finding sounds easy and fun. Don´t miss out on super sonic modular mayhem and check Factory today! Key Features: • Poly Synth with Mod-Matrix and Sequencers • 2x10 Oscillator Engines • Sub-Oscillator with Ringmodulation • Noise Generator with 5 colors • 8-voice VA-Sync, Wavetable, Waveguide & Fractal Synthesis • 8x10 Mod Matrix with 36 targets • Morph Fader, 2 States & Copy/Paste • Envelopes and LFOs • Sample & Hold Modul • 4x Sequencers for all kinds of Gates and CV's, incl. 36 motion curves, uni/bipolar. • Arpeggiator, Intonation engine, Scale Quantizer • 11 Filter models & 3x Multi-Effect with drag 'n' drop signal flow • Audio Unit v3 & Standalone • Virtual, Network, External & Bluetooth MIDI • Ableton Link • MIDI Learn & Host Automation • Preset iCloud Sync • Preset Share

About

SynthMaster 2

This powerful software synthesizer offers a vast array of sound design capabilities, including multiple oscillator modes, extensive modulation options, and a wide selection of filters. Explore over 1000 factory presets or create your own unique sounds. Available as a standalone app or AUv3 plugin.

Highlights
  • Multiple oscillator modes (Basic, Additive, Wavetable, Vector)
  • Extensive modulation architecture
  • 6 filter categories
  • Import custom wave files
  • 1000+ factory presets
  • Standalone app and AUv3 plugin
Read full description

KV331 Audio is proud to announce the availability of their award winning software synthesizer SynthMaster 2.9 on iOS platform. As being the first app developed using KV331 Audio’s new cross-platform UI framework, SynthMaster 2 runs as a standalone app or AUv3 plugin on iPads with iOS 11 and above. SynthMaster 2 supports native resolutions of various iPad devices. User interfaces are provided for 9.7, 11 and 12.9 inch iPads in 4 different skins (Blue, White, Dark, Proto). Separate interfaces are provided for the AudioUnit plugin as well. SynthMaster 2 comes with 1000 factory presets designed by world class sound designers such as BigTone, Nori Ubukata, NatLife and Yuli Yolo. Thanks to the comprehensive preset browsing features, users can easily filter presets by author name, bank name, instrument type or preset name and find the sounds that they are looking for. There’s also an IAP Shop, which lets users purchase additional sounds: 1. "Desktop Presets Upgrade": This IAP adds all factory presets in SynthMaster 2.9, increasing the total preset count to 2000. 2. "All Expansions Bundle": This IAP adds all current 38 SynthMaster preset expansion banks. Sound Engine: At the heart of SynthMaster 2’s powerful sound engine lies its oscillators, modulators, and filters. Oscillators: The oscillators can operate in 4 different modes to generate sound: 1. In Basic mode, the oscillator plays single cycle waveforms or samples. With the Oscillator Unison turned on, up to 8 voices per oscillator can be played. 2. In Additive mode, 8 Basic oscillators can be stacked up to create richer tones. 3. In Wavetable mode, the oscillator can play wavetables with up to 256 frames. 4. In Vector mode, 4 Basic oscillators are mixed in 2 dimensions. Modulators: Modulators are simply basic oscillators that can be added to other oscillators or modulate other oscillators’ or modulators’ phases. By connecting modulators to other oscillators or modulators, complex FM tones can be synthesized. Importing Wave Files into SynthMaster: While designing sounds, users can easily import wave files into SynthMaster 2. SynthMaster 2 can categorize those files into waveforms, wavetables or multi samples and import them accordingly. Filters: Once the sound is generated by the oscillators it goes through SynthMaster’s filters, which can operate in 6 different categories: Digital, VAnalog, Ladder, Diode Ladder, State Variable and Bite. Custom distortion can be applied before or after the filters as well. Modulation Architecture: SynthMaster 2 features a comprehensive modulation architecture with a wide range of modulation sources: 1. MIDI controls 2. Macros controls 3. 4 ADSR envelopes per layer 4. 4 Multisegmented envelopes per payer 5. 4 LFOs per layer 6. 4 Sequencers per layer 7. 4 Keyscalers per layer There’s real-time visual feedback that lets users see how modulation sources and targets are changing when a note is being played. This is extremely helpful when designing sounds with SynthMaster 2. New modulations can be created easily by dragging and dropping a modulation source onto a knob or slider control. Users can easily see which controls are modulated by a modulation source by clicking on that source. Controls that are being modulated by that source will display modulation amounts. By long pressing a control, the modulation amount can be edited without the need to go through the mod matrix. Arp/Sequencer: SynthMaster features a comprehensive arpeggiator / sequencer with 32 steps. Users can easily create sequences by recording steps one by one. Effects: Each of the 2 layers in SynthMaster has 5 insert effect slots. 13 different types of effects can be instantiated in any of those slots. There are also 2 global effect send busses which can be used to create more complex effect routings.

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Factory at Free against SynthMaster 2's $14.99. Factory also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (81% vs 68%). SynthMaster 2's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months) and iOS requirement (15 vs 17.6). On rating, ratings volume, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Factory is free to download; SynthMaster 2 costs $14.99 up front. Factory sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and SynthMaster 2 sells 32 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Factory against 4.8 for SynthMaster 2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 487 and 451 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 81% of Factory's written reviews are positive against 68% of SynthMaster 2's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Factory ships an update every 4 months, SynthMaster 2 every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on August 12, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Factory versus SynthMaster 2: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFactorySynthMaster 2
PriceFree — better$14.99
Rating4.9 (487 ratings) — better4.8 (451 ratings)
Positive reviews81.4% of reviews — better68.5% of reviews
Number of ratings487 — better451
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPadiPad
Requires iOS17.615 — better
Further details — not scored
Size347 MB918 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSugar Bytes GmbHKV331 Audio

Customer experience

Factory

All ratings487 ratings
Positive97.3%
Neutral1.0%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews97 reviews
Positive81.4%
Neutral5.2%
Negative13.4%

SynthMaster 2

All ratings407 ratings
Positive94.3%
Neutral2.2%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews111 reviews
Positive68.5%
Neutral16.2%
Negative15.3%

User reviews

Factory

From 487 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful synth engine
  • 👍 Intuitive and easy to use interface
  • 🎨 Vast sound design capabilities
  • 💡 Innovative modulation matrix
  • 🎶 Inspiring and unique presets

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and freezes
  • 🔌 Compatibility issues with other apps
  • 🖥️ Pixelated interface on high-res displays
  • 🔇 Note-sticking problems

SynthMaster 2

From 451 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Best synth on iPad
  • 👍 Delicious sound
  • 👍 Tremendously powerful synth
  • 👍 Great synth with complex possibilities and great sound(s)
  • 👍 Perfeito

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Auswahl der Modulationsquellen funktioniert nicht richtig
  • 🐛 Echt schlecht
  • 🐛 Broken Preset System for a powerful synth
  • 🐛 Please fix the OSC behavior on Square and Saw
  • 🐛 Preset issues

Bugs and requests

Factory

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Presets not loading correctly in DAW projects
  • CC assignment issues causing controls to freeze

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to modulate morph slider
  • Option to modulate effects parameters individually
  • Arpeggiator with retrigger on key press
  • Better integration with GarageBand and other DAWs

SynthMaster 2

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Presets not loading correctly
  • Modulation not working after loading project
  • Skin resets to default
  • App crashes frequently

Requested features

2 requests
  • Pitch bend/glide for imported samples
  • Integration with AUM audio mixer

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Factory

One-time1
  • Factory Full Version$24.99
32 purchases

SynthMaster 2

One-time32
  • BigTone Tableworks Vol.2$1.99
  • Burak Yeter Synth Sounds Vol1$1.99
  • Aiyn Zahev Expansion 1$1.99
Show 29 more
  • BigTone Tableworks Vol.1$1.99
  • Michael Kastrup Expansion$1.99
  • EDM Stars Volume 1$1.99
  • Nori Ubukata Pop Hits Vol.4$1.99
  • Rob Lee EDM Expansion Vol.2$1.99
  • Alonso Sound Future Rave$1.99
  • Nori Ubukata Pop Hits Vol.1$1.99
  • BigTone Techno Bits Vol.1$1.99
  • Club Sequences Vol.1$2.99
  • Historical Synth Giants Vol.3$2.99
  • Dawn of Electronic Music Vol.2$2.99
  • Nori Ubukata Art Rock Basics$2.99
  • BigTone Analog Basics 02$4.99
  • BigTone Analog Basics$4.99
  • BigTone Signature Sounds Vol.1$4.99
  • NU Sounds of the World$4.99
  • Historical Synth Giants Vol.4$4.99
  • Historical Synth Giants Vol.1$4.99
  • Historical Synth Giants Vol.2$4.99
  • Japan Vintage$4.99
  • NatLife Future Bass Sounds$4.99
  • Danyella EDM Expansion Vol.1$4.99
  • Dawn of Electronic Music Vol.1$4.99
  • Dawn of Electronic Music Vol.3$4.99
  • Rob Lee EDM Expansion Vol.3$4.99
  • Natlife Disco Funk$4.99
  • Insigne Essentials 4 Clubbin$4.99
  • Desktop Presets Upgrade$9.99
  • All Expansions Bundle$49.99

Questions

Is Factory free?
Factory is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SynthMaster 2 free?
SynthMaster 2 costs $14.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Factory or SynthMaster 2?
Factory is rated higher. Factory averages 4.9 out of 5 from 487 ratings, while SynthMaster 2 averages 4.8 from 451 ratings.
Do Factory or SynthMaster 2 have ads?
SynthMaster 2 shows ads; Factory does not.
Which is updated more often, Factory or SynthMaster 2?
Factory ships an update every 4 months, and SynthMaster 2 every 3 weeks. Most recently, Factory was updated on August 12, 2026 and SynthMaster 2 on September 23, 2026.

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