Moby Chip vs VHS Synth | 80s Synthwave
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Moby Chip
Create old-school 8-bit chiptune music with this four-track sequencer. Design custom sounds using wavetables or noise, and edit notes with detailed controls for instruments, effects, and timing. Export your creations in various formats for use in other applications or games.
- Four-track chiptune sequencer
- User-definable wavetable oscillators
- Random pitched noise for SFX
- Sample-based timing with accurate tempos
- Per-note editing of instrument, volume, glide, pan
- Multiple export formats (WAV, AAC, CAF, M4R)
- Live playing with onscreen keyboard
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"Fantastic" - Obo Wurx "Instant buy!" - Marco Herrarte "It’s absolutely amazing. It’s perfect." - scooba17 "This is awesome. You've done an amazing job with this!" - Nico Reuel "I spent hours making music on my AMIGA, back in the day. Thanks for this APP." - alleykat "A masterpiece of its kind. - The complete package: sexy, smart, funny, and an excellent cook." - littlewoodg "Holy jeebus, I just found this app and it’s insane. It’s EXACTLY what I’ve been craving on iOS. Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!!!!" - cenz music "Best chip app. - Is a great sounding, great looking, and great quality app. Everything is intuitive. Congratulations!!!!!! I’ll be telling everyone so know about this." - Always Don't Mess With Me Moby Chip is a four track, easy to use, chiptune, music sequencer. It was designed to recreate that old-school 8-bit video game sound. Each track is monophonic and generates sound from user definable, 4-bit 32 sample wavetables, or random pitched noise for drums and sound effects. The wavetable oscillators are bandlimited, using a proprietary algorithm, calculated in real time, and modeled somewhat after the original GameBoy’s wavetable channel. Moby Chip was design with professionals in mind. It’s great for creating chiptune songs or sound effects. It has sample based timing with accurate tempos. Export options include full song or phrase with selectable tracks and four file formats: wav, AAC/m4a, caf, ringtone/m4r. Exported audio files are ready to use without editing. Drop them into your favorite App such as Ableton Live, Apple Logic Pro X, or use them in a video game. These files can be accessed outside the Moby Chip App in the Apple Files App or accessed through iTunes File Sharing or in the Finder (MacOS 10.15 and newer). Moby Chip can be played live. Plunk out a tune on the onscreen keyboard with accompanying music provided by the Notes Grid (main screen) or the Song Editor. And like the music trackers of old, each note of each track can be individually edited. The instrument, octave, volume, glide (portamento), pan (including old-school delay stereo effect), arpeggiated chords, and trill effects, can all be adjusted per note. And one of my favorites, the Notes Grid supports triplets. You can find in-depth information in the included manual. But don’t let that keep you from jumping in and trying it out. Also, eight song examples are included in the app to learn from. Have a whale of a time!
VHS Synth | 80s Synthwave
This app creates unique synth sounds by recording classic synths to VHS tape and then resampling them. It offers a vast library of presets and effects to achieve lo-fi, retro vibes for various music genres. An AUv3 plugin and standalone app are included.
- VHS-recorded and resampled synths
- Over 280+ presets
- Standalone app and AUv3 plugin
- VCR sound effects
- VCR FX section for customization
- Free expansion pack included
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VHS Synth features synths recorded with a VCR, then resampled. Perfect for Synthwave, Hip Hop, Indie, Rock, Movie Soundtracks, Lo-Fi, Ambient, Vaporwave, Retro Pop, and more. Create instant lo-fi and cool retro vibes. Press a key. Elevate your music. Includes over 280+ Presets by Jakob haQ, Red Sky Lullaby, The GarageBand Guide, DJ Puzzle, Sound of Izrael, DJ Montra, Marc Hupkens, AnalogMatthew, JEC, Da Fingaz, Brian Funk, and more. "BEST Lo-Fi instrument I’ve ever played, seriously good sounds!" - The SoundTest Room "VHS Synth is a Retrowave dream!" - iPad Loops "Turns Your iOS Device Into An 80s Time Machine" - Synthtopia Classic Synths were recorded to VHS Tape with a VCR, then re-sampled. "VHS Synth is the ULTIMATE Retro Synth App" - The GarageBand Guide FEATURES: • Standalone app + iOS AUv3 Plugin • Over 280+ presets to inspire you • Compressed to under 140mb to save space • VCR Sound Effects (Buttons, Tape Hiss, More) • VCR FX section to customize the sounds • FREE Expansion Pack: OP-1 recorded with a VCR ++ iPhone & iPad version included for one low price Real analog feel and dirt. Vintage hardware was recorded into a VCR and then re-sampled. Subscribe to access to premium app features; subscription details are the following: - Length: weekly or yearly - Free trial: only on selected subscriptions - Your payment will be charged to your iTunes Account as soon as you confirm your purchase - You can manage your subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal from your Account Settings after the purchase - Your subscription will renew automatically, unless you turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours before the end of the current period - The cost of renewal will be charged to your account in the 24 hours prior to the end of the current period - When canceling a subscription, your subscription will stay active until the end of the period. Auto-renewal will be disabled, but the current subscription will not be refunded - Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when purchasing a subscription Terms & Conditions: [https://magic-cake-e95.notion.site/VHS-Synth-80s-Synthwave-Terms-Conditions-150cf6557a0880aca270f4f8ccee8d3e?pvs=4](https://www.notion.so/VHS-Synth-80s-Synthwave-Terms-Conditions-150cf6557a0880aca270f4f8ccee8d3e?pvs=21) Privacy Policy: [https://magic-cake-e95.notion.site/VHS-Synth-80s-Synthwave-Privacy-Policy-150cf6557a088019bec6ccb33ae5bb09?pvs=4](https://www.notion.so/VHS-Synth-80s-Synthwave-Privacy-Policy-150cf6557a088019bec6ccb33ae5bb09?pvs=21) * NOTE: This app has no official affiliation with AudioKit Pro, LLC. It was built using the free AudioKit source code.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Moby Chip at 100% against VHS Synth | 80s Synthwave's 51%. Moby Chip also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 4). VHS Synth | 80s Synthwave's advantage is price (Free vs $7.99) and ratings volume (132 vs 8). On update cadence 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
VHS Synth | 80s Synthwave is free to download; Moby Chip costs $7.99 up front. VHS Synth | 80s Synthwave sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Moby Chip asks for nothing beyond the download.
Moby Chip holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: VHS Synth | 80s Synthwave has 132 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Moby Chip's written reviews are positive against 51% of VHS Synth | 80s Synthwave's.
Moby Chip ships an update every 3 weeks, VHS Synth | 80s Synthwave every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on June 4, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Moby Chip | VHS Synth | 80s Synthwave |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $7.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (8 ratings) — better | 4.0 (132 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 51.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 8 | 132 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid — better | Subscription |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.6 — better | 14.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 51 MB | 167 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Binary Square, Inc. | Audiobus Pty Ltd |
Customer experience
Moby Chip
VHS Synth | 80s Synthwave
Bugs and requests
Moby Chip
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
VHS Synth | 80s Synthwave
Reported bugs
11 issues- GarageBand compatibility broken after updates
- App not recognized in Logic Pro after updates
- Inconsistent sound quality across different registers
- Patch/preset settings not retained after closing DAW
- Audio Unit Extension crashes in GarageBand
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- Duplicate track sounds different from original
- Display shows 'Welcome' instead of loaded patch
- Thin black keys difficult to hit on keyboard
- Missing top C key on keyboard
- Sounds inconsistent when exported from GarageBand
- App disappears from projects after ownership change
Requested features
7 requests- Mac OS version for DAW compatibility
- Velocity sensitivity settings for keyboard
- Pitch bend and modulation wheels with actual functionality
- Better keyboard design with proper key sizing
- Improved UI layout to reduce wasted space in AUv3 mode
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- Access to original synth parameters instead of sample-based playback
- Direct routing to IAA output for FL Studio Mobile
In-app purchases
Moby Chip
No in-app purchases
VHS Synth | 80s Synthwave
- Weekly premium7 Days trial$2.997 Days
- Weekly premium$2.997 Days
- Yearly premium$9.991 Year
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- Yearly premium7 Days trial$9.991 Year








