# RISCy vs Retro Synth

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: RISCy at none against Retro Synth's 3. RISCy also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.2) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 17.0). Retro Synth's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 39 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Retro Synth sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. RISCy asks for nothing beyond the download.

RISCy holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 5 respectively.

RISCy ships an update every 39 months, Retro Synth every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | RISCy | Retro Synth |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/riscy/id423084182/reviews)** | [4.2 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retro-synth-syntophone/id6754520378/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 3 | **5** |
| Positive reviews | 88.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 39 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 1 MB | 14 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Joshua Parmenter](https://appshunter.io/developer/1183665020) | [Kerem ERSU](https://appshunter.io/developer/1759709233) |

## What reviewers say

### RISCy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/riscy/id423084182)

Create unique electronic music and generative patterns with a visual synthesizer. Drag and drop tokens to build sound graphs, exploring sonic possibilities and hidden relationships. Ideal for experimental sound design.

**Highlights:** Drag and drop synthesizer interface, Live coding with limited instruction set, Build and manipulate synth graphs, Create noisy sounds and generative patterns, Discover hidden graph relationships, Reset and random start options

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Retro Synth

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retro-synth-syntophone/id6754520378)

Create authentic retro music with this vintage-inspired synthesizer app. Explore sound design with tone controls and vibrato, or upgrade for premium waveforms and studio effects. Designed for instant musical creativity, it offers a portable music-making experience.

**Highlights:** Authentic vintage sound recreation, Tone control for sound shaping, Vibrato effect for musical expression, Zero latency real-time response, Premium waveforms (Sine, Sawtooth, Triangle), Studio effects (Reverb, Delay), MIDI export

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $3.99 | per month |
| Annual Subscription | $24.99 | per year |
| Remove ads | $2.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is RISCy free?

RISCy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Retro Synth free?

Retro Synth is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, RISCy or Retro Synth?

RISCy is rated higher. RISCy averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Retro Synth averages 4.2 from 5 ratings.

### Do RISCy or Retro Synth have ads?

Neither RISCy nor Retro Synth shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, RISCy or Retro Synth?

RISCy ships an update every 39 months, and Retro Synth every 2 months. Most recently, RISCy was updated on November 1, 2026 and Retro Synth on October 30, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*