Comparison

Tabletop vs Core Synth HD

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

Head to head
About

Tabletop

Create music with a modular studio environment. Mix and match over 40 virtual instruments, effects, and sequencers to compose songs, beats, and mashups. Expand your sound palette by purchasing additional devices.

Highlights
  • Modular music creation environment
  • Over 40 virtual instruments and effects
  • Mix and match devices
  • Create beats, songs, and mashups
  • Piano roll timeline editor
  • MIDI support
  • Share music to SoundCloud
Features
Read full description

Tabletop is an expandable studio with over a dozen included musical devices. Tabletop is a modular environment where you can mix and match different devices. Select from over 40 devices including samplers, mixers, effects, sequencers and more. Buy only the gear you need from an expanding catalog. Need help? Email support@retronyms.com and we’ll answer your questions. Retronyms has partnered with industry giants like Akai Professional and Arturia to create some of the Tabletop-Ready Apps, like iMPC, iMini, and iProphet! Using the Tabletop features of time stretching and pitch shifting, you can slice loops and time stretch them to different tempos and pitches in iMPC Pro. You can also use sliced loops from purchased AudioCopy sound packs inside Gridlock and iMPC Pro. Loops from these sound packs will automatically match the tempo of your sessions. Tabletop is an audio playground where you can create beats, compose songs, mix live, make mashups with samples from your iPod library, and more... the possibilities are endless. Plug the output of a keyboard into a delay to add an echo, or wire it up to a mixer and adjust the pan. Chain up multiple effects to create new and evolving sounds. FEATURES: • 43 devices including effects, sequencers, drum machines, and synths • 14 devices are included for free • 64 bit audio support • Access powerful Tabletop-Ready Apps • Piano Roll style timeline editor • Cut, copy, paste, duplicate, and create notes • Control Tabletop’s keyboards, drum pads, knobs, faders, and other parameters • Correct note timing with Fix to Grid • Edit note length and velocity • Undo changes and edits with Tabletop’s History Menu • Features Core MIDI Support • Works with any MIDI-compatible hardware • Customize control mapping with Midi Learn mode • Connect multiple devices • Share your music to SoundCloud and interact with other Tabletop users

About

Core Synth HD

Create music with a powerful monophonic synthesizer for iPad. Explore dual oscillators, customizable filters, and an arpeggiator. Save your custom sounds and enhance your live performances with intuitive controls.

Highlights
  • Dual overlapping oscillators
  • Four wave patterns
  • Low Pass Filter with ADSR
  • Volume Envelope Shaper (ADSR)
  • Arpeggiator with multiple modes
  • Save unlimited patches
Read full description

Top free iPad music app in 5 countries, top 10 in more than 50! Get your groove on with Core Synth HD, the definitive monophonic synthesizer for the iPad. With tons of features packed into a small package, Core Synth is great for live performing. A Pitch Wheel replicates perfectly the real thing! This free app has the following features: - Pitch Wheel - 2 Octave keyboard - Keys light up in different colors when pressed Oscillator Module - Dual overlapping oscillators - Four wave patterns: Square, Triangle, Sawtooth and Reverse Sawtooth * Select from 5 octaves * Adjust glide between notes * Fine tune Oscillator 2 with option to sync with Oscillator 1 Volume Envelope Shaper - Edit ADSR (Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release) Low Pass Filter Module - Adjust Cutoff and Resonance - Edit ADSR (Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release) Upgrade to the full version within the app for the following additional features: - 7 Octave Keyboard - Octave control to move along entire range - Modulation Wheel Patches Module - Save an unlimited number of individually named patches - Browse through your collection before applying patch - Delete unwanted patches Modulation Module - Four wave patterns: Square, Triangle, Sawtooth and Reverse Sawtooth - Modulate Filter, Pitch or Wave - Adjust LFO Rate and amount Arpeggiator Module - Arpeggio moves up to 5 octaves - Four step modes: Up, Down, Up/Down, Random - Adjust rate Many more exciting enhancements to follow! Core Synth HD includes open source code from MobileSynth developed by Allen Porter.

Verdict

The call

Tabletop and Core Synth HD both sit at 3.3 stars, but that hides the real split: 54% of Tabletop's written reviews are positive against 31% of Core Synth HD's. Tabletop also leads on ratings volume (85 vs 5). Core Synth HD's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 11.0). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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

Both are free to download. Tabletop sells 11 one-off in-app purchases and Core Synth HD sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 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 — 3.3 for Tabletop against 3.4 for Core Synth HD. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tabletop has 85 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 54% of Tabletop's written reviews are positive against 31% of Core Synth HD's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tabletop ships an update every 3 months, Core Synth HD every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Tabletop versus Core Synth HD: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTabletopCore Synth HD
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (85 ratings)3.4 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews53.9% of reviews — better30.6% of reviews
Number of ratings85 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPadiPad
Requires iOS11.08.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1.4 GB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRetronyms IncCore Engine Apps

Customer experience

Tabletop

All ratings85 ratings
Positive54.1%
Neutral9.4%
Negative36.5%
Written reviews230 reviews
Positive53.9%
Neutral13.5%
Negative32.6%

Core Synth HD

All ratings5 ratings
Positive40.0%
Neutral40.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews62 reviews
Positive30.6%
Neutral17.7%
Negative51.6%

User reviews

Tabletop

From 85 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful features
  • 👍 Intuitive interface
  • 💡 Innovative modular design
  • 🎨 Versatile music creation

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes
  • 🔋 High CPU usage
  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
  • 🔇 Poor sound quality

Core Synth HD

From 5 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Good for learning basics
  • 🎶 Nice retro sound emulation
  • 💰 Great value for free/low cost
  • 🎹 All controls visible
  • 💡 Simple and clear interface

Room to improve

  • 🔇 No sound issues
  • 🔇 Sound stopped working
  • 🔇 No sound after purchase
  • 🔇 No sound on specific iOS versions
  • 🐛 Glitching/microclicks

Bugs and requests

Tabletop

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Synth parameters not saving properly
  • Incompatibility issues with newer iOS versions
  • Unreliable audio export

Requested features

4 requests
  • MIDI support
  • Improved sequencing capabilities
  • More free sound modules
  • Waveform editing and sample management

Core Synth HD

Reported bugs

21 issues
  • No sound on iPad Pro
  • No sound on iOS 12
  • No sound since last update
  • Program doesn't start after update
  • Ad blocks view
Show 16 more
  • App crashes on load
  • App crashed frequently
  • Rarely produced sound
  • Annoying clicking noise when playing a note
  • Stopped playing notes after a while
  • App reset to free module after purchase
  • Lost saved presets after update
  • CS doesn't work after iOS6 update
  • Sound quit working suddenly
  • No sound after purchase
  • No audio on iPad 2
  • Keyboard stops making noise after playing
  • Crashes on every load
  • Clipping pops and clicks
  • Audible clicks between notes
  • Constant click with the sounds

Requested features

17 requests
  • Add MIDI support
  • Add Audiobus support
  • Add recording with copy/paste
  • Add sine wave for sub basses
  • Add polyphony option
Show 12 more
  • Add tempo sync delay, flange, chorus
  • Add bit reduction
  • Fix modulation clipping
  • Fix clicking/popping sounds
  • Add manual
  • Add more presets
  • Add noise generator
  • Add detuning on both oscillators
  • Add ability to map LFO to mod wheel
  • Add switch to turn arpeggiator on/off
  • Add Core Midi and MIDI over wifi support
  • Fix Osc Octave Text numbering

In-app purchases

11 purchases

Tabletop

One-time11
  • EKKO$1.99
  • WHIRL$2.99
  • Verve$2.99
Show 8 more
  • XFADE$2.99
  • TT-303$2.99
  • Cueboard$2.99
  • GLITCHBOARD$3.99
  • Deadbeat$3.99
  • X0X Drum Deranger$7.99
  • RS4000$9.99
  • Bundle E$24.99
1 purchases

Core Synth HD

One-time1
  • Full Version Upgrade$1.99

Questions

Is Tabletop free?
Tabletop is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Core Synth HD free?
Core Synth HD is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Tabletop or Core Synth HD?
Core Synth HD is rated higher. Tabletop averages 3.3 out of 5 from 85 ratings, while Core Synth HD averages 3.4 from 5 ratings.
Do Tabletop or Core Synth HD have ads?
Neither Tabletop nor Core Synth HD shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tabletop or Core Synth HD?
Tabletop ships an update every 3 months, and Core Synth HD every 4 months. Most recently, Tabletop was updated on October 11, 2026 and Core Synth HD on October 7, 2026.

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