Tabletop vs Syntorial
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
Syntorial
Learn to program synthesizer patches by ear with interactive challenges and video demonstrations. This app focuses on practical sound design, teaching you how each control affects sound and how to recreate sounds you hear.
- Interactive programming challenges
- Video demonstrations
- Built-in soft synth
- Ear training for sound recognition
- Practical application of synth controls
- Quizzes for retention
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* WE'VE RELEASED A NEW & IMPROVED VERSION OF SYNTORIAL IN THE APP STORE. JUST SEARCH "SYNTORIAL 2" * Syntorial is a synthesizer training app, that will teach you how to program synth patches by ear. By combining video demonstrations with interactive challenges, you’ll get hands on experience programming patches on a built-in soft synth, and learn everything you need to know to start making your own sounds with ease. "Syntorial is the most direct route between hearing a sound in your head and knowing how to bring it to life." - Electronic Musician Magazine "The most comprehensive and fun tool for learning synthesizer programming, hands down." - Keyboard Magazine “The best training in synth sound-design we’ve come across. A unique and fun way to train your ears in re-creating synth sounds.” - MusicTech Magazine * Electronic Musician Editor's Choice 2014 * HIGHLIGHTS • Interactive Learning: Syntorial doesn’t just show you how synth programming works. It engages you in Interactive Challenges in which you program patches on a built-in synth. You aren’t just learning how to design sound, you are becoming a sound designer. • For Musicians, Not Physicists: Instead of talking about the science and physics behind synthesizers, Syntorial will show you how each control effects sound, as well as when, why and how you would use them when designing sounds. This is information that you can immediately apply to real-life situations. • It's All About The Ear: One step at a time, Syntorial trains your ear to recognize how each control shapes and manipulates sound. By the end of the program you’ll be able to take the sounds you hear and re-create them, completely by ear. LESSON SPECS • Challenges: Learn by doing! Complete challenges by programming patches with Syntorial’s built-in synth. • Videos: Everything is taught through video demonstrations using the same synth that you’ll use in the challenges. • Patches: Program, program, program. After all, that’s what it’s all about, right? By the end you will have programmed tons of patches, from simple to complex, familiar to strange. • Quizzes: Multiple choice questions to help you retain and remember everything you learn. • On Your Own: Syntorial will give you periodic tasks to be carried out on your own with whatever synth(s) you use. SYNTH SPECS • Subtractive synthesis • Three Oscillators (Two with Waveform, Pitch, Pulse Width, and Mix controls, and a Sub oscillator with Waveform and Volume controls) • Saw, Pulse, Triangle and Sine waveforms • FM knob • Noise Oscillator • Oscillator Sync • Filter (Low, Band and High Pass) with Resonance and Key Tracking • ADSR Filter Envelope • ADSR Amp Envelope • AD Modulation Envelope • LFO with four waveforms, seven destinations, rate, amount, trigger, and mono/poly modes • Mono and Poly Voice Modes • Portamento • Unison with Voice, Detune and Spread controls • Ring Modulation • Distortion, Chorus, Phaser, Delay, and Reverb effects • Mod Wheel, Pitch Wheel and Velocity controls FREE VS UPGRADE The free app comes with the first 22 Lessons, additional Lesson Pack samples, as well as Syntorial's fully featured synth. Upgrade to get: • All 199 Lessons, including 129 Challenges, 147 Videos, and 706 Patches covering the most common synthesis parameters. • Additional Lesson Packs covering Massive, Sylenth1, Cakewalk Z3TA+ 2 and Minimoog Voyager, each containing 30+ videos. More Lesson Packs planned for the future. • Pay once and get access to all of the above on iPad, Mac and PC. Sync your progress across all 3 platforms. Train where you want, when you want, and how you want. • Plugin version of Syntorial's synth, Primer. Program, record and play Primer in your favorite desktop recording software. VST (Mac/PC) and AU (Mac). Syntorial: A New Way To Learn Synthesis
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Syntorial at 4.9 against Tabletop's 3.3. Syntorial also leads on review sentiment (95% vs 54%) and ratings volume (273 vs 85). Tabletop's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 5 months). On price, ads, 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
Both are free to download. Tabletop sells 11 one-off in-app purchases and Syntorial sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Syntorial holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 85 and 273 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of Tabletop's written reviews are positive against 95% of Syntorial's.
Tabletop ships an update every 3 months, Syntorial every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Tabletop | Syntorial |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.3 (85 ratings) | 4.9 (273 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 53.9% of reviews | 95.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 85 | 273 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPad | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 | 11.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.4 GB | 213 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Retronyms Inc | Audible Genius |
Customer experience
Tabletop
Syntorial
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
Syntorial
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Tabletop
- EKKO$1.99
- WHIRL$2.99
- Verve$2.99
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- 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
Syntorial
- Upgrade To Full Version$129.99








