Comparison

The Oscillator vs Viking Synth

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

Head to head
About

The Oscillator

Generate tones and noise with adjustable lowpass filters and panning. Choose from sine, triangle, sawtooth, and square waveforms. Precisely tune frequencies in Hz or MIDI notes.

Highlights
  • Two oscillators
  • One noise generator
  • Individual lowpass filters
  • Panning control
  • Four waveforms (sine, triangle, sawtooth, square)
  • Precise frequency tuning (Hz/MIDI)
  • Audiobus and Inter-App Audio support
Features
Read full description

Simple and elegant tone generator with two Oscillators and one Noise generator, each with individual lowpass filters. The oscillators also has panning, and can produce one of four waveforms: sine, triangle, sawtooth and square. The oscillator frequencies can be tuned precisely in Hz or fractional MIDI note pitch. Use it for testing purposes or to make old-school electronic drone music. Supports Audiobus and Inter-App Audio: Stream the audio output in real time into other compatible apps!

About

Viking Synth

This app emulates a classic monophonic analog synthesizer with advanced DSP technology. It features three variable wave oscillators, dual ladder filters, an LFO, and two modulation busses for versatile sound design. An intuitive interface and extensive preset library make it ideal for creating thick bass and rich lead sounds.

Highlights
  • Three continuously variable wave oscillators
  • Dual ladder filters (Lowpass/Highpass)
  • Multi-wave LFO
  • Two modulation busses
  • Intuitive user interface with expandable controls
  • 228 presets including Bass, Lead, and Synthwave
  • State-of-the-art DSP for authentic sound
Read full description

Viking Synth is an authentic emulation of a classic monophonic analog synthesizer. It has three continuously variable wave oscillators, two ladder filters with a Dual Lowpass or Highpass/Lowpass configuration, a multi-wave LFO, and two modulation busses. Viking Synth uses state of the art DSP technology to accurately reproduce the sound of the hardware. You get a desktop quality plug-in at an iOS friendly price. Viking Synth is an Audio Unit Extension Instrument (AUv3) that works as a plug-in inside host apps. Just open up your favorite host that supports Audio Unit Instruments and select it from the list of available Audio Units. Compatible with GarageBand, Cubasis, Auria, BeatMaker, AudioBus, AUM, Modstep, and more. The user interface of Viking Synth is designed for quick and intuitive control. Knobs and sliders expand during tweaking and are designed so the current value isn't hidden below your finger. The six pages divide the synth into logical sections that can be accessed quickly. The filter display acts as an XY pad for controlling cutoff and resonance. Simply double tap a knob or slider to reset it to its default value. Presets Viking Synth comes with 228 presets in the categories Bass, Bright Lead, Electro Bass, FX, Percussive Lead, Soft Lead, and Synthwave. The synth excels at thick bass and rich lead sounds. The 50 Electro Bass and 50 Synthwave presets were designed by renowned sound designer eXode. Presets work perfectly with GarageBand, Cubasis, and AUM. Oscillators At the heart of Viking are three adjustable wave oscillators. The continuously variable waveform knob gives the oscillators a unique sound that can’t be achieved with the fixed waveforms found in most synths. A noise oscillator provides three types of noise, one specifically modeled after the hardware. Modulation Two modulation busses and an LFO provide flexible modulation capabilities. All of the options hidden deep in menus on the hardware are immediately accessible with one tap. Filters The filters are classic transistor ladder filters modeled meticulously. Two DSP varieties are available allowing for either reduced CPU load or soft clipping plus three additional overdriven modes. The number of poles is adjustable for a wider range of filter sounds. Compare Viking to other synths: – Viking’s oscillators are free running, not sampled, wavetable based, or generated from a zero point – Viking’s oscillators use advanced techniques to avoid aliasing – Viking’s oscillators have instability, which is controllable through the tuning drift control – Viking’s nonlinear filter uses circuit modeling and provides soft clipping

Screenshots

The Oscillator4 screens
Viking Synth4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: The Oscillator at Free against Viking Synth's $3.99. The Oscillator also leads on review sentiment (85% vs 71%) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 12.0). Viking Synth's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.3). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

The Oscillator is free to download; Viking Synth costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Viking Synth holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 58 and 42 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 85% of The Oscillator's written reviews are positive against 71% of Viking Synth's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Oscillator ships an update every 5 months, Viking Synth every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
The Oscillator versus Viking Synth: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe OscillatorViking Synth
PriceFree — better$3.99
Rating4.3 (58 ratings)4.7 (42 ratings) — better
Positive reviews84.8% of reviews — better71.2% of reviews
Number of ratings58 — better42
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 4 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKymatica ABBlamsoft, Inc.

Customer experience

The Oscillator

All ratings58 ratings
Positive86.2%
Neutral3.4%
Negative10.3%
Written reviews79 reviews
Positive84.8%
Neutral5.1%
Negative10.1%

Viking Synth

All ratings42 ratings
Positive92.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews66 reviews
Positive71.2%
Neutral10.6%
Negative18.2%

User reviews

The Oscillator

From 58 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and easy to use
  • 💡 Useful for various purposes (sleep, tinnitus, testing)
  • 🎵 Good for sound experimentation
  • 🔊 Precise frequency and gain control
  • 🎚️ Multiple oscillators and noise generator

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Stopped working properly
  • 🐛 Only noise comes out
  • 🐛 Output levels wildly different
  • 🐛 Not working in new version
  • ❌ Basic and incomplete

Viking Synth

From 42 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎶 Great sound quality
  • 💡 Versatile sound options
  • 💰 Excellent value (free)
  • 💻 Lightweight and efficient
  • 🎹 Good for learning synthesis

Room to improve

  • ❓ Preset issues
  • 🔌 Not a standalone app
  • 🐛 Occasional crashes
  • 💾 Settings not saving
  • 🤷‍♂️ Difficult to find/use

Bugs and requests

The Oscillator

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Stopped working properly
  • Only noise comes out
  • Output levels wildly different
  • New version is not working
  • Can't play one osc without the other
Show 2 more
  • Doesn't support Bluetooth
  • Button labels are confusing (ON/OFF)

Requested features

18 requests
  • More functions (e.g., shorten waves, good bass)
  • Multiple layers for simultaneous playback
  • AUV3 support
  • Run in background and mix with audio
  • Four oscillators simultaneously
Show 13 more
  • Sweep function
  • LFO section for modulation
  • Pulse width control
  • Keyboard interface for chords
  • Filter
  • Third oscillator
  • Way to save setups
  • Other color noises (pink noise)
  • Higher frequencies
  • Direct frequency input via keyboard
  • Panning controls on tone generators
  • Presets for setups
  • JACK support

Viking Synth

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Presets not showing up
  • Presets disappear
  • App not showing in AUv3 menu
  • Settings not saving after iOS 14 update
  • Crashes when opening presets browser
Show 1 more
  • Saved presets not loading

Requested features

5 requests
  • More subtle drive mode
  • Categorized preset browser
  • Polyphony option
  • Dark mode
  • More apps from developer

In-app purchases

None

The Oscillator

No in-app purchases

None

Viking Synth

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Oscillator free?
The Oscillator is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Viking Synth free?
Viking Synth costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, The Oscillator or Viking Synth?
Viking Synth is rated higher. The Oscillator averages 4.3 out of 5 from 58 ratings, while Viking Synth averages 4.7 from 42 ratings.
Do The Oscillator or Viking Synth have ads?
Neither The Oscillator nor Viking Synth shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Oscillator or Viking Synth?
The Oscillator ships an update every 5 months, and Viking Synth every 4 months. Most recently, The Oscillator was updated on October 17, 2026 and Viking Synth on October 16, 2026.

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