Comparison

Retro Synth vs GORILLA SYNTH

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

Head to head
About

Retro Synth

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
Read full description

Play a real pocket stylophone — then plug it straight into GarageBand. Retro Synth · Syntophone turns your device into a vintage touch-keyboard synthesizer, and now works as an AUv3 instrument inside GarageBand, Logic Pro, and AUM. Slide your finger across the keys and a warm, authentic square-wave synth comes to life. Learn built-in songs with light-up "follow the key" tutorials, record your ideas, and drop the instrument into your favorite music app — all from one tiny synth. Like the original, it plays one note at a time: one stylus, one note. Curious about Pro? Tap any locked sound and hear it free for 30 seconds. FREE FEATURES (Included at no cost): • Authentic Vintage Sound: faithfully recreates that iconic square-wave tone with modern precision. • Song Mode: learn songs with light-up "follow the key" tutorials, hold-to-repeat for repeated notes, and a star rating when you finish (2 songs free). • My Recordings: a full library to play back, rename, share, and delete your takes. • Metronome: a sample-accurate click with adjustable BPM and an accented downbeat to keep you in time. • AUv3 Instrument: use Syntophone as a plug-in inside GarageBand, Logic Pro, AUM and other AUv3 hosts. • Sound Controls: shape your tone from thin and bright to thick and warm, and add expression with vibrato. • Real-time Response: instant, zero-latency audio as you play. • Clean, minimalist design inspired by vintage hardware. SYNTOPHONE PRO (subscription): Upgrade to unlock the full studio: • Premium Waveforms: Sine, Sawtooth, and Triangle. • Studio Effects: high-quality Reverb and Delay. • Pro Sound Panel: a second detuned oscillator for a fatter analog tone, hands-on delay time & feedback controls, and live MIDI output — play GarageBand and other synth apps as a virtual MIDI keyboard. • 12 more built-in songs to learn. • MIDI Export: save and share your recordings as .mid files. WHY SYNTOPHONE? No setup, no menus to fight — open the app and make music immediately. Then, when you're ready, it becomes a plug-in in your studio. Note: The app includes an auto-renewable subscription (Syntophone Pro) for premium features. For Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

GORILLA SYNTH

This app offers a punchy, analog-style subtractive synthesizer for iOS, designed for fast sound design and expressive musical performance. It provides studio-quality sound with a clean interface, ideal for sketching ideas, producing tracks, or live playing.

Highlights
  • Dual oscillators with sub and noise
  • Classic ladder filter
  • Dual ADSR envelopes
  • Duophonic mode with glide
  • LFO modulation
  • Touch-optimized controls
  • AUv3 instrument support
Features
Read full description

GORILLA - Analog-Style Subtractive Synth GORILLA is a focused, punchy analog-style subtractive synthesizer designed for fast sound design and expressive play on iOS. Built for musicians, producers, and sound designers, Gorilla delivers studio-quality sound in a clean, performance-ready interface — whether you’re sketching ideas, producing tracks, or playing live. Key Features: - Dual oscillators with sub and noise - Classic ladder filter - Dual ADSR envelopes (Filter + Amp) - Duophonic mode with glide - LFO for pitch, filter, and PWM modulation - Touch-optimized performance controls - Built-in spectrum / EQ visualizer - AUv3 instrument support - CoreMIDI & Bluetooth MIDI - Designed for iPhone and iPad Gorilla is intentionally focused — no clutter, no distractions. Just fast access to powerful sound shaping and expressive control. Designed for mobility. Built for creation.

Screenshots

Retro Synth4 screens
GORILLA SYNTH4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Retro Synth at Free against GORILLA SYNTH's $4.99. GORILLA SYNTH's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.2) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). On ads and device support 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

Retro Synth is free to download; GORILLA SYNTH costs $4.99 up front. Retro Synth sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. GORILLA SYNTH asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

GORILLA SYNTH holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 22 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Retro Synth ships an update every 2 months, GORILLA SYNTH every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Retro Synth versus GORILLA SYNTH: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRetro SynthGORILLA SYNTH
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating4.2 (5 ratings)4.9 (22 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—87.5% of reviews
Number of ratings522 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKerem ERSUSteffen Mølgaard Larsen

Customer experience

Retro Synth

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

GORILLA SYNTH

All ratings22 ratings
Positive95.5%
Neutral4.5%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive87.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Retro Synth

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription$3.991 Month
  • Annual Subscription$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Remove ads$2.99
None

GORILLA SYNTH

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Retro Synth free?
Retro Synth is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is GORILLA SYNTH free?
GORILLA SYNTH costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Retro Synth or GORILLA SYNTH?
GORILLA SYNTH is rated higher. Retro Synth averages 4.2 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while GORILLA SYNTH averages 4.9 from 22 ratings.
Do Retro Synth or GORILLA SYNTH have ads?
Neither Retro Synth nor GORILLA SYNTH shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Retro Synth or GORILLA SYNTH?
Retro Synth ships an update every 2 months, and GORILLA SYNTH every 3 weeks. Most recently, Retro Synth was updated on October 25, 2026 and GORILLA SYNTH on October 28, 2026.

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