Comparison

Retro Synth vs ToneKnob TinyAmp

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

ToneKnob TinyAmp

Features
Read full description

The world’s tiniest 4-channel guitar amp plugin — now with a built-in backing track player and idea recorder. From clean jazz tones to classic rock crunch and modern metal leads, TinyAmp gives you studio-ready amp sounds in a single knob turn. Featuring built-in cab sims, ambience, and smart practice tools, it’s perfect for home practice, quick songwriting, demos, and capturing inspiration whenever it strikes. TinyAmp needs an external audio interface (e.g. iRig) to process your guitar signal.

Screenshots

Retro Synth4 screens
ToneKnob TinyAmp4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: ToneKnob TinyAmp at monthly against Retro Synth's every 2 months. ToneKnob TinyAmp also leads on iOS requirement (13 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Retro Synth sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and ToneKnob TinyAmp sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Retro Synth ships an update every 2 months, ToneKnob TinyAmp monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Retro Synth versus ToneKnob TinyAmp: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRetro SynthToneKnob TinyAmp
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (5 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.013 — better
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB97 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKerem ERSUAUDIFIED

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Retro Synth

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription$3.991 Month
  • Annual Subscription$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Remove ads$2.99
1 purchases

ToneKnob TinyAmp

One-time1
  • ToneKnob TinyAmp Full Version$12.99

Questions

Is Retro Synth free?
Retro Synth is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ToneKnob TinyAmp free?
ToneKnob TinyAmp is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Retro Synth or ToneKnob TinyAmp have ads?
Neither Retro Synth nor ToneKnob TinyAmp shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Retro Synth or ToneKnob TinyAmp?
Retro Synth ships an update every 2 months, and ToneKnob TinyAmp monthly. Most recently, Retro Synth was updated on November 9, 2026 and ToneKnob TinyAmp on November 5, 2026.

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