Comparison

Retro Synth vs jAmpler

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

jAmpler

Record, import, and manipulate audio samples with a versatile instrument plugin. Create unique sounds using granular synthesis and a wide array of effects. Assign samples to a keyboard for intuitive musical performance.

Highlights
  • Record and import audio samples
  • Assign samples to keyboard keys
  • Granular synthesis controls
  • Extensive per-sample editing
  • Global effects suite
  • Adjustable velocity curve and temperament
Features
Read full description

jAmpler is a sample-based instrument plugin for iOS and macOS, designed as an Audio Unit v3 (AUv3) instrument. It enables you to record, import, assign, and manipulate samples with a rich set of controls and global effects — all accessible in a compact, intuitive interface. Features: * 4 banks, each with 8 samples. * Each sample is represented by a unique color. * Record samples directly using your device’s built-in microphone. * Import audio files to use as samples. * Assign samples to keyboard keys using their color codes. * Detailed controls per sample: - Copy, paste, and trim samples. - ADSR envelope (Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release). - Crossfade and crossfade overlap for seamless looping. - Octave shifting and drive/distortion. - Filter and pitch shift options. - Granular synthesis controls (wet, density, size, spray, stereo spread, window shape). * Global effects: - Velocity Controlled Filter. - Low Frequency Oscillator. - Compressor. - Distortion. - Equalizer. - Chorus. - Cabinet. - Reverb. * Adjustable velocity curve and keyboard temperament.

Screenshots

Retro Synth4 screens
jAmpler4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: jAmpler at 4 against Retro Synth's 2. jAmpler also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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 jAmpler 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 — 4.2 for Retro Synth against 4.2 for jAmpler. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 6 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Retro Synth ships an update every 2 months, jAmpler every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Retro Synth versus jAmpler: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRetro SynthjAmpler
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (5 ratings) — better4.2 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews—60.0% of reviews
Number of ratings56 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB1.4 GB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKerem ERSUJan Maes

Customer experience

Retro Synth

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

jAmpler

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Retro Synth

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

jAmpler

One-time1
  • jAmpler Activation$7.99

Questions

Is Retro Synth free?
Retro Synth is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is jAmpler free?
jAmpler is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Retro Synth or jAmpler?
Retro Synth is rated higher. Retro Synth averages 4.2 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while jAmpler averages 4.2 from 6 ratings.
Do Retro Synth or jAmpler have ads?
Neither Retro Synth nor jAmpler shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Retro Synth or jAmpler?
Retro Synth ships an update every 2 months, and jAmpler every 3 months. Most recently, Retro Synth was updated on November 9, 2026 and jAmpler on October 31, 2026.

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