Comparison

Retro Synth vs DropPad

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

DropPad

Features
Read full description

DropPad は、スマートフォンで本格的なフィンガードラミングができる低遅延・高レスポンスのパッドサンプラーです。 ビートメイクやアイデアスケッチ、指ドラ練習まで、いつでもどこでも直感的に演奏できます。 特長 - 低遅延サンプラーで快適な演奏 タップした瞬間に鳴る気持ちよさにこだわりました。 - 連打に強い「重ね鳴らし」対応 同じパッドを連続で叩いても音が途切れにくく、マシンガン連打もOK。 - PLAY / EDIT 切り替えで誤操作を防止 演奏中にうっかり設定を触ってしまう事故を減らします。 - 音源を自由に割り当て 端末内の音声ファイル(WAV/MP3/OGG)を選んで、各パッドへ簡単にセット。 - 録音してそのままパッドに配置(サンプリング) マイクから録ってすぐ鳴らせます(WAV形式で保存)。 - 3×3 / 4×4 グリッド切り替え 9パッド/16パッドを用途に応じて変更可能。 - バンク切り替え Bank A/B/C…のように複数セットを切り替えて演奏できます。 - 自動保存 音源割り当てや色変更などの編集は即座に保存され、次回起動時に復元されます。 こんな人におすすめ - ビートメーカー / フィンガードラマー - 外出先でサクッとリズムを作りたい人 - 指ドラの練習用に軽いサンプラーが欲しい人 権限について - 録音機能を使う場合、マイク権限が必要です。 - 音源を読み込む場合、ファイル/メディアへのアクセス権限が必要になることがあります。

Screenshots

Retro Synth4 screens
DropPad3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: DropPad at none against Retro Synth's 3. DropPad also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Retro Synth sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. DropPad asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Retro Synth ships an update every 2 months, DropPad daily. Both last shipped on November 9, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Retro Synth versus DropPad: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRetro SynthDropPad
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (5 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB37 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKerem ERSUArk-Networks

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

DropPad

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Retro Synth free?
Retro Synth is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DropPad free?
DropPad is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Retro Synth or DropPad have ads?
Neither Retro Synth nor DropPad shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Retro Synth or DropPad?
Retro Synth ships an update every 2 months, and DropPad daily. Most recently, Retro Synth was updated on November 9, 2026 and DropPad on November 9, 2026.

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