Comparison

Retro Synth vs Stylloop

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

Stylloop

Features
Read full description

The Stylophone — the iconic pocket synth famously played by David Bowie — is now on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Play 4 authentic retro synthesizer models, jam with built-in drum loops, and learn real songs with guided tutorials. No experience needed. Pure analog sound, zero samples. 4 AUTHENTIC RETRO SYNTH MODELS Every note generated live — real-time synthesis, no shortcuts: · Original — Classic 50% square wave, true to the vintage S-1 · S-1 — Tight 25% pulse wave with a punchy, modern tone · GEN·X — Square wave + sub-oscillator with analog-style delay · BOWIE — Signature vibrato LFO, Bowie's sound in your pocket LEARN SONGS WITH GUIDED TUTORIALS Follow along as notes light up on screen. Use Auto-Play to hear the melody first, then take control. The easiest way to start making real music. BUILT-IN BEAT MACHINE Synthesized drum loops — no samples, pure DSP: · Lo-Fi — Chill 80 BPM groove · Retro — Upbeat 120 BPM synth-pop pattern · Metronome — Steady 100 BPM for practice RECORD, SAVE & SHARE Capture your performances with one tap and share instantly. EXPRESSION & CONTROL · Pitch wheel for smooth bends · Vibrato toggle · A2–E4 range with octave shifting · Retro dark and light themes Works on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro. No internet, no ads — just pure synthesis. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Retro Synth4 screens
Stylloop4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Stylloop at 5.0 against Retro Synth's 4.2. Stylloop also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs every 2 months). Retro Synth's advantage is ratings volume (5 vs 1). 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 Stylloop sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Stylloop holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Retro Synth has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Retro Synth ships an update every 2 months, Stylloop every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Retro Synth versus Stylloop: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRetro SynthStylloop
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (5 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings5 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 8 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKerem ERSUYakup Arslan

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Retro Synth

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

Stylloop

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Premium$2.991 Month
  • 12 Months Premium7 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$24.99

Questions

Is Retro Synth free?
Retro Synth is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Stylloop free?
Stylloop is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Retro Synth or Stylloop?
Stylloop is rated higher. Retro Synth averages 4.2 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Stylloop averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Retro Synth or Stylloop have ads?
Neither Retro Synth nor Stylloop shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Retro Synth or Stylloop?
Retro Synth ships an update every 2 months, and Stylloop every 8 days. Most recently, Retro Synth was updated on October 25, 2026 and Stylloop on October 28, 2026.

Other comparisons