Comparison

Retro Synth vs Jynth

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

Jynth

This music app recreates the warm, analog sound of a classic synth with a unique physics engine for organic soundscapes. Explore vintage tones, advanced modulation, and innovative performance features like assigning different presets to individual notes.

Highlights
  • Analog-style signal chain
  • Physics-driven modulation
  • Preset Per Note & Preset Ribbon
  • 5 studio-grade effects
  • AUv3 plugin support
  • MIDI controller integration
Read full description

Meet Jynth, the new synth by Fingerlab for iPhone, iPad and Mac — the warm, analog soul of the iconic Roland Juno-106, reimagined with a groundbreaking Physics Engine for organic, living sound. Designed for leads, basses, keys & pads, Jynth delivers that classic vintage character you love — housed in a meticulously crafted, photo-realistic interface that looks as good as it sounds. Shape your sound with a full analog-style signal chain: From the dual oscillators and resonant VCF filter to the ADSR envelope, LFO and built-in arpeggiator — every parameter has been carefully tuned to feel as musical as it sounds. Go further with 6 studio-grade effects: Tremolo, Flanger, Overdrive, Chorus, Delay & Reverb — stack them to build rich, evolving textures and cinematic soundscapes. Bring your presets to life with the Physics Engine: This is where Jynth truly stands apart. Assign up to 8 physics-driven modulations to any synth or effect parameter. Gravity, bounce, impulse, angle — let the laws of physics shape your sound in ways no LFO ever could. Every preset becomes unique, every performance feels alive. Explore new sonic territory with Preset Per Note & Preset Ribbon: Inspired by the music of Aphex Twin, Preset Per Note lets you assign a different preset to each key of the piano keyboard — so every note triggers an entirely different sound. Take it further with Preset Ribbon: select a collection of presets and glide between them in real time, simply by sliding your finger across the ribbon. A new way to perform. A new way to play. Play anywhere, plug into anything: Jynth is universal — one purchase gives you the full experience on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Use it as a standalone app or load it as an AudioUnit (AUv3) plugin directly inside your favorite DAW. Pair it with your MIDI controller via MIDI In support, and your sound is always there — even when your screen is off, thanks to Audio Background mode. Unlock the Full Version to access preset creation, all factory presets, FX, Physics Engine, Randomizer, Undo, Preset Per Note & Preset Ribbon. Features: Synth Engine • VCO with Pulse Width Modulation — Square, Saw, Sub & Noise oscillators • High-Pass Filter • VCF Filter with Frequency, Resonance, Envelope, LFO & Keyboard tracking • LFO with Rate, Delay & Depth • VCA Gate mode • Full ADSR Envelope • Glide (Portamento) • Arpeggiator with Tempo, Pattern, Step Division, Octave Range & Gate Effects • 6 FX: Tremolo, Flanger, Overdrive, Chorus, Delay & Reverb Physics Engine • 8 independent physics-based modulation scenes • Per-stage controls: Speed, Gravity, Bounce, Impulse, Angle & more • Assignable to any synth or FX parameter Preset Per Note • Assign a different preset to each key of the keyboard • Autofill with random presets by category Preset Ribbon • Select a collection of presets and glide between them in real time • Switch sounds on the fly while playing • Perfect for live performance Workflow • 100 factory presets • Preset Randomizer • Preset Import & Export • Undo • Live Audio Recording • Full MIDI & MIDI Mapping • Audio Background support • AudioUnit (AUv3) support • Universal: iPad, iPhone & Mac Questions or feedback? We'd love to hear from you: contact@fingerlab.net Enjoy Jynth! Fingerlab Team

Screenshots

Retro Synth4 screens
Jynth4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Jynth at every 2 weeks against Retro Synth's every 2 months. Jynth also leads on device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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 Jynth 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 4.1 for Jynth. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 12 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Retro Synth ships an update every 2 months, Jynth every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Retro Synth versus Jynth: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRetro SynthJynth
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (5 ratings) — better4.1 (12 ratings)
Positive reviews—71.4% of reviews
Number of ratings512 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB33 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKerem ERSUFingerlab

Customer experience

Retro Synth

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

Jynth

All ratings12 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral8.3%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive71.4%
Neutral14.3%
Negative14.3%

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

Jynth

One-time1
  • Full Version$9.99

Questions

Is Retro Synth free?
Retro Synth is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Jynth free?
Jynth is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Retro Synth or Jynth?
Retro Synth is rated higher. Retro Synth averages 4.2 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Jynth averages 4.1 from 12 ratings.
Do Retro Synth or Jynth have ads?
Neither Retro Synth nor Jynth shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Retro Synth or Jynth?
Retro Synth ships an update every 2 months, and Jynth every 2 weeks. Most recently, Retro Synth was updated on October 25, 2026 and Jynth on October 24, 2026.

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