Comparison

EduSynth vs LuSID Synthesizer

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

EduSynth

Explore the world of subtractive synthesis with an interactive educational tool. Learn about oscillators, filters, and envelopes through hands-on experimentation and guided lessons. Connect MIDI controllers or use your keyboard to play and create sounds.

Highlights
  • Interactive subtractive synthesis engine
  • Three oscillators with multiple waveforms
  • Classic Moog-style ladder filter
  • Dual ADSR envelopes
  • Built-in learning modules
  • MIDI controller support
Read full description

EduSynth is an educational synthesizer for iOS and macOS that teaches you the fundamentals of subtractive synthesis — by letting you play one. Built around a real-time C++ DSP engine modeled after the classic Moog architecture, EduSynth gives you three oscillators, a 24dB/octave ladder filter, dual ADSR envelopes, an LFO, and a mixer — all with a clean, intuitive interface designed for learning. PLAY & EXPLORE • Three oscillators with saw, square, triangle, and sine waveforms • Classic Moog ladder low-pass filter with resonance and self-oscillation • Separate filter and amplitude ADSR envelopes • LFO with multiple shapes and modulation targets (pitch, filter, amplitude, PWM) • Portamento with off, on, and legato modes • 10+ factory presets to get you started instantly LEARN AS YOU GO • Built-in Learn window with chapters covering signal flow, oscillators, filters, envelopes, LFO, and more • Interactive info popovers on every section explaining what each knob does • Visual signal flow strip showing how sound moves through the synth • Chapters on digital audio fundamentals and real-time audio programming CONNECT & PERFORM • Full MIDI support — connect any MIDI controller • MIDI settings window with per-device enable/disable and live activity monitor • Computer keyboard input — play notes without any hardware • Autoplay mode with selectable demo melodies DESIGNED FOR LEARNING EduSynth is perfect for music production students, audio programming enthusiasts, sound design beginners, and anyone curious about how synthesizers actually work. Every parameter is explained in plain language, and the Learn window goes deeper into the theory and code behind the sound. Available in English and Italian.

About

LuSID Synthesizer

Create synthwave music with a powerful, intuitive synthesizer. Features a multi-voice engine, versatile filter, built-in sequencer, and a range of effects. Record and share your creations easily.

Highlights
  • Eight-voice polyphony with unison
  • Audio-rate filter envelope
  • Built-in 4-64 step sequencer
  • Tape-style delay, chorus, distortion, reverb
  • Neon Liquid-Glass interface
  • Record and share WAV files
Features
Read full description

LuSID Synthesizer — a SID-inspired SwiftUI synth with a synthwave heart. Eight-voice polyphony with detune-and-spread unison, audio-rate filter envelope, classic SID-flavoured ring modulation and pulse-width modulation, plus a built-in 4 to 64-step sequencer and tape-style delay, chorus, distortion, and lush reverb. Wrapped in a neon Liquid-Glass interface that matches what's playing — magenta sequencer steps that bloom lime when active, a gradient cyan oscilloscope that traces your output in real time, and a synthwave horizon that rolls under the step grid. FOUR TABS SYNTH — oscillator (triangle, sawtooth, square, noise) with PolyBLEP anti-aliasing. Custom Cytomic state-variable filter (low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, notch) with drive and self-oscillating resonance. Audio-rate filter envelope. LFO with pitch, cutoff, PWM, and pan destinations. Ring modulation. Distortion (lo-fi, broken, cubed, bitcrush, mangled). Chorus. Delay. Reverb (plate, room, hall, cathedral). Big rotary knobs, all the modulation routing visible. SEQUENCER — 4 to 64 steps. Tap-to-place notes with the chromatic note picker. Per-step ratchets (1x, 2x, 3x) and held-legato notes for gate-length variation. Tempo from 60 to 440 BPM, gate length 5 to 150 percent of step. KEYBOARD — two-octave touch piano with multi-touch chords and slide-to-play, velocity slider, octave switcher (C2 to C6). RECORD — capture everything you hear (filter, drive, delay, reverb, the full chain) to a WAV file in the app's Documents folder, then share via the iOS share sheet. 5 to 60 seconds per take. LuSID is built for the moments when you want to make sound, not learn software. No menus, no preset hunting, no tutorials. Tap a step, sweep a knob, hold a key. The app treats every parameter as performance. NO ACCOUNTS. NO ANALYTICS. NO TRACKING. NO ADS. LuSID does not collect any data, make any network requests, or contain any third-party SDKs. Recordings stay on your device until you choose to share them.

Screenshots

EduSynth3 screens
LuSID Synthesizer4 screens

Verdict

The call

EduSynth and LuSID Synthesizer are too close to call on the numbers: across 8 compared parameters — price, rating, ratings volume and ads among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for EduSynth against 5.0 for LuSID Synthesizer. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
EduSynth versus LuSID Synthesizer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEduSynthLuSID Synthesizer
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better1
Update frequency—Every 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.4
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDavide FiorinoLukasz Pomianek

Customer experience

EduSynth

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

LuSID Synthesizer

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

EduSynth

No in-app purchases

None

LuSID Synthesizer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is EduSynth free?
EduSynth is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is LuSID Synthesizer free?
LuSID Synthesizer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, EduSynth or LuSID Synthesizer?
EduSynth and LuSID Synthesizer are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do EduSynth or LuSID Synthesizer have ads?
Neither EduSynth nor LuSID Synthesizer shows ads.

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