LuSID Synthesizer vs TinyTone
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
TinyTone
Create professional synth patches for music production and live performance. Design sounds in real-time with a powerful synthesizer engine, dual oscillators, and extensive modulation options. Export and import patches, and use it as an AUv3 plugin in DAWs.
- Powerful synthesizer engine
- Dual oscillators with FM synthesis
- Real-time audition with touch pads
- External MIDI keyboard support
- Unlimited user patch storage
- AUv3 Audio Unit support
- JSON export/import for patches
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TinyTone is a full-featured synthesizer sound source for iPhone sound design, stage performance, and recording. Using the on-screen controllers and a MIDI keyboard, you can design and monitor professional synth patches in real time. In addition to standalone app use, ToneEditor can also be loaded as an AUv3 Audio Unit into DAWs such as GarageBand and used as a sound source. It also works as a sound editor for its sister app, TinyTone, allowing you to reproduce consistent sounds with the same sound engine. <Features> ・Powerful Synthesizer Engine Equipped with dual oscillators, envelopes, filters, modulation, delay, limiter, and more. Enables complex sound design. Dual Oscillators with FM Synthesis, switch between Mix and Chain modes for rich tonal possibilities. ・Real-Time Audition Play single notes, chords, and transposition using touch pads. Hear sound changes instantly as you adjust sliders. External input via MIDI keyboard is also supported. ・Preset Management Unlimited user patch storage. ・JSON Export / Import Export patches as JSON. Share via Files app or clipboard. ・AUv3 Support Can be embedded as an AU instrument in DAWs like GarageBand. Reproduces consistent sounds with the same synthesis engine. <How to Use> 【Standalone】 1. Select a preset or start creating from a new patch. 2. Play sounds using the test pad at the bottom of the screen; adjust parameters with sliders to confirm real-time sound changes. 3. Save your created patch to a user slot. 【Using with DAWs (GarageBand, etc.)】 1. Add TinyTone (AU) to a track. 2. Select a factory preset or saved patch from the AU preset selection screen. 3. Play the DAW keyboard to output sound. <Important> ・When using simultaneously with camera or audio apps, noise may occur depending on your environment. Please be careful with output volume. ・Listening to loud audio for extended periods can affect your hearing. When using headphones or speakers, always check your surroundings and volume level. ・Some DAWs (e.g. Ableton Live 11) may not detect iOS-app AUv3 plug-ins. Logic Pro, MainStage, and GarageBand are recommended. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://flicker-jp.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: TinyTone at weekly against LuSID Synthesizer's every 2 months. 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for LuSID Synthesizer against 5.0 for TinyTone. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.
LuSID Synthesizer ships an update every 2 months, TinyTone weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | LuSID Synthesizer | TinyTone |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.4 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Lukasz Pomianek | KEISUKE TONE |
Customer experience
LuSID Synthesizer
TinyTone
In-app purchases
LuSID Synthesizer
No in-app purchases
TinyTone
No in-app purchases









