Vinyl Layer vs Tonic Synths
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Vinyl Layer
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Keep your music. Add the atmosphere of vinyl. Vinyl Layer adds a separately generated layer of record texture to music or video already playing on your iPhone. Play something in Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, or another app, then open Vinyl Layer. Move the tonearm onto the record or tap its center to start the LP sound. Key features • Clean LP and Old LP presets • Detailed controls for crackle, surface noise, pops, clicks, needle texture, and hiss • Save your own custom texture • Random stereo placement for a natural sense of space • Auto-stop timer • Built-in guide for new users • No account or subscription required Vinyl Layer does not record, analyze, intercept, or modify audio from other apps. Every vinyl texture is generated separately on your device and played alongside your existing audio.
Tonic Synths
This app offers a portable music studio with 14 unique synthesizers for creating and sculpting audio. Users can draw sounds, program melodies, and apply effects like reverb and compression. Recordings can be exported as WAV files for use in other projects.
- 14 unique synthesizers
- XY pad sound sculpting
- 8-step melody programming
- Resonant filter sculpting
- Reverb and compressor effects
- 60-second audio recording
- WAV file export
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Tonic Synth puts a studio full of synthesizers in your pocket. 14 unique synths. All live. All real. Draw sound with your finger on the XY pad. Twist an FM drone into alien textures. Program an 8-step melody. Sculpt noise through resonant filters. Drown everything in reverb. Every control changes the sound instantly — no presets, no menus, just your hands on the instrument. Hear something you love? Hit record. You get 60 seconds. Export it as a WAV file and take it anywhere — into your DAW, your sample library, or share it straight from the app. SYNTHS INCLUDE - FM Drone - XY Speed Pad - Delay Sequencer - Step Sequencer - Filtered Noise - Reverb - Compressor - Bandlimited Oscillator - Sine Sum - Stereo Delay - and more! Free. No ads. No in-app purchases. Just sound.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Tonic Synths at 15.6 against Vinyl Layer's 17.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 11 days. Both last shipped on October 16, 2026.
| Parameter | Vinyl Layer | Tonic Synths |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 11 days | Every 11 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 20 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sungho Lee | UpTech Works, LLC |
In-app purchases
Vinyl Layer
No in-app purchases
Tonic Synths
No in-app purchases
