Comparison

SynthMaster Player vs SynthShred

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

Head to head
About

SynthMaster Player

This mobile synthesizer app provides a vast library of sounds for music production. It allows users to play presets, make limited edits, and access additional sound banks through in-app purchases. It integrates with other music apps and offers a built-in keyboard for immediate playability.

Highlights
  • Preset-based sound library
  • Limited parameter editing
  • XY pads for modulation
  • AUv3 and InterApp Audio support
  • Audiobus integration
  • Built-in keyboard with pitch/mod wheels
  • Scales functionality
Read full description

SynthMaster Player for iOS received "2016 Editor's Choice Award" from Electronic Musician Magazine! SynthMaster desktop version is voted as "The Best VST/AU Synth Plugin" by MusicRadar readers and also received "Gear of the Year" award from MusicTech Magazine for "Best Software Instrument" category. SynthMaster has received very positive reviews from acclaimed music technology magazines: "SynthMaster: The most powerful softsynth you may not have heard of" Keyboard Magazine "If ever there was a desert island synth, SynthMaster is it, covering all sonic bases with authority and a superb tone" Computer Music Magazine "Many developers say that they've produced the one and only synth you'll ever need, but we've always felt that was a dubious claim. In SynthMaster’s case, though, it’s one that rings true" MusicRadar INTRODUCTION SynthMaster Player for iOS is the MOBILE PLAYER VERSION of the award winning SynthMaster software synthesizer. It is targeted towards users who prefer to use presets rather than designing their own sounds during music production. Although it is a preset based player, users can edit the following preset parameters: 1) 8 easy parameters assigned by the sound designer 2) 2 XY Pads assigned by the sound designer 3) Effect bypass states and send amounts 4) Layer bypass states and volumes 5) Master volume, polyphony The free app comes with 100 factory presets. When users complete registration by entering their names and email addresses they receive another 100 factory presets as a bonus! After completing registration, users can upgrade to the Pro version of the app by purchasing the "Factory Presets" bank via In-App-Purchase (IAP). With the Pro Upgrade all of the 800 factory presets are loaded and also the following features are unlocked: 1. Users can save the changes they have made to the presets. 2. Users can purchase additional preset banks via In-App-Purchase (IAP). We currently have 28 additional preset banks that contain 1750 presets for various genres/styles. 3. Existing SynthMaster users can download their previously purchased SynthMaster preset banks inside the app, so that they don't have to purchase them again. 4. Existing SynthMaster users can export their own presets in SynthMaster v2.x and import them into SynthMaster Player for iPad using iTunes. AUv3 SynthMaster Player for iOS supports AUv3, you can add multiple instrument instances to your tracks. INTERAPP AUDIO SynthMaster Player for iOS acts as an source/instrument in InterApp Audio. We demonstrate in our user manual how to connect it to InterApp enabled DAW apps. AUDIOBUS SynthMaster Player for iOS acts as a source/instrument in AudioBus, with state saving enabled. We demonstrate in our user manual how to connect it to AudioBus enabled DAW apps. BUILT-IN KEYBOARD The built-in 2 octave keyboard with pitch and modulation wheels lets users play notes without having to connect an external MIDI controller to their iPad. With its Scale functionality, it shows the users the notes on the scale, and with its Chord functionality the user can play a certain chord by pressing a single note. MIDI SETTINGS SynthMaster Player for iOS supports CoreMIDI and also virtual MIDI. It acts as a virtual MIDI destination for other DAW apps. Midi input device, midi input channel, and receive midi beat clock settings can be adjusted from the MIDI Settings window. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Minimum Operating System Supported: iOS 9 Minimum Hardware Supported: iPad4, iPhone 5 and above Recommended Hardware: iPad Air and above, iPhone6 and above

About

SynthShred

This app is a virtual musical instrument offering a vast library of sound presets, including pianos, guitars, and synths. It provides customizable guitar tunings and a selection of musical scales with root key adjustments for easier playing. Enjoy expressive sound shaping with built-in effects and multiple playing modes.

Highlights
  • 139 sound presets
  • 29 guitar tuning presets
  • 14 musical scales
  • Diatonic surface option
  • Monophonic and Polyphonic Mode
  • Reverb and Echo effects
Read full description

SynthShred is musical instrument containing 139 sound presets including piano, guitars, ethnic instruments, chromatic percussions, strings, pipes, synth pads, reed instruments, brass, organs, ensemble, bass, synth leads and many more. SynthShred comes with 29 guitar tuning presets including standard guitar, all fourths, drop tunings, open tunings, major minor tunings and many more. SynthShred also contains 14 mostly used musical scales including Major, Minor, Harmonic Minor, Pentatonic and many more. SynthShred provides the ability to change the root key for the the selected scale to be in the key every time. The diatonic surface option will remove the notes from the surface that are not part of the scale. It's easier for the player to be in key. SynthShred features includes: - Expressive physical guitar surface - Monophonic and Polyphonic Mode - Diatonic surface - Adjustable string and fret counts - 139 sound presets - 29 unique guitar tuning presets - 14 commonly used scales - Modulation slider - On screen Reverb and Echo effects controls - Sustain button for acoustic instruments Available for iPhone, iPad and iPods for free. Minimum Requirements: iOS 9.0 or later.

Screenshots

SynthMaster Player3 screens
SynthShred4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: SynthShred at every 4 days against SynthMaster Player's every 3 months. SynthShred also leads on ratings volume (205 vs 55) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 11.0). On price, rating, review sentiment 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. SynthMaster Player sells 13 one-off in-app purchases and SynthShred 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 — 4.4 for SynthMaster Player against 4.4 for SynthShred. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 55 and 205 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 52% of SynthMaster Player's written reviews are positive against 55% of SynthShred's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SynthMaster Player ships an update every 3 months, SynthShred every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
SynthMaster Player versus SynthShred: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSynthMaster PlayerSynthShred
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (55 ratings)4.4 (205 ratings) — better
Positive reviews52.1% of reviews54.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings55205 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.09.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size308 MB141 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKV331 AudioYugal Sharma

Customer experience

SynthMaster Player

All ratings55 ratings
Positive85.5%
Neutral5.5%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews261 reviews
Positive52.1%
Neutral16.1%
Negative31.8%

SynthShred

All ratings205 ratings
Positive84.4%
Neutral6.8%
Negative8.8%
Written reviews53 reviews
Positive54.7%
Neutral7.5%
Negative37.7%

User reviews

SynthMaster Player

From 55 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great sounds
  • 👍 Fantastic presets
  • 🚀 Excellent sound quality
  • 👍 Inspiring sounds
  • 👍 Rich and full synth sounds

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes
  • 🐛 Buggy performance
  • 🐛 Presets not loading
  • 🐛 Unstable on newer devices
  • 🐛 Compatibility issues

SynthShred

From 205 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✨ Incredible app for musical exploration
  • 🎶 Great tool for learning and making music
  • 👍 Smooth and soft playing
  • 🎵 Best music appreciation
  • 💡 Underrated app with good sounds

Room to improve

  • 👎 No in-app purchases
  • 🔇 Sound muted in the app
  • 💸 Shameful theft/knock-off
  • 🚫 Logic for iPad issue (AUv3 not working)
  • 📉 Limited usefulness without AUv3/IAA

Bugs and requests

SynthMaster Player

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Crashes on startup
  • Purchased presets not loading
  • Stuck notes
  • Incompatibility with newer iOS versions
  • Audiobus and IAA issues

Requested features

6 requests
  • Ability to edit and create own sounds
  • Improved preset management
  • Better integration with DAWs and Audiobus
  • Background playback support
  • Larger on-screen keyboard
Show 1 more
  • More customization options

SynthShred

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • Sound is muted only in this app
  • Doesn't show up as available audio unit in Logic/GarageBand
  • Notes not sliding on the pad, sound individual notes
  • Issue with sustain option: some instrument notes never stop
  • Pop up to go pro comes up every minute
Show 6 more
  • No sound at all
  • Bug where trying an instrument makes the app stop making any sounds
  • Bug where some notes randomly sound modulated with pitch shift / vibrato
  • When a “Try Free” option is chosen for a patch the entire app goes silent
  • Asked for payment again after uninstalling and reinstalling
  • No restore purchase button

Requested features

20 requests
  • Add MIDI support
  • Add AUv3 support
  • Add IAA support
  • Add sliding option
  • Add velocity touch sensitivity
Show 15 more
  • Add pitch bend function
  • Add legato types
  • Add transpose button
  • Add dual tune mode
  • Add record option to wav
  • Add simple metronome with tempo
  • Improve slide feature smoothness
  • Improve mid wheel effect
  • Add chords/notes option
  • Add auto accompaniment & sound mixing
  • Add recording
  • Add manual, tutorial & support
  • Add feature to change note name font
  • Make a simpler version for iOS 8 & later
  • Add fretless patches to pro version

In-app purchases

13 purchases

SynthMaster Player

One-time13
  • Historical Synth Giants Vol 1$1.99
  • BigTone Signature Sounds Vol1$4.99
  • MK Expansion 2$4.99
Show 10 more
  • Nori Ubukata Art Rock Basics$4.99
  • Sounds of the World$4.99
  • Factory Presets (PRO Upgrade)$4.99
  • SynthMaster 2.7 presets$4.99
  • SynthMaster 2.8 Presets$4.99
  • Extra Factory Presets Bundle$9.99
  • SynthMaster EDM Bundle 1$13.99
  • Dawn Of Electronic Bundle$13.99
  • Synth Giants Bundle$13.99
  • Rob Lee EDM Bundle$19.99
1 purchases

SynthShred

One-time1
  • Full Upgrade to SynthShred Pro$3.99

Questions

Is SynthMaster Player free?
SynthMaster Player is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SynthShred free?
SynthShred is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SynthMaster Player or SynthShred?
SynthShred is rated higher. SynthMaster Player averages 4.4 out of 5 from 55 ratings, while SynthShred averages 4.4 from 205 ratings.
Do SynthMaster Player or SynthShred have ads?
Neither SynthMaster Player nor SynthShred shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SynthMaster Player or SynthShred?
SynthMaster Player ships an update every 3 months, and SynthShred every 4 days. Most recently, SynthMaster Player was updated on October 21, 2026 and SynthShred on October 20, 2026.

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