Comparison

Motion Synth vs Viking Synth

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

Head to head
About

Motion Synth

This app turns your iPhone or iPod touch into a musical instrument. Play notes with touch and control sound with motion. It can be used standalone, with other iOS music apps, or even external hardware and laptop software.

Highlights
  • Play notes via touch
  • Shape sound through motion
  • Control in-app sounds
  • Control other iOS music apps
  • Control external hardware synths
  • Control laptop audio/visual software
Features
Read full description

Music through motion: The AUUG Motion Synth transforms your iPhone or iPod touch into an expressive musical instrument that lets you play notes via touch and shape their sound through motion. Visit http://www.auug.com to see a demonstration video. Available here is the free version of the AUUG Motion Synth App, designed to allow users to easily experience motion-based music creation. Follow the in-app video tutorial to learn how to play the musical instrument sounds included with the app (See 'SETUP VIDEO' button). An upgraded version of the app is also available, and has been carefully designed to work with the AUUG Motion Synth Grip. Together, the Motion Synth App and Grip transform your iPhone or iPod touch into a practical and powerful musical instrument. Get yours here: http://www.auug.com/order/ ------ Play in-app sounds, iOS music apps (e.g. GarageBand), or laptop software through movement: The AUUG Motion Synth tracks your movements and screen touches to expressively play in-app musical sounds. The AUUG Motion Synth also allows you to play the sounds of other iOS music apps, giving you access to a vast array of sounds and effects. You can also play external devices like hardware synths or vocal harmonizers as well as control audio or visual software on a laptop (via WiFi or cabled connections). The Motion Synth app is also compatible with the Music IO app, allowing you to control your laptop software via your iPhone cable (Lightning). ------ Use the Motion Synth App by itself or with a Motion Synth Grip: The Motion Synth App has two modes: 1) Single-Key mode (free version): This Motion Synth App mode allows you to quickly engage with motion-based music control, and includes tutorial videos explaining how to use the in-app sounds. 2) Multi-Key mode (upgrade): This Motion Synth App mode is designed to work with the AUUG Motion Synth Grip: a physical holder that securely attaches your iPhone or iPod touch to your hand, thereby improving the dexterity and accuracy with which you can trigger notes via the touch screen.

About

Viking Synth

This app emulates a classic monophonic analog synthesizer with advanced DSP technology. It features three variable wave oscillators, dual ladder filters, an LFO, and two modulation busses for versatile sound design. An intuitive interface and extensive preset library make it ideal for creating thick bass and rich lead sounds.

Highlights
  • Three continuously variable wave oscillators
  • Dual ladder filters (Lowpass/Highpass)
  • Multi-wave LFO
  • Two modulation busses
  • Intuitive user interface with expandable controls
  • 228 presets including Bass, Lead, and Synthwave
  • State-of-the-art DSP for authentic sound
Read full description

Viking Synth is an authentic emulation of a classic monophonic analog synthesizer. It has three continuously variable wave oscillators, two ladder filters with a Dual Lowpass or Highpass/Lowpass configuration, a multi-wave LFO, and two modulation busses. Viking Synth uses state of the art DSP technology to accurately reproduce the sound of the hardware. You get a desktop quality plug-in at an iOS friendly price. Viking Synth is an Audio Unit Extension Instrument (AUv3) that works as a plug-in inside host apps. Just open up your favorite host that supports Audio Unit Instruments and select it from the list of available Audio Units. Compatible with GarageBand, Cubasis, Auria, BeatMaker, AudioBus, AUM, Modstep, and more. The user interface of Viking Synth is designed for quick and intuitive control. Knobs and sliders expand during tweaking and are designed so the current value isn't hidden below your finger. The six pages divide the synth into logical sections that can be accessed quickly. The filter display acts as an XY pad for controlling cutoff and resonance. Simply double tap a knob or slider to reset it to its default value. Presets Viking Synth comes with 228 presets in the categories Bass, Bright Lead, Electro Bass, FX, Percussive Lead, Soft Lead, and Synthwave. The synth excels at thick bass and rich lead sounds. The 50 Electro Bass and 50 Synthwave presets were designed by renowned sound designer eXode. Presets work perfectly with GarageBand, Cubasis, and AUM. Oscillators At the heart of Viking are three adjustable wave oscillators. The continuously variable waveform knob gives the oscillators a unique sound that can’t be achieved with the fixed waveforms found in most synths. A noise oscillator provides three types of noise, one specifically modeled after the hardware. Modulation Two modulation busses and an LFO provide flexible modulation capabilities. All of the options hidden deep in menus on the hardware are immediately accessible with one tap. Filters The filters are classic transistor ladder filters modeled meticulously. Two DSP varieties are available allowing for either reduced CPU load or soft clipping plus three additional overdriven modes. The number of poles is adjustable for a wider range of filter sounds. Compare Viking to other synths: – Viking’s oscillators are free running, not sampled, wavetable based, or generated from a zero point – Viking’s oscillators use advanced techniques to avoid aliasing – Viking’s oscillators have instability, which is controllable through the tuning drift control – Viking’s nonlinear filter uses circuit modeling and provides soft clipping

Screenshots

Motion Synth4 screens
Viking Synth4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Motion Synth at Free against Viking Synth's $3.99. Motion Synth also leads on iOS requirement (9.0 vs 12.0). Viking Synth's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 3.5). On review sentiment, ratings volume, update cadence 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

Motion Synth is free to download; Viking Synth costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Viking Synth holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 40 and 42 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 73% of Motion Synth's written reviews are positive against 69% of Viking Synth's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on June 11, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Motion Synth versus Viking Synth: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMotion SynthViking Synth
PriceFree — better$3.99
Rating3.5 (40 ratings)4.7 (42 ratings) — better
Positive reviews73.3% of reviews — better69.4% of reviews
Number of ratings4042 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS9.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size48 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAUUGBlamsoft, Inc.

Customer experience

Motion Synth

All ratings40 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral5.0%
Negative35.0%
Written reviews30 reviews
Positive73.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative26.7%

Viking Synth

All ratings42 ratings
Positive92.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews62 reviews
Positive69.4%
Neutral11.3%
Negative19.4%

Bugs and requests

Motion Synth

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Viking Synth

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Presets not showing up
  • Presets disappear
  • App not showing in AUv3 menu
  • Settings not saving after iOS 14 update
  • Crashes when opening presets browser
Show 1 more
  • Saved presets not loading

Requested features

5 requests
  • More subtle drive mode
  • Categorized preset browser
  • Polyphony option
  • Dark mode
  • More apps from developer

In-app purchases

None

Motion Synth

No in-app purchases

None

Viking Synth

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Motion Synth free?
Motion Synth is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Viking Synth free?
Viking Synth costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Motion Synth or Viking Synth?
Viking Synth is rated higher. Motion Synth averages 3.5 out of 5 from 40 ratings, while Viking Synth averages 4.7 from 42 ratings.
Do Motion Synth or Viking Synth have ads?
Neither Motion Synth nor Viking Synth shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Motion Synth or Viking Synth?
Motion Synth ships an update every 4 months, and Viking Synth every 4 months. Most recently, Motion Synth was updated on June 11, 2026 and Viking Synth on September 23, 2026.

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