Best Thorn Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from software synthesizers ranked against Thorn on the same published basis.
- 1Thorn vs DefleMask
- 2Thorn vs Cardinal
- 3Thorn vs Sonic Pi
- 4Thorn vs SynthMaster One
- 5Thorn vs VCV Rack
- 6Thorn vs Vital
- 7Thorn vs Dexed
- 8Thorn vs Helm
- 9Thorn vs Surge XT
- 10Thorn vs Synth1
- 11Thorn vs SynthMaster 3
- 12Thorn vs PlasticSynth
- 13Thorn vs Repro
- 14Thorn vs SynthMaster 2
- 15Thorn vs Aalto
- 16Thorn vs Abyss 2
- 17Thorn vs ANA 2
- 18Thorn vs DUNE 3
- 19Thorn vs Efx FRAGMENTS
- 20Thorn vs Falcon
Thorn alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DefleMask | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 2 | Cardinal | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 3 | Sonic Pi | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 4 | SynthMaster One | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | iOS, Mac, Windows |
| 5 | VCV Rack | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 6 | Vital | 6.6 | Free plan | $5/mo | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 7 | Dexed | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 8 | Helm | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 9 | Surge XT | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 10 | Synth1 | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Mac, Windows |
| 11 | SynthMaster 3 | 5.5 | Mac, Windows | ||
| 12 | PlasticSynth | 5.2 | Web | ||
| 13 | Repro | 5.2 | No | Linux, Mac, Windows | |
| 14 | SynthMaster 2 | 5.2 | No | iOS, Mac, Windows | |
| 15 | Aalto | 5.1 | No | Mac, Windows | |
| 16 | Abyss 2 | 5.1 | Mac, Windows | ||
| 17 | ANA 2 | 5.1 | No | Mac, Windows | |
| 18 | DUNE 3 | 5.1 | Mac, Windows | ||
| 19 | Efx FRAGMENTS | 5.1 | No | Mac, Windows | |
| 20 | Falcon | 5.1 | No | €20/mo | Mac, Windows |
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Questions about Thorn alternatives
What is the best alternative to Thorn?
DefleMask, number 1 in software synthesizers with a score of 6.7 out of 10. The others here: Cardinal, Sonic Pi, SynthMaster One and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Thorn?
DefleMask is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 10 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.