Cardinal vs Thorn

Cardinal is a free, open-source modular synthesizer based on VCV Rack, available as a standalone app and as a plugin. It bundles 1,382 modules from 84 authors or brands, but does not load external modules or connect to the official Rack library or store; modules cannot be added to an existing build. Cardinal runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, and the web. Its plugin formats are AudioUnit, CLAP, LV2, VST2, and VST3, with Main, Synth, and FX variants that all support MIDI input and output. Main provides eight audio inputs and outputs and ten CV inputs and outputs, but is unavailable in AU and VST2 and is not yet available in CLAP. Mini has a smaller hand-picked module selection, two audio ports, and five CV ports, and is available only as LV2 or standalone. OSC remote control works in standalone use, not in the plugin. The project describes Cardinal as stable, while noting CLAP support is still in progress and VST3 hosting inside Carla or Ildaeil is experimental. It is licensed under GPLv3+.

Thorn is a software synthesizer for modern electronic music production, available as a 64-bit plugin for Windows and macOS. Its three spectral oscillators shape harmonics and support FM, ring modulation, pulse-width modulation and hard sync. Sixteen-frame spectrum tables provide editable, morphable harmonic sources, while additive spectral synthesis, harmonic filtering and spectral effects form the sound engine. Two analog-modeled multimode filters and nine effects extend sound shaping. Modulation includes three ADSR envelopes, three LFOs and two multistage envelopes. A flexible 16-step arpeggiator outputs MIDI, and a grid-based Glitch sequencer supplies another sequencing method. Plugin Alliance lists more than 600 presets. Thorn runs in VST2, VST3, AU or AAX hosts and is not a standalone application. Listed operating-system support is Windows 10–11 and macOS 13–26, including Intel and Apple Silicon Macs. A 14-day trial is offered; earlier-license owners are quoted a $19 USD upgrade.