# FM Essential vs DTX Touch

The clearest difference is review sentiment: DTX Touch at 100% against FM Essential's 40%. DTX Touch also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.0). FM Essential's advantage is ratings volume (70 vs 2). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

DTX Touch holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: FM Essential has 70 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of FM Essential's written reviews are positive against 100% of DTX Touch's.

FM Essential ships an update every 15 months, DTX Touch every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | FM Essential | DTX Touch |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.0 (70 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fm-essential-us/id1121442614/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dtx-touch/id6474402210/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **70** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 40.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 15 months | **Every 12 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 88 MB | 150 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | [Yamaha Corporation of America](https://appshunter.io/developer/408058585) | [Yamaha Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/353469356) |

## What reviewers say

### FM Essential

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fm-essential-us/id1121442614)

This app is an FM tone generator and synthesizer for iPhone and iPad, offering real-time performance capabilities and voice editing. It includes a variety of presets, arpeggiator patterns, chord pads, and scales, along with drum functionalities. The app also supports external hardware integration and advanced sound manipulation through effects, EQ, and a ball controller.

**Highlights:** FM tone generator, Real-time synth performance, Voice editing, Arpeggiator and chord pads, Effects and EQ edit, Ball controller for sound modulation, Step sequencer

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎶 Fantastic sound quality
- 👍 Easy to use
- ✨ Amazing synth capabilities
- 💡 Great FM synth app
- 🎵 Wonderful, flexible, intuitive synth

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔓 App locked by hardware
- 🔌 Connection issues
- 💸 Expensive hardware required
- ❓ Deceptive free app
- 😩 Limited functionality

**Reported bugs**

- Does not unlock with USB-C adapter
- App crashes when loading combinations
- Preset menus crash the app
- Combined Sounds no longer read from keyboard after iPad update
- Instruments stop working if effect filters are turned off

**Requested features**

- Unlock without hardware purchase
- Allow in-app purchase to unlock
- Bring back Tenori On apps
- Fix LFO delay parameter
- Add separate volume control for drums


### DTX Touch

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dtx-touch/id6474402210)

This app provides intuitive control for tuning, muting, EQ, and effects on compatible electronic drum kits. It allows users to create custom drum kits with extensive mixing and layering options, offering a PA engineer-like experience.

**Highlights:** Intuitive tap and swipe tuning, Graph-based sound adjustment, Seamless kit selection and editing, Extensive mixing and effect functions, Layering up to 10 tones simultaneously, Flexible routing options

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is FM Essential free?

FM Essential is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is DTX Touch free?

DTX Touch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, FM Essential or DTX Touch?

DTX Touch is rated higher. FM Essential averages 3.0 out of 5 from 70 ratings, while DTX Touch averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do FM Essential or DTX Touch have ads?

Neither FM Essential nor DTX Touch shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, FM Essential or DTX Touch?

FM Essential ships an update every 15 months, and DTX Touch every 12 months. Most recently, FM Essential was updated on November 2, 2026 and DTX Touch on November 4, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*