Comparison

TriKey vs Aether Synth

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

Head to head
About

TriKey

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TriKey is a composer's keyboard Control other iPad synths or external MIDI hardware! Features: - 3 configurable Keyboards with the ability to control CC Messages by moving your fingers up / down - Global Key and Scales prevent you from ever playing a wrong note - Save and toggle Chords - Advanced CC Options for each keyboard - Save / Load your own presets - Individual MIDI Ports & Channels for each Keyboard

About

Aether Synth

This music creation app offers a professional synthesizer engine with dual-layer sound design and rhythmic motion. It can be used as a standalone workstation or as an AUv3 instrument within compatible iOS hosts for recording and production.

Highlights
  • AUv3 instrument support
  • Standalone synth workstation
  • Dual preset layering
  • Melodic and drum sequencers
  • Sampler tools
  • Multitrack audio workspace
  • Arpeggiator and motion controls
Currently charting
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Aether Synth is an AUv3 synthesizer, sequencer and sampler for iPhone Duo, iPhone and iPad, built for creating expressive sounds that move. Start with a sound, combine two sounds into something new, introduce motion, build a pattern, capture a sample, or simply play. Aether brings synthesis, sequencing, sampling and performance together in one instrument designed to keep ideas moving. CREATE YOUR OWN SOUND Build rich synth patches for pads, basses, leads, textures, atmospheres and evolving sounds. Aether is designed to make sound creation immediate. Shape a patch directly, explore presets for inspiration, or use Random Sound to discover combinations you might not have reached manually. The result can become a finished sound or the starting point for something completely different. DUAL — TWO SOUNDS BECOME ONE Dual lets you combine two independent sounds into a new composite instrument. Choose a sound for A. Choose another for B. Blend between them and shape the result. The two sides can complement each other, contrast with each other, or create something that neither patch produces alone. Save your favorite Blends and return to them later. MAKE SOUNDS MOVE Aether is built around motion as part of the instrument. Use Motion and Random Motion to animate sound over time and create patches that evolve rather than remain static. Movement can be subtle and organic or become a major rhythmic part of the sound. This makes Aether especially suited to evolving pads, shifting textures, rhythmic sounds and patches that respond like performances rather than snapshots. SEQUENCE IDEAS Turn sounds into patterns with Aether's built-in sequencer. Create melodic and rhythmic phrases, experiment with different rates and musical feels, and develop ideas without leaving the instrument. The arpeggiator provides another immediate way to transform held notes and chords into movement, while tempo synchronization keeps rhythmic material locked to the music. SAMPLING Capture and work with audio directly inside Aether. Use sampling alongside synthesis to bring recorded material into the same creative environment as your patches, patterns and performances. A sample can become part of a larger musical idea instead of living in a separate workflow. PERFORM Aether is designed to be played. Use the keyboard and performance controls to shape sounds in real time, then connect a MIDI controller when you want a more traditional playing experience. Velocity, sustain and expressive controls allow patches to respond dynamically instead of behaving like static presets. DISCOVER INSTEAD OF SEARCHING Sometimes you know exactly what sound you want. Sometimes you don't. Random Sound and Random Motion make exploration part of the workflow. Generate a new direction, keep what works, reshape it, combine it with another sound in Dual, and continue from there. The goal is not randomness for its own sake. It is getting from a blank idea to something musically useful quickly. STANDALONE OR AUV3 Use Aether as a standalone instrument on iPhone and iPad, or load it as an AUv3 instrument inside compatible hosts and DAWs. That means the same sound-design environment can work as an instrument on its own or become part of a larger mobile production setup. BUILT FOR MUSICIANS Aether brings together: • Synthesizer sound design • Dual layered instruments and saved Blends • Motion and evolving sound • Random Sound and Random Motion • Preset exploration • Sequencing • Arpeggiation • Sampling • Performance controls • MIDI • Standalone operation • AUv3 plugin support Whether you're designing an evolving ambient texture, building a bass or lead, creating a rhythmic patch, experimenting with layered sounds, or starting a new musical idea from scratch, Aether is designed to keep the distance between inspiration and sound as short as possible. Create a sound. Make it move. Turn it into music.

Screenshots

Aether Synth4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Aether Synth at $2.99 against TriKey's $9.99. Aether Synth also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and chart position (#89 vs unranked). TriKey's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

TriKey costs $9.99 and Aether Synth $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TriKey ships an update every 2 months, Aether Synth weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
TriKey versus Aether Synth: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTriKeyAether Synth
Price$9.99$2.99 — better
Rating—4.7 (9 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings—9 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Paid
Best chart rank—#89 — better
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB34 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMarcos KohlerJacob Kirk

In-app purchases

None

TriKey

No in-app purchases

None

Aether Synth

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is TriKey free?
TriKey costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Aether Synth free?
Aether Synth costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do TriKey or Aether Synth have ads?
Neither TriKey nor Aether Synth shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TriKey or Aether Synth?
TriKey ships an update every 2 months, and Aether Synth weekly. Most recently, TriKey was updated on October 3, 2026 and Aether Synth on October 25, 2026.

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