Ephemeral vs Dexed Synth
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Ephemeral
Explore a collection of digital musical instruments playable in augmented reality. Unleash your creativity anytime and anywhere with immersive sound experiences.
- Augmented Reality instruments
- Digital music creation
- Playable anywhere
- Creative sound experiences
Read full descriptionHide full description
Ephemeral is a playful music maker for iPhone and iPad. Tap out a beat, record your own samples, build a melody, and turn a small idea into a song!
Dexed Synth
This app brings a powerful FM synthesizer to your mobile device, offering a vast library of sounds. It integrates with popular DAWs and supports external MIDI controllers for enhanced control and performance.
- FM Synthesizer port
- Over 20,000 cartridges with 32 patches each
- AudioUnit AUv3 plugin support
- MIDI controller input via USB
- Lock scroll and parameter locking
- MIDI CC mapping
Read full descriptionHide full description
A port of Dexed, a FM Synthesizer. Features over 20,000 Cartridges with 32 patches each. Comes with AudioUnit AUv3 plugin for use inside AUM and other DAW apps like GarageBand. Get a camera kit and plug in a midi controller through USB, or get a 5-PIN DIN 1/in 1/out, to: USB and use the camera kit through USB MIDI Spec, NOTE: some devices handle SysEx differently and therefore we cannot promise support for SysEx, so invest in connectors and cables wisely. If you have questions involving making MIDI-USB work the best for your situation, email support. This iOS app was designed especially with small interfaces in mind. Example: an iPhone 5S or a resizable window inside AUM. If one clicks the menu eye, a feature LOCK SCROLL can be –very– important to set knobs, sliders, et cetera: if screen size is limited. LOCK PARAMs in the eye menu locks the parameters for scrolling without knocking loose the preset. In the CARTs menu double tap a cartridge to load a series of patches, the files will have a .syx extension. To use MIDI CC, in the menu eye you must first turn on MIDI CC. When MIDI CC is on it makes the tap events react like a right mouse button click. NOTE: MIDI CC, in eye menu, doesn't have to be on after CC controls are mapped. MIDI CC touch modifier will also turn off after you have successfully mapped a CC control, or when you delete the current mappings. You can turn it on again later to turn off mappings or create new CC mappings. I would suggest setting CC knobs in the bottom section of the screen – above keyboard (if visible). Currently you must save patch in DAW – for instance: GarageBand or AUM. Once we can determine unity and saving/loading between the AUv3 plugin and the StandAlone app, external save will be eventually developed. There is a pathway set to transfer .syx files through iTunes to the StandAlone app, only. Other plans include fixing pixelated images, a quick zoom to set CC mode and updating GUI to a higher degree, make sure midi CC knobs update.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Ephemeral at Free against Dexed Synth's $3.99. Ephemeral also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 months) and rating (3.5 vs 3.1). Dexed Synth's advantage is ratings volume (43 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). 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
Ephemeral is free to download; Dexed Synth costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Ephemeral holds the better App Store score, 3.5 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dexed Synth has 43 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Ephemeral's written reviews are positive against 29% of Dexed Synth's.
Ephemeral ships an update every 5 days, Dexed Synth every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Ephemeral | Dexed Synth |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $3.99 |
| Rating | 3.5 (2 ratings) — better | 3.1 (43 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews — better | 28.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 43 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 105 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | phelgo | George Rosar |
Customer experience
Ephemeral
Dexed Synth
In-app purchases
Ephemeral
No in-app purchases
Dexed Synth
No in-app purchases









