Comparison

TranceXY vs MIDIPlex

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

Head to head
About

TranceXY

Features
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TranceXY is a trance synthesizer you play with your finger. Hold the pad, sweep across it, and the sound moves with you - the pitch glides without steps, the filter opens, the chords voice, the arpeggio accelerates. It is a theremin built for trance, on a touchscreen. THEREMIN MODE, BY DEFAULT The instrument opens in Theremin mode: one steady voice whose pitch you shape by hand across the pad's Y axis, quantised to the scale you choose or free to glide. Six more performance modes are a tap away - Note, Chord, Arp, Roll, Keys and Keys Chord - and the same finger movement plays leads, stacks chords, drives arpeggios or slides between notes. A FULL TRANCE ENGINE Under the pad: three oscillators with supersaw, a multimode filter, three LFOs, a noise source, sidechain ducking and a rhythmic trance gate, followed by nine effect pedals - distortion, chorus, flanger, phaser, delay, reverb, crush, OTT and gate. Eight performance knobs sit beside the pad for the moves you make while playing: cutoff, resonance, gate, pump, detune, delay, reverb and drive. PLAYS ANYWHERE Run it on its own, or load it as an AUv3 instrument inside GarageBand, AUM, Cubasis or any AUv3 host and record it straight into your track. REC captures your performance to WAV, AIFF or FLAC and shares it anywhere on your device. ALSO A CONTROLLER FOR THE MAC Switch it into controller mode and your iPhone or iPad becomes the XY surface for TranceXY on your Mac, over USB or Wi-Fi, with the pad, gain and all eight knobs mapped for you. FREE TO DOWNLOAD, WITH TRANCEXY PRO The download is free, and the free version is a complete instrument - every performance mode, every knob, every effect pedal, controller mode - together with the Uplifting Trance preset collection. TranceXY Pro is a one-time purchase, with no subscription, that unlocks all 773 presets across nine genres, every FX chain, REC and export, and saving your own presets. One purchase covers Mac, iPhone and iPad (Universal Purchase) and supports Family Sharing. Everyone who bought TranceXY while it was a paid app already has everything. - Theremin performance pad: stepless pitch, filters, chords and arpeggios from one gesture - 7 performance modes: Theremin, Note, Chord, Arp, Roll, Keys, Keys Chord - 3 oscillators with supersaw, multimode filter, 3 LFOs, noise, ducking, trance gate - 9 effect pedals with factory chains - 773 trance presets across 9 genres - Standalone and AUv3 - REC to WAV / AIFF / FLAC - Controller mode for TranceXY on Mac (USB or Wi-Fi)

About

MIDIPlex

Features
Read full description

MotionMIDI transforms your iPhone into a powerful motion-based MIDI controller. Use the built-in motion sensors to control MIDI notes and continuous controller (CC) data through expressive gestures. Connect wirelessly via Bluetooth MIDI or use compatible CoreMIDI connections to perform with your favorite music apps and hardware. Features: • Motion-controlled MIDI performance • Bluetooth MIDI support • MIDI Note Mode • MIDI CC Mode • Real-time gesture control • Adjustable sensitivity and calibration • Presets optimized for popular music apps • Low-latency performance • Clean, performance-focused interface Whether you're creating expressive synthesizer performances, controlling effects, or experimenting with new ways to interact with music, MotionMIDI offers a simple and intuitive way to make movement part of your performance. Compatible with CoreMIDI-enabled apps and hardware that support MIDI input.

Screenshots

TranceXY4 screens
MIDIPlex3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: TranceXY at Free against MIDIPlex's $4.99. TranceXY also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.5). MIDIPlex's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

TranceXY is free to download; MIDIPlex costs $4.99 up front. TranceXY sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. MIDIPlex asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TranceXY ships an update every 8 days, MIDIPlex every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Ā· 3 level
TranceXY versus MIDIPlex: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTranceXYMIDIPlex
PriceFree — better$4.99
Update frequencyEvery 8 days — betterEvery 9 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.5
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTomocreate, Inc.BRADLEY WAYNE MYERS

In-app purchases

1 purchases

TranceXY

One-time1
  • TranceXY Pro$14.99
None

MIDIPlex

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is TranceXY free?
TranceXY is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MIDIPlex free?
MIDIPlex costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do TranceXY or MIDIPlex have ads?
Neither TranceXY nor MIDIPlex shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TranceXY or MIDIPlex?
TranceXY ships an update every 8 days, and MIDIPlex every 9 days. Most recently, TranceXY was updated on October 25, 2026 and MIDIPlex on October 24, 2026.

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