Comparison

PhaseRings vs The Phil

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

Head to head
About

PhaseRings

Create expressive music with intuitive touch gestures. Explore various sound schemes and generative composition tools to craft unique musical pieces. Supports MIDI and Audiobus for advanced integration.

Highlights
  • Expressive touch gesture music creation
  • Seven unique sound schemes
  • Generative composition engine
  • Customizable pitch compositions
  • Core MIDI support
  • AudioBus and Inter-App Audio support
Features
Read full description

PhaseRings is a musical instrument for performing expressive music with touch gestures. Anyone can create a beautiful piece of music with our sound schemes and generative composition engine! Each ring on the screen represents a different pitch, and you can tap and swirl on each ring to create combinations of long and short notes. The angle and size of your tap will change the timbre of the notes you create! New in version 3.0, PhaseRings is also an AUv3 Audio Unit plugin. Load it as an instrument in hosts like AUM, GarageBand, Logic Pro for iPad, and Cubasis — play the rings inside your host, run several instances at once, drive it from MIDI tracks, and record it through your host's effects. PhaseRings includes seven expressive "sound schemes" featuring percussive sounds like marimba and singing bowls as well as pure synth sounds like phase and string synthesis. Four "compositions" of pitches are included in the app, but you can also create your own custom composition by choosing three base notes and scales. PhaseRings will do the rest, generating a series of great setups from the harmony you choose! Features: - AUv3 Audio Unit instrument for AUM, GarageBand, Logic Pro, Cubasis, and other hosts - 7 sound schemes - 4 built-in compositions - Custom generative composition - 11 scales and modes - Core MIDI in and out for iOS MIDI accessories and MIDI-enabled apps - VoiceOver support and light/dark appearance

About

The Phil

Features
Read full description

Fancy a synth that actually feels like a "traditional" instrument, but still able to push things a little weirder? The Phil is a fast, expressive AUv3 plucked string synth that brings proper physical modelling to your DAW, no faffing about required. Poke it, pluck it, let it ring out, and it responds like a real string, all wrapped up in a neat little AUv3 plugin for your DAW. Tucked inside is a built in arpeggiator, designed to create "human" feeling patterns without touching a step sequencer. Add in a solid handful of controls over decay, brightness and damping, themselves with "humanize" controls to mimic how a real hand would move on a string and you can go from delicate acoustic plucks to properly synthetic, metallic textures in no time at all whilst also having the option to turn down the robot vibe if you like. What you get: Physical modelling synthesis for genuinely plucky, stringy tones Built in arpeggiator for patterns that keep things moving Real time controls to shape decay, brightness and character Full AUv3 support, slots straight into your host Light on CPU, so it won't grind your session to a halt Plays nicely with AUM, Logic Pro, Loopy Pro, Cubasis and GarageBand Whether you're building layers in the studio or winging it live, The Phil is the sort of instrument that surprises you a little every time you touch it. In a good way. Search for decibelboy83 on YouTube for a walkthrough video. Works with: AUM, Logic Pro, Loopy Pro, Cubasis, GarageBand, and any AUv3-friendly host.

Screenshots

PhaseRings3 screens
The Phil1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: PhaseRings at Free against The Phil's $0.99. The Phil's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 5 months). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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

PhaseRings is free to download; The Phil costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PhaseRings ships an update every 5 months, The Phil every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
PhaseRings versus The Phil: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhaseRingsThe Phil
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating4.5 (18 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings18 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCharles MartinPhilip Vincent

In-app purchases

None

PhaseRings

No in-app purchases

None

The Phil

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PhaseRings free?
PhaseRings is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is The Phil free?
The Phil costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do PhaseRings or The Phil have ads?
Neither PhaseRings nor The Phil shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PhaseRings or The Phil?
PhaseRings ships an update every 5 months, and The Phil every 4 days. Most recently, PhaseRings was updated on October 24, 2026 and The Phil on October 24, 2026.

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