Comparison

Pepp vs RingsFX

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

Head to head
About

Pepp

Create electronic music with an intuitive rhythm and harmony engine, no prior musical knowledge required. Design unique sounds, save loops, and mix them live. Sync with other apps and hardware for expanded creative possibilities.

Highlights
  • Intelligent rhythm and harmony engine
  • Twisted groovebox/arpeggiator/synthesizer
  • Sixteen sliders and 16-step sequencer
  • 160 memory slots for loops
  • MIDI sync and sequencing
  • Audiobus integration
  • Ten synth and five drum oscillators
Features
Read full description

"I love the spirit behind the concept. Definitely taking advantage of what can be designed these days. The fact that the controls have influence on each other makes for an extremely wide range of possible textures." -Geoff White "A lot of the musical automata apps out there sound like cheap cheese. This is gourmet cheese." -MuzikAppJunkie Pepp opens up the joy of electronic music making to everyone. Thanks to an intelligent rythm and harmony engine, no musical knowledge is needed. Pepp is immediate, intuitive and vastly musical by nature. Make electronic music like there's nothing to it! Pepp is very easy to use yet it can produce a vast range of sounds. Forget about boring factory sounds. Come up with your own mindbending loops in no time, store them in memory slots, mix them live and jam with your friends. Tweak all parameters to the extreme without destroying your original loops. This twisted groovebox/arpeggiator/synthesizer lets you quickly forge original electronic music using sixteen sliders and a sixteen step sequencer. Instantly save and recall your ideas without missing a beat. With 160 memory slots you're not likely to run out of storage. Pepp can also be synced via MIDI, played live from a MIDI keyboard or sequenced from your favorite DAW. Naturally, all sliders can be mapped to midi controllers. Pepp is also integrated with Audiobus so you can use it with all of your audiobus compatible apps! FEATURES AT A GLANCE Ten synth oscillators Five drum oscillators FM-synthesis Audiobus MIDI Clock in MIDI in (Notes and CC) MIDI Latch/Gate Intelligent arpeggiator Advanced rythm engine Lo-/Hi-pass Filter w/ Resonance Delay Samle and hold Instant resample/reloop Detune Portamento Reverb Gain Glissando Master octave +-2 Tempo multiplier Record and share loops via mail or SMS OSCILLATOR TYPES Sine Square Sawtooth Triangle Wavetable Noise LIMITATIONS Some key features are disabled in this FREE version of Pepp. The full version of Pepp can be unlocked from within the app by using in-app purchase. Been working hard for a long time to create Pepp. I hope you enjoy it and appreciate your support!

About

RingsFX

This music app emulates a renowned physical modeling synthesizer, offering diverse synthesis techniques and polyphonic capabilities. It allows for real-time parameter manipulation and can process external audio, creating unique sonic textures and rhythms.

Highlights
  • Physical modeling synthesis emulation
  • Multiple polyphony modes (Mono, Duo, Quad, True Polyphonic)
  • Supports MIDI MPE and velocity sensitivity
  • External audio excitation
  • Mod Matrix for real-time parameter control
  • 7 unique synthesis modes
  • 6 mod-able and 6 global effects
Features
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RingsFX is an AUv3 plugin based on the famous Mutable Instruments Rings, one of the most dedicated and fully-featured Physical Modeling Eurorack modules ever created. At its core is a resonator that needs to be 'excited' or 'strummed' by MIDI input, noise, or external audio excitation. RingsFX emulates vibrations of structures simulated by 3 different synthesis techniques that can be plucked or process external signals: Modal Synthesis, Sympathetic Strings, and Inharmonic Strings. Traditionally, Rings was only monophonic but used a unique approach to polyphony that allowed the previous note to 'ring' out and decay while a new note was played. Rings FX provides these same modes (Mono, Duo, and Quad), but expands it with a true Polyphonic mode. RingsFX also expands the capabilities of the original engine by adding support for velocity sensitivity and MIDI MPE mode. The new polyphonic mode allows RingsFX to play up to 12 notes of true polyphony, depending on the settings. Doing so requires RingsFX to use multiple Rings resonators, but the more true polyphony you use, the more processing power it requires. Running in the traditional Monophonic, Duophonic, or Quadrophonic modes may be preferred in order to keep CPU usage under control. RingsFX has 7 modes in total, by combining the 3 basic modes with additional properties such as chords or specially tuned reverbs. The original hardware also had a secret 'Easter Egg' mode, which in RingsFX is simply calling 'Synthesizer' mode, rumoured to be based on one of the early Korg synthesis methods. This mode supported a number of mutable effects which now work on in all resonator modes. RingsFX also has a Mod-Matrix which allows you to combine the built-in LFOs and FEGs to great effect by manipulating parameters and mutable effects in realtime. Finally, RingsFX can be loaded as an AUv3 effect plugin. Set the Exciter Source to 'INPUT', and you can pass any audio through RingsFX and use this audio as an external exciter. For example, it can be used to great affect on a drum beat to create some crazy rhythms. Use the Output Mix to combine the original audio with the synthesised resonator output to create some stunning effects. Features ○ 7 unique synthesis modes. ○ Supports Mono, Duo, Quad and true polyphony. ○ Supports 2 fluid LFO's per note. ○ Up to 4 FEG's per note. ○ External Exciter modes. ○ White noise Pulse Sequencer. ○ Supports 6 mod-able effects and 6 global effects. ○ Mod Matrix ○ Input and white noise filters. ○ Program Manager with drag and drop. ○ Preset Search and Favourites. ○ Easy export and import of banks and presets. ○ Extensive help manual. ○ Web Transfer for backing up to PC/Mac. ○ MPE Support.

Screenshots

Pepp3 screens
RingsFX4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: RingsFX at 100% against Pepp's 29%. RingsFX also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 months). Pepp's advantage is price (Free vs $7.99) and iOS requirement (7.0 vs 13.0). On ads 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

Pepp is free to download; RingsFX costs $7.99 up front. Pepp sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. RingsFX asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

RingsFX holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RingsFX has 26 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 29% of Pepp's written reviews are positive against 100% of RingsFX's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pepp ships an update every 6 months, RingsFX fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Pepp versus RingsFX: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPeppRingsFX
PriceFree — better$7.99
Rating4.6 (5 ratings)4.9 (26 ratings) — better
Positive reviews29.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings526 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS7.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPatrik Hedmalm4Pockets.com

Customer experience

Pepp

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive29.2%
Neutral16.7%
Negative54.2%

RingsFX

All ratings26 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Pepp

One-time1
  • Unlock Pepp$4.99
None

RingsFX

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pepp free?
Pepp is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is RingsFX free?
RingsFX costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pepp or RingsFX?
RingsFX is rated higher. Pepp averages 4.6 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while RingsFX averages 4.9 from 26 ratings.
Do Pepp or RingsFX have ads?
Neither Pepp nor RingsFX shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pepp or RingsFX?
Pepp ships an update every 6 months, and RingsFX fortnightly. Most recently, Pepp was updated on October 5, 2026 and RingsFX on October 12, 2026.

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