Nexus 5 by reFX: what it does + free alternatives
Huge ready-to-play preset ROMpler used all over trap and pop.
Opens reFX's own site.
Put SCRAMBLE. on your synths and melodies
One button rolls a new FX chain: glitch, stutter, tape stop, chops, reverb, delay and vocal tune. There are 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 possible chains, the same count as the positions of a 3x3 cube. Save 10,000 presets a day and 1% of them would take 118 billion years, over 8x the age of the universe.
Not just loops: drum buses, 808s and bass, hats, vocals and the master bus. 3,000+ downloads so far.
Free alternatives to Nexus 5
All free synths →
FreeVital
Wavetable synth with a free tier full of presets and wavetables. The free Serum alternative most producers start with.
FreeSurge XT
Open-source hybrid synth with hundreds of presets and a huge sound range.
FreeTAL-NoiseMaker
Virtual analog synth for basses, leads and plucks. Light on CPU.
FreeSynth1
The legendary free analog-style synth, with thousands of user patches online.
FreeOdin 2
Semi-modular hybrid synth with 24 voices, free and open source.
FreeHelm
Polyphonic subtractive synth from the maker of Vital. Free and open source.
FreeTyrell N6
Six-voice analog-style synth from the makers of Diva.
FreePodolski
Simple, CPU-light virtual analog synth from u-he.
FreeZebralette 3
Free single-oscillator version of u-he Zebra's sound engine.
FreeTriple Cheese
Comb-filter synth with a metallic, plucky character.
More paid synth plugins
All best plugins →
Serum 2
The wavetable synth behind a huge share of modern trap, EDM and pop sounds.
Omnisphere 2
Massive synth and sound library. A hip-hop and film-scoring staple.
Pigments
Wavetable, granular and analog engines in one colourful synth.
V Collection
Dozens of classic synths and keyboards recreated in software.
Diva
Analog synth emulation known for its rich, warm sound.
Nexus 5 FAQ
Is Nexus 5 free?
No. Nexus 5 is a paid synth plugin from reFX. Free alternatives in the same lane include Vital, Surge XT and TAL-NoiseMaker.
What is Nexus 5 used for?
Huge ready-to-play preset ROMpler used all over trap and pop.
When does Nexus 5 go on sale?
Many plugin makers run their biggest discounts around Black Friday (November 27, 2026) and Cyber Monday. Check reFX's own page for the current price; we list confirmed sales on our Black Friday page.