Comparison

Fugue Machine vs StepBud

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

Head to head
About

Fugue Machine

This music sequencer uses multiple playheads to create complex melodic patterns inspired by Baroque and serialist composition techniques. Manipulate speed, direction, and pitch to generate unique soundscapes.

Highlights
  • Multi-playhead piano roll
  • Manipulate speed, direction, and pitch
  • Create complex melodic patterns
  • Inspired by Baroque and serialist music
  • Supports MIDI, AUv3 MIDI, Ableton Link
  • Inter-App Audio and Audiobus compatibility
Features
Read full description

A music sequencer reimagined with multiple playheads. "How Bach would have made a sequencer." (Create Digital Music) "A musical feat." (Creator's Project) "A new approach to sequencing." (XLR8R) "A next generation music sequencer." (Ask Audio) Fugue Machine Classic is a tool inspired by composition techniques used in Baroque music and Serialism — e.g. Bach’s canons and fugues, and Schoenberg’s twelve-tone technique. The idea was to design a tool to manipulate a melody’s speed, direction, and pitch, as well as play multiple variations of the melody simultaneously. As it turned out, the best implementation for this was to reimagine one of the most fundamental building blocks of all music sequencers: the piano roll. Fugue Machine Classic is the world’s first multi-playhead piano roll. Create a music sequence and play it back with up to four playheads at once — each at various speeds, directions, pitches, and more. Watch the playheads dance, and hear the complex patterns that emerge. It’s mesmerizing. Fugue Machine Classic supports iPhone, iPad, MIDI, AUv3 MIDI, Ableton Link, Audiobus, Audiobus 3 MIDI, and Inter-App Audio. Thanks to the AUv3 standard, you can run multiple instances of Fugue Machine Classic on a single device when hosted in an AUv3 MIDI host app — like AUM, Logic Pro for iPad, Loopy Pro, and Cubasis.

About

StepBud

This app is a versatile MIDI sequencer that allows for unlimited steps and detailed control over each step's parameters. It integrates with other music apps and supports various sequencing modes for creative performances.

Highlights
  • Unlimited steps
  • Step parameter control (note, velocity, rate, etc.)
  • Custom MIDI CC messages
  • Step locking and skipping
  • Master fader with copy/shift modes
  • Step Editor for detailed note editing
  • Arpeggio modes (up, down, random)
Features
Read full description

StepBud is a MIDI Sequencer with Audio Unit AUv3 plugin, Audiobus and Ableton Link. Add an unlimited number of steps to your sequencer. Your steps appear with a LED and a fader on top of your screen. You can change the active mode that your step faders displaying/controlling. - Set the current note or chord in range of the scale and key you selected with respect the range of the octave you want to focus, - Set the velocity, rate, gate time, modulation, pitch bend, portamento, probability and swing for each step, - Try increasing the rate and repeat count your steps if you want to add more flavor. - Send unlimited custom MIDI CC messages if you want to control your hardware or software synth parameters. - Lock steps if you don't want them to change their value. - Skip steps for creating interesting live performances. Below the step faders, you have a master fader where you can control your entire sequencer. It has two modes which you can change from the settings strip on the bottom of the app. - In copy mode, it assigns its value to each step. - In shift mode, it shifts up or down each step. If you want to go off-scale or try some crazy chords on some of your steps, or maybe on all of them, you can go to the Step Editor by double tapping the LED of the step you want to edit. In StepBud's powerful Step Editor, you can set your step's notes either from the virtual keyboard or your connected MIDI keyboard. Don't forget to enable MIDI in port of your MIDI keyboard or the you want to receive MIDI from the settings menu. You may also preview the selected notes by pressing the preview button in Step Editor for making sure you created the perfect sound for your particular step. You can also toggle the steps you want to disable by tapping its LED. If you long-press the LED, you can access a menu where you may copy/paste the steps around, remove them or edit them. If you enable the lock mode from the settings strip on the bottom of the app, you may adjust each visible step fader on the screen by a single swipe gesture without having to lift your finger up. Try to change your arppegio mode from the settings strip. You can sequence your steps up, down, up-down or random order. StepBud is a MIDI sequencer app and it does not generate sounds itself. You need to route its MIDI out port in the settings menu to the audio app you want to sequence. Please note that you need to have an iOS 11+ device and an Audio Unit host application such as AUM, apeMatrix, Cubasis, BeatMaker or Audiobus in order to use the StepBud as an Audio Unit plugin. And don't forget to route StepBud's MIDI out to the app or audio unit you want to sequence. StepBud's MIDI layer powered by free and open-source project AudioKit https://github.com/AudioKit/AudioKit Also, StepBud offers its core components for free on GitHub. Feel free to star, fork or contribute. https://github.com/cemolcay/MusicTheory https://github.com/cemolcay/LiveFader https://github.com/cemolcay/MIDIEventKit

Screenshots

Fugue Machine4 screens
StepBud4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: StepBud at $4.99 against Fugue Machine's $19.99. Fugue Machine's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.4) and review sentiment (90% vs 71%). On update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Fugue Machine costs $19.99 and StepBud $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Fugue Machine holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Fugue Machine has 624 ratings behind it against 38, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of Fugue Machine's written reviews are positive against 71% of StepBud's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Fugue Machine ships an update every 8 days, StepBud fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Fugue Machine versus StepBud: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFugue MachineStepBud
Price$19.99$4.99 — better
Rating4.9 (624 ratings) — better4.4 (38 ratings)
Positive reviews90.3% of reviews — better70.6% of reviews
Number of ratings624 — better38
Update frequencyEvery 8 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlexandernautCem Olcay

Customer experience

Fugue Machine

All ratings623 ratings
Positive96.5%
Neutral1.4%
Negative2.1%
Written reviews238 reviews
Positive90.3%
Neutral5.0%
Negative4.6%

StepBud

All ratings38 ratings
Positive84.2%
Neutral2.6%
Negative13.2%
Written reviews34 reviews
Positive70.6%
Neutral5.9%
Negative23.5%

In-app purchases

None

Fugue Machine

No in-app purchases

None

StepBud

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Fugue Machine free?
Fugue Machine costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is StepBud free?
StepBud costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Fugue Machine or StepBud?
Fugue Machine is rated higher. Fugue Machine averages 4.9 out of 5 from 624 ratings, while StepBud averages 4.4 from 38 ratings.
Do Fugue Machine or StepBud have ads?
Neither Fugue Machine nor StepBud shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Fugue Machine or StepBud?
Fugue Machine ships an update every 8 days, and StepBud fortnightly. Most recently, Fugue Machine was updated on October 29, 2026 and StepBud on October 29, 2026.

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