Comparison

ActionPad vs OBS Blade

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

Head to head
About

ActionPad

Create custom control panels to remotely operate your computer applications. Simulate keyboard and mouse input, launch programs, open files, and control media. Share and download user-created panels for enhanced productivity and gaming.

Highlights
  • Customizable control panels
  • Simulate keyboard and mouse input
  • Launch applications and files
  • Open websites
  • Media and volume control
  • Create macros
  • Community Panels Hub
Features
Read full description

ActionPad allows you to create your own custom control panels to remote control applications on your computer. This app requires the ActionPad Server desktop software to be installed on your computer for full functionality. For more information on this, visit https://actionpad.co/go. Compatible with macOS and Windows. Panels can contain buttons and other objects, which can be used to simulate keyboard and mouse input, as well as open files and URLs. With grid and dynamic panel types, buttons can be arranged into a grid with customizable rows and columns, or positioned and sized anywhere you would like on your panel for infinite customization possibilities. Customize the appearance of buttons and other panel objects to give them a distinct look. Get ready to make your keyboard and mouse jealous. With ActionPad, you may implement buttons on your panel that: -Execute keystrokes, such as Command C or Ctrl V. -Move your mouse pointer or hold keys as you hold down the button. -Launch applications and open files on your computer. -Open websites in your default browser and interact with them. -Control media and volume on your computer. -Do all of these things with one press! You can have buttons send continuous keyboard and mouse input as you hold them down, or you can combine multiple actions to create simple or complex macros that will run with just one tap of the button! All of this, along with visual elements such as images, text, and containers can all be combined to create unique control panels, each of which with it's own purpose. Don't feel like creating your own panel, or want to use some pre-created panels for some of your favorite desktop apps? ActionPad features the Community Panels Hub, which allows users to upload and share panels they create. It's very easy to share panels and build upon everyone's creations. Along with sharing through the Community Panels Hub, you can also export your panel and send it via E-mail, AirDrop, or a variety of other mediums. No account needed to download user-made panels, only required if you wish to upload to share with other users. Whether it be a panel used to quickly access the most commonly used tools in Photoshop, extra shortcuts for DAW power users, controls for your cockpit in a space simulation game, or a remote control for your streaming setup, there is no limit to what you can create and control with ActionPad.

About

OBS Blade

Control your live stream remotely with this unofficial companion app for OBS. Manage scenes, audio, and view stream statistics without switching applications. Track past stream performance and contribute to future development.

Highlights
  • Start/stop stream
  • Change active scene
  • Toggle scene item visibility
  • Adjust audio source volume
  • View and send Twitch chat messages
  • Monitor live stream statistics
  • Track past stream performance
Features
Read full description

DISCLAIMER: This app is not in any way affiliated with OBS (Open Broadcaster Software). It's an unofficial, open source app to control OBS (https://github.com/Kounex/obs_blade) OBS Blade is your stream companion. Connect to OBS over your network and run your whole show from your phone or tablet - no need to jump back to your PC mid-stream. Built for phone and tablet alike - and new in 4.1: vertical canvases for OBS 32.1, plus an activity feed and chat read out loud with Pro. EVERYTHING YOU NEED - FREE, FOREVER - Start and stop your stream, recording, replay buffer and virtual camera - Switch scenes, with studio mode and transitions - Show and hide sources in any scene - Mix audio with live volume meters, or mute in one tap - Watch a live scene preview - Vertical and extra canvases (OBS 32.1+): browse their scenes and sources, and run Aitum Vertical's own stream, recording and replay buffer - Switch profiles and scene collections, trigger hotkeys - Keep an eye on stream health: FPS, CPU, bitrate, dropped frames - Look back on every past stream and recording in your statistics - Twitch, YouTube, Kick and Owncast chat in its own tab - or next to your controls while you're live - Arrange the dashboard your way OBS BLADE PRO Chat is where your stream lives, so Pro makes it native - and makes sure no supporter gets missed: - Every chat, one place: native Twitch, Kick and YouTube chat, on their own or merged into one live timeline where replies land on the right platform. Every channel you mod or follow, saved combos and who's live at a glance - plus 7TV, BTTV and FFZ emotes, an emote picker, autocomplete, role badges, highlights, mute words and chat search - Never miss a supporter: an activity feed for your own channels - follows, subs, raids, cheers, Super Chats and KICKs in one list, with a to-thank queue for your shout-outs - Hear your chat: read out loud while you play, in each message's own language if you like - Moderate from your pocket: delete, timeout and ban on every platform, plus AutoMod, unban requests and chat modes on Twitch - Your own themes: design custom color themes for the whole app Pro comes monthly, yearly or as a one-time lifetime unlock. Cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Got a bug, an idea or a feature request? Get in touch - on GitHub or at contact@kounex.com Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://obs-blade.kounex.com/privacy-policy

Screenshots

ActionPad4 screens
OBS Blade4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: OBS Blade at Free against ActionPad's $3.99. OBS Blade also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). ActionPad's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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

OBS Blade is free to download; ActionPad costs $3.99 up front. OBS Blade sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. ActionPad asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.0 for ActionPad against 4.0 for OBS Blade. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 30 and 75 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 63% and 63% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ActionPad ships an update every 3 months, OBS Blade every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
ActionPad versus OBS Blade: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterActionPadOBS Blade
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating4.0 (30 ratings)4.0 (75 ratings)
Positive reviews63.4% of reviews — better63.0% of reviews
Number of ratings3075 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB34 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAndrew ArpasiRene Schramowski

Customer experience

ActionPad

All ratings30 ratings
Positive73.3%
Neutral10.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews41 reviews
Positive63.4%
Neutral7.3%
Negative29.3%

OBS Blade

All ratings75 ratings
Positive76.0%
Neutral5.3%
Negative18.7%
Written reviews54 reviews
Positive63.0%
Neutral9.3%
Negative27.8%

Bugs and requests

ActionPad

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

OBS Blade

Reported bugs

16 issues
  • Won't connect to OBS
  • Connection drops and shuts down
  • Cannot connect to websocket server
  • App crashes occasionally
  • Connects but doesn't work
Show 11 more
  • Password incorrect error
  • IOS version not compatible with Windows OBS
  • Cannot connect via Wi-Fi, QR Code, or manual input
  • App says OBS is reachable but fails to connect
  • Stream preview crashes the app
  • Lagging and cutting out
  • Doesn't work after initial use
  • Stream preview never works
  • Recording stats not shown
  • No Recording stats
  • iOS will not recognize web socket server from Windows 10

Requested features

20 requests
  • Support for Kick streaming platform
  • Add ability to manipulate frames
  • Compatibility for multi-streaming Lovense toolset
  • Picture-in-Picture preview
  • Support for Facebook Live stream
Show 15 more
  • EQ activity feedback for audio
  • 3D Touch/Haptic Touch customization
  • PIP (picture in picture) preview
  • Built-in donation button
  • Optional ads for support
  • Advanced intro slide with explanations
  • Step-by-step tutorial
  • Option to choose fade when switching scenes
  • Option to add colors to scenes
  • Chat from more than Twitch and YouTube
  • Expose recording and pause recording buttons on main screen
  • Undock and move parts of the interface
  • Plugin function for PTZ camera control
  • Camera feature (using device camera)
  • Haptic feedback when selecting buttons

In-app purchases

None

ActionPad

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

OBS Blade

One-time5
  • Nice Tip$0.99
  • Awesome Tip$2.99
  • Incredible Tip$4.99
Show 2 more
  • Blacksmith$4.99
  • Pro - Lifetime$99.99

Questions

Is ActionPad free?
ActionPad costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is OBS Blade free?
OBS Blade is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ActionPad or OBS Blade?
ActionPad and OBS Blade are both rated 4.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 30 and 75 ratings respectively.
Do ActionPad or OBS Blade have ads?
Neither ActionPad nor OBS Blade shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ActionPad or OBS Blade?
ActionPad ships an update every 3 months, and OBS Blade every 3 weeks. Most recently, ActionPad was updated on October 8, 2026 and OBS Blade on October 15, 2026.

Other comparisons