Comparison

XPad vs UNO Synth Editor

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

Head to head
About

XPad

This app provides professional pad sounds for keyboardists, aiming to replicate warm analog synth tones with advanced digital features. It offers intuitive glissando control, real-time sound morphing, and extensive MIDI compatibility for a dynamic playing experience.

Highlights
  • Modern pad sounds
  • Realistic glissando control
  • Tone Width morphing
  • Sensible sound controls
  • MIDI remote control
  • Extensive sound library search
Features
Read full description

XPad is a professional sound module app and Audio Unit v3 plugin with focus on modern pad sounds for iPad. Goal was to get the warm and vibrant sound of analogue synths onto the convenient platform of an iPad and combining those sounds with the benefits of state of the art digital features while still preserving that analogue tone and feeling. Glissando XPad introduces a new way that we were developing for our apps to achieve realistic large interval Glissando. You can glide a tone continuously e.g. from the lowest octave up to the highest octave and vice versa, in any desirable speed and without causing an artificial impression to the listener. We were also thinking about how to improve the usability aspects for playing Glissando in a much more intuitive & convenient way for a keyboard player, while still preserving the player's full control. Foremost this app allows you to mix Glissando with regular polyphonic notes (e.g. chords) simultaneously or switch between these playing styles quickly at any time without leaving your hands off the keyboard. For instance you might be playing and holding a chord with your right hand while playing a Glissando slide with your left hand and punching through the right hand's chord from an octave lower than the chord, up to some octave higher than the chord. Tone Width Replicating some analogue boutique pad synthesizers is nice, but what about having a huge stack of them? That's where "Tone Width" control comes into play. Especially the important pad sounds of this app allow you to morph the sound with the "Tone Width" knob in real-time steplessly between a very thin and clean sound up to a huge and fat tonal sound as if an army of pad synths was working under your finger tips. Sensible Control Controls for the individual sound aspects is good. But it should be in a sensible way. Nothing is hard wired here. Every sound of this app presents controls that make sense for the individual sound. All controls presented are always fine tuned to the individual elements of that sound. You can alter all controls remotely by MIDI e.g. with sliders at your keyboard. The most important controls for each sound are mapped to things that you are most likely using anyway at your keyboard. For instance all sounds use the Aftertouch information of your keyboard to bring more dynamic behaviour into the sound even while just holding some notes. And just grab your modulation wheel at your keyboard to bring in some more variance. Never Lost XPad offers up to 462 sounds, but don't worry, it never lets you down and always assists you finding just the sound you need in a glimpse. You can quickly search for sounds with any combination of several criteria like sound characteristics, articulations, controls and more. Connectivity Like all our apps, XPad is very easy to use and start with. Just connect your keyboard with your iPad and you are ready to go. And of course if needed, you can simply tweak the setup, e.g. use a Bluetooth MIDI wireless connection to your keyboard instead of a cabled one, restrict MIDI input to certain devices or apps, connect to other apps with Inter-App Audio or use the sounds of this app as Audio Unit v3 plugin directly in the DAW app of your choice. Recorder The app comes with a built-in MIDI recorder that allows you to quickly record your musical ideas. You can share them as audio files with other people or transfer them as MIDI files for further work e.g. on your Mac. Sound Sets XPad is divided into 14 optional sound sets of different sound categories and provide up to 462 sounds in total. Even though the app is focused on pad sounds, this is not all this app has to offer sound-wise. The "Atmo" pack for instance contains atmospheric sounds for generating very emotional sound bases and backgrounds e.g. for film and entertainment. The "Perc" sound set contains drums and percussive sounds. The "Silicon" sound set covers synthesizers also offside the pad field, and much more.

About

UNO Synth Editor

This app provides advanced control for a specific analog synthesizer, allowing users to manage presets, shape sounds, and configure global and MIDI settings. It offers access to all synth engine elements and includes artist-created presets for inspiration.

Highlights
  • Preset management and transfer
  • Full control over synth engine
  • Sound shaping with envelopes and LFOs
  • Arpeggiator and keyboard controls
  • Global and MIDI settings configuration
  • Artist preset library
Read full description

**New: Librarian feature & Artist Presets** UNO Synth Editor’s Presets tab lets you easily manage presets and transfer them between your Mac/PC/iOS device and UNO Synth. Browse, audition and search, arrange presets into custom categories, and easily add and re-order presets on UNO Synth itself. And bulk transfer makes it easy to quickly prepare the Synth for performances. UNO Synth Editor also now offers presets from VIP artists like Synthmania, HaQ AttaQ and more, covering a wealth of styles and genres to inspire your creativity. UNO Synth Editor is the companion app for IK’s UNO Synth. Easily access and control all the aspects of this powerful analog synthesizer from your iPhone or iPad while UNO Synth is connected. UNO Synth Editor gives you enhanced access to every element of the synth engine for massive sound-shaping potential. Adjust continuously variable waveshapes and pulse-width modulation, and use full access to the Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release controls of both the filter and amplitude envelopes for even more in-depth sound design. Arpeggiator and keyboard controls help you prep for live shows. Lastly, UNO Synth Editor gives you control over the hardware unit’s global and MIDI settings, making it easier to configure UNO Synth for more complex setups and rigs. Features: • Powerful editor for use with IK’s UNO Synth analog synthesizer • Full control over all features of the hardware unit • Instant access to full Attack, Decay, Sustain, and Release filter controls • Adjust settings for Live effects like Vibrato, Tremolo, and Wah • Full 88-key keyboard for easier programming of arpeggios and sequences • Pitch and mod wheels for more dynamic control of your playing • Advanced access to the on-board Arpeggiator • New librarian tab to sort & categorize presets & transfer between UNO and the app • Global and MIDI controls for faster setup of advanced configurations 
Requires UNO Synth with firmware version 1.1. Firmware updater can be downloaded from www.ikmultimedia.com/userarea after registration of the unit.

Screenshots

UNO Synth Editor4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: UNO Synth Editor at none against XPad's 14. UNO Synth Editor also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (9.3 vs 12.0). XPad's advantage is update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 9 months) and review sentiment (50% vs 33%). On price, rating, 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

Both are free to download. XPad sells 14 one-off in-app purchases. UNO Synth Editor asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.8 for XPad against 3.8 for UNO Synth Editor. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 24 and 11 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 50% of XPad's written reviews are positive against 33% of UNO Synth Editor's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

XPad ships an update every 4 weeks, UNO Synth Editor every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
XPad versus UNO Synth Editor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterXPadUNO Synth Editor
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (24 ratings) — better3.8 (11 ratings)
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings24 — better11
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeks — betterEvery 9 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS12.09.3 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1.2 GB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChristian Schoenebeck d/b/a CrudebyteIK Multimedia US, LLC

Customer experience

XPad

All ratings23 ratings
Positive73.9%
Neutral4.3%
Negative21.7%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral16.7%
Negative33.3%

UNO Synth Editor

All ratings11 ratings
Positive72.7%
Neutral9.1%
Negative18.2%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral8.3%
Negative58.3%

In-app purchases

14 purchases

XPad

One-time14
  • Weirdo Sound Set$2.99
  • Pluck Sound Set$2.99
  • Metal Sound Set$3.99
Show 11 more
  • Bass Sound Set$3.99
  • Choir Sound Set$3.99
  • Altro Sound Set$3.99
  • Organ Sound Set$3.99
  • Percussive Sound Set$3.99
  • Silicon Sound Set$4.99
  • Vintage Sound Set$4.99
  • Atmo Sound Set$5.99
  • Space Sound Set$5.99
  • Nature Sound Set$5.99
  • Sequence Sound Set$5.99
None

UNO Synth Editor

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is XPad free?
XPad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is UNO Synth Editor free?
UNO Synth Editor is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, XPad or UNO Synth Editor?
XPad is rated higher. XPad averages 3.8 out of 5 from 24 ratings, while UNO Synth Editor averages 3.8 from 11 ratings.
Do XPad or UNO Synth Editor have ads?
Neither XPad nor UNO Synth Editor shows ads.
Which is updated more often, XPad or UNO Synth Editor?
XPad ships an update every 4 weeks, and UNO Synth Editor every 9 months. Most recently, XPad was updated on September 29, 2026 and UNO Synth Editor on October 9, 2026.

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