SynthDrum Kick vs Otoo
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SynthDrum Kick
Create unique kick drum sounds using synthesis rather than samples. This lightweight, fast plugin offers extensive controls for EDM genres and integrates seamlessly with iOS DAWs. Get the perfect kick sound quickly without relying on presets.
- AUv3 AudioUnit plugin
- Synthesized kick drum sounds
- Pitch and Amp envelopes
- Delayable LFO for AM/FM
- Dual parametric EQ
- Soft clipper
- Velocity sensitive
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AUv3 Drum Synthesizer for iOS SynthDrum Kick is a fast, focused Audio Unit plugin for designing punchy, modern drum sounds—fully synthesised, no samples required. Create kicks from scratch in seconds. No digging through sample packs. No compromises. Just direct control over your sound. Load multiple instances in your favourite AU host like GarageBand, Cubasis, AUM, or BeatMaker 3 to build full percussion setups with ease. Go Further with the Included Sequencer App Load up to 8 Audio Unit SynthDrum Kick instances into the included app and drive them with a powerful 64-step sequencer. Independent channel lengths for polyrhythms Built-in mixer Integrated FX: reverb, delay, compressor, limiter Create evolving patterns and complete rhythmic ideas—all in one place. Sound Design Without Limits From tight, punchy house kicks to deep, tuned trap bass, SynthDrum Kick gives you everything you need to shape your sound. All sounds are 100% synth-generated, giving you total control and a unique result every time—no recycled samples. A streamlined interface and purpose-built DSP engine keep everything fast, focused, and musical. Designed for Percussion Unlike general-purpose synths, SynthDrum Kick is built specifically for drum synthesis: Fast workflow Focused controls No unnecessary parameters Everything is tuned for creating powerful, mix-ready kicks quickly. Features AUv3 (Audio Unit Extension) Lightweight and efficient Multiple instances supported Sound Engine Oscillator: Sine, 909-style clipped triangle Pitch Envelope (retriggered for percussive shaping) Amp Envelope (optimised for drums) LFO (with delay, AM/FM modulation) Noise generator Processing Dual parametric EQ Soft clipper Velocity sensitivity Preset system
Otoo
This music creation app offers a unique free-form sequencer for building beats and melodies. It supports built-in sounds, sampling, and AUv3 instruments, with live performance effects and song arrangement tools.
- Free-form step sequencer
- Single-screen workflow
- Built-in sounds and sampler
- AUv3 instrument support
- Performance Mode effects
- Export WAV, MP3, and MIDI
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Otoo is a streamlined, one-screen groovebox designed for frictionless music production. Built around an innovative free-form step sequencer, Otoo breaks away from rigid grids, allowing you to place, drag, and stack notes freely across independent rows. Whether you are sketching out ideas using the native built-in engine and sampler or hosting your favorite third-party AUv3 plugins, Otoo delivers a distraction-free environment that prioritizes speed and musical flow. On iPhone, the interface dynamically scales to give your AUv3 instruments a near-fullscreen home, paired with a compact, highly responsive keyboard for immediate creation on the go. Otoo also includes Otoo MIDI, an AUv3 MIDI processor version of the app. It brings Otoo’s pattern-based sequencing into compatible AUv3 hosts, where playback follows the host timeline and instruments are routed as MIDI Out destinations instead of audio instruments. Distraction-Free Workflow • The single-screen layout keeps your sequence, arrangement and mixer visible at all times so you never have to dive into menus. • A free-form step sequencer lets you place, drag, and stack notes across any row without rigid instrument or track restrictions. • Step editing mode gives you precise control over note length, velocity, and timing subdivisions. • The gesture-driven mixer allows for quick volume adjustments, muting, and soloing directly from the main grid. • 4 rows on iPhone and 5 on iPad, with multiple instruments available in each row at different steps • 2-octave keyboard for playing and learning real notes Sounds and plug-ins • Up to 8 instruments per project • Built-in sounds and sampler • Use any installed AUv3 instruments in a large, near-fullscreen view with a compact keyboard • Up to 2 AUv3 effects per instrument • Sampler with instant key-by-key recording and chromatic mapping Patterns to full songs • Build songs from simple patterns • Draggable loop markers for quick arrangement changes Performance mode • Live sequencer and audio effects such as reverse, beat repeat, randomize, swing, triplet, tape, and more • Play the pattern like a keyboard by tapping steps directly Other features • Main output with built-in level protection • Automatic metronome when recording live into empty patterns • Export patterns or full songs as WAV or MP3 for easy sharing • Export performances as perfect loops • MIDI export • Supported time signatures: 4/4, 3/4, 4/4T and sequencer swing.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Otoo at every 6 days against SynthDrum Kick's every 9 months. Otoo also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 71%). SynthDrum Kick's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $6.99). On rating, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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
SynthDrum Kick costs $2.99 and Otoo $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for SynthDrum Kick against 5.0 for Otoo. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 19 and 28 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 71% of SynthDrum Kick's written reviews are positive against 100% of Otoo's.
SynthDrum Kick ships an update every 9 months, Otoo every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SynthDrum Kick | Otoo |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 — better | $6.99 |
| Rating | 4.9 (19 ratings) | 5.0 (28 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 71.4% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 19 | 28 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 64 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Paul Betowski | BeepStreet |
Customer experience
SynthDrum Kick
Otoo
In-app purchases
SynthDrum Kick
No in-app purchases
Otoo
No in-app purchases








