# X/Y PAL vs plugdata

The clearest difference is price: plugdata at Free against X/Y PAL's $1.99. plugdata also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 8 months). X/Y PAL's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 4.3) and review sentiment (78% vs 63%). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

plugdata is free to download; X/Y PAL costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

X/Y PAL holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 20 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of X/Y PAL's written reviews are positive against 63% of plugdata's.

X/Y PAL ships an update every 8 months, plugdata every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | X/Y PAL | plugdata |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.6 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xy-pal/id1469271950/reviews)** | [4.3 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plugdata/id6473122351/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 9 | **20** |
| Positive reviews | **77.8% of reviews** | 63.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | **Every 3 months** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Size | 7 MB | 147 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.3** | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [DANIEL BRUEGGE](https://appshunter.io/developer/1528292926) | [Timothy Schoen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1718448510) |

## What reviewers say

### X/Y PAL

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xy-pal/id1469271950)

This app serves as an X/Y pad MIDI controller, allowing users to manage up to 8 parameters per pad. Customize MIDI channels, control change messages, value ranges, colors, and names for each parameter. Visualize CC value changes with on-screen bars.

**Highlights:** X/Y pad MIDI controller, Control up to 8 parameters per pad, Customizable MIDI channel and CC messages, Configurable CC value range, Parameter naming and coloring, MIDI output device selection, Visualized CC value changes

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### plugdata

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plugdata/id6473122351)

This app provides a visual programming environment for audio experimentation, prototyping, and education. It allows users to create and run audio patches on their mobile devices, enabling creative sound design on the go.

**Highlights:** Visual programming environment, Audio experimentation, Prototyping, Educational tool, Standalone application, Audio plugins

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is X/Y PAL free?

X/Y PAL costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is plugdata free?

plugdata is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, X/Y PAL or plugdata?

X/Y PAL is rated higher. X/Y PAL averages 4.6 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while plugdata averages 4.3 from 20 ratings.

### Do X/Y PAL or plugdata have ads?

Neither X/Y PAL nor plugdata shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, X/Y PAL or plugdata?

X/Y PAL ships an update every 8 months, and plugdata every 3 months. Most recently, X/Y PAL was updated on October 24, 2026 and plugdata on October 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*