Comparison

Pad MIDI vs KeyPad MIDI Controller

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

Head to head
About

Pad MIDI

Transform your iPhone or iPad into a versatile MIDI controller. It offers wireless and USB connectivity, customizable pads, and a full piano keyboard for your music production needs. Requires external hardware or software to generate sound.

Highlights
  • Bluetooth and USB MIDI support
  • 16 assignable MIDI pads
  • Full 88-key piano keyboard
  • Selectable MIDI channel and velocity
  • CC and Program Change controllers
  • MIDI message log/debugger
Features
Read full description

Pad MIDI turns your iPhone/iPad into MIDI pads and keyboard for your synth or DAW * Supports Bluetooth wireless / USB MIDI * Supports native Mac OS Network MIDI (Core MIDI) * 16 assignable / nameable MIDI pads * Full 88 key piano * Selectable MIDI channel and velocity * CC / Program change controllers * MIDI message log / debugger * Requires external synth or plugin to produce sound Learn how to connect here: http://support.thirteen32.com/apps/padmidi/

About

KeyPad MIDI Controller

Transform your device into a professional MIDI controller with touch-optimized piano keys, drum pads, and performance controls. It supports SFZ, SF2, WAV, and M4A samples, and can control iOS apps, hardware synths, and Mac software wirelessly or wired.

Highlights
  • Touch-optimized piano keyboard
  • 9-pad drum grid
  • XY performance pad
  • Built-in sound engine (SF2, SFZ, WAV, M4A)
  • AUv3 plugin support
  • Network MIDI for Mac control
  • Aftertouch and MPE expression
Features
Read full description

Transform your iPad or iPhone into a professional MIDI controller with a touch-optimized piano keyboard, isomorphic grid, drum pads, and XY performance controls. Control iOS apps, hardware synths, and Mac software wirelessly or wired, as a standalone app or an AUv3 plugin in your favorite DAW. Perfect for mobile producers, live performers, beat makers, and sound designers. CORE FEATURES • Built-in sound engine for SF2, SFZ, WAV, and M4A. • Piano keyboard, isomorphic grid, 9-pad drum grid, XY pad, and CC faders. • Scale mode with 12 scales and any root key, on both piano and grid. • Aftertouch and MPE with Mono AT, Poly AT, and XY MPE modes. • Aftertouch and Mod Wheel remapping to any MIDI CC or Pitch Bend. • Velocity, Pitch Bend, and Modulation faders, plus a latching sustain button. • AUv3 plugin for GarageBand, AUM, Cubasis, BeatMaker, and Drambo. • Network MIDI, OSC output, and 16 MIDI channels + Omni. • Adaptive interface for all iPad and iPhone sizes. VIEW MODES Switch between six layouts from the View menu: Piano: a familiar 2-octave keyboard with height-based velocity. Piano Fader: four CC faders in place of the XY pad and drum pads. Assign any CC to each fader and save CC sets as presets. Grid: Isomorphic: every row and column keeps the same interval, so chords and scales have one shape anywhere. Grid: 2 Rows: a piano-style pair of rows, naturals below, sharps above. Grid: Minor Thirds: columns step up by 3 semitones, rows move chromatically. Grid: Big Piano: large naturals with quarter-size sharps. Your view, layout, and root note persist across sessions. SCALE MODE Choose from 12 scales - Major, Natural Minor, Harmonic Minor, Melodic Minor, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Locrian, Pentatonic Major, Pentatonic Minor, Blues, and Whole Tone - in any of the 12 root keys. On the grid, cells remap so only in-scale notes are laid out, putting every note under your fingers. On the piano, the keyboard keeps its familiar black and white pattern. Out-of-scale keys dim and stop responding to touch, so only the keys in your key are labelled and playable. Switch back to Chromatic anytime for the full keyboard. GRID EXPRESSION Every grid layout includes a dedicated mod-wheel row. A vibrant gradient highlights roots and notes, optional labels show note names, and per-note MPE with pitch bend gives each finger independent control. BUILT-IN SOUND ENGINE Play sounds without any external app. Load SF2 SoundFonts with multi-preset selection, or import SFZ, WAV, and M4A samples. The low-CPU engine maps samples across the keyboard automatically, and sounds persist across sessions. AFTERTOUCH & MPE EXPRESSION Mono AT applies uniform pressure across chords, Poly AT sends independent pressure per note, and XY MPE allocates per-note MIDI channels (2-16) with Y on CC74 and X on Pitch Bend. Remap aftertouch or mod wheel to any MIDI CC or Pitch Wheel. A green gradient on pressed keys shows pressure in real time. CONNECT TO YOUR MAC Control Logic Pro, Ableton Live, or any Mac music software from your iPad or iPhone. Connect wirelessly over your local network with Bonjour, or plug in via USB for a rock-solid, zero-latency link. STANDALONE OR AUV3 Load KeyPad inside GarageBand, AUM, Cubasis, BeatMaker, Drambo, or any AUv3 host to play your instruments without switching apps, with settings saved in your project. Or run it standalone to drive hardware synths, route MIDI to other iOS apps, or control your Mac. TOUCH-OPTIMIZED PERFORMANCE Height-Based Velocity: Touch keys at different vertical positions for dynamic velocity, with three curves to shape the response. XY Performance Pad: Control two parameters at once with multi-touch. Assign any MIDI CC to each axis for filter sweeps, effect morphing, or live sound manipulation. Smart Layout: Scales to the window, keeping the full layout with controls and pads on iPhone, iPad, Split View, and AUv3 plugin windows.

Screenshots

Pad MIDI4 screens
KeyPad MIDI Controller3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: KeyPad MIDI Controller at 100% against Pad MIDI's 26%. KeyPad MIDI Controller also leads on price (Free vs $0.99) and rating (4.9 vs 3.0). Pad MIDI's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On 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

KeyPad MIDI Controller is free to download; Pad MIDI costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

KeyPad MIDI Controller holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: KeyPad MIDI Controller has 15 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 26% of Pad MIDI's written reviews are positive against 100% of KeyPad MIDI Controller's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pad MIDI ships an update every 2 months, KeyPad MIDI Controller every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Pad MIDI versus KeyPad MIDI Controller: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPad MIDIKeyPad MIDI Controller
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating3.0 (1 ratings)4.9 (15 ratings) — better
Positive reviews26.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings115 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThirteen32 Pty LtdDiscoDSP LLC

Customer experience

Pad MIDI

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews179 reviews
Positive26.3%
Neutral9.5%
Negative64.2%

KeyPad MIDI Controller

All ratings15 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Pad MIDI

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • App stays on loading page
  • App crashes after splash screen
  • App crashes on startup
  • App won't load
  • App won't open
Show 9 more
  • No sound output
  • Ads cannot be escaped
  • Accidentally clicked remove ad, needs refund
  • Ads couldn't be clicked out of
  • Notes don't work
  • Cannot connect to software
  • App crashes when loading
  • App crashes when opening
  • App automatically closes

Requested features

10 requests
  • Multi-touch support
  • Turn phone display off and maintain connectivity
  • Assign velocity to saved pads
  • Numerical velocity input
  • Customizable button colors/styles
Show 5 more
  • XY pad or faders/rotary encoders
  • More pages and knobs
  • Instructional video for setup
  • Support for newer software versions
  • USB connection for reduced latency

KeyPad MIDI Controller

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Pad MIDI

No in-app purchases

None

KeyPad MIDI Controller

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pad MIDI free?
Pad MIDI costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is KeyPad MIDI Controller free?
KeyPad MIDI Controller is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pad MIDI or KeyPad MIDI Controller?
KeyPad MIDI Controller is rated higher. Pad MIDI averages 3.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while KeyPad MIDI Controller averages 4.9 from 15 ratings.
Do Pad MIDI or KeyPad MIDI Controller have ads?
Neither Pad MIDI nor KeyPad MIDI Controller shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pad MIDI or KeyPad MIDI Controller?
Pad MIDI ships an update every 2 months, and KeyPad MIDI Controller every 4 days. Most recently, Pad MIDI was updated on October 10, 2026 and KeyPad MIDI Controller on October 18, 2026.

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