Comparison

Piano Partner vs Patch Base

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

Head to head
About

Piano Partner

Enhance your Roland digital piano experience with interactive learning tools. This app offers a fun music game to build skills, a browser to access onboard sounds and songs, and a digital sheet music display for built-in pieces.

Highlights
  • Interactive music game for skill building
  • Access onboard sounds and songs
  • Digital sheet music display
  • Wireless connectivity with adapter
  • Content browsing by category
Read full description

Experience the luxury of a digital piano with your iPad. Piano Partner is iPad app that provides a fresh, interactive way to learn and play a piano with your Roland digital piano. (Some models may require a system update.) * Piano Partner supports Roland’s LX-15e/15, HP508/507/506/505/504/503, DP90Se/90e/90S/90, RP401R, F-130R, FP-80/50 and F-20. * DigiScore Lite is only compatible with the LX-15e/15, HP508/507/506/504, DP90Se/90e, RP401R and F-130R. Piano Partner contains three applications: Flash Card, Content Browser, and DigiScore Lite. • Flash Card is an interactive music game that builds your listening and reading skills in a fun. • Contents Browser lets you quickly access hundreds of onboard sounds and songs of the connected Roland piano by category names on the iPad’s display. • DigiScore Lite displays digital sheet music of the built-in songs on the iPad screen. * Content Browser and DigiScore Lite are only available for the built-in songs. You can’t use your original piano recordings nor other SMF files. * By inserting the Roland’s WNA1100-RL Wireless USB Adapter (sold separately) into the USB MEMORY port of your Roland piano, you can use Piano Partner applications on your iPad wirelessly. * In order for the iPad to communicate with compatible Roland pianos using the WNA1100-RL, a wireless LAN access point with an Internet connection is required. * Make sure your instrument is updated with the most current System Program. Some models may require a system update. Latest system program and setup instructions can be found at www.roland.com.

About

Patch Base

This app allows users to visualize, edit, and organize patches for a wide range of hardware synthesizers. It offers real-time parameter editing, patch bank management, and the ability to create random or initial patches. Users can also test sounds with an on-screen keyboard.

Highlights
  • Visualize synth patches
  • Real-time parameter editing
  • Manage patch banks
  • Create random patches
  • On-screen keyboard for sound testing
  • Extensive synthesizer support
Read full description

Patch Base is a collection of patch editors and librarians for new and vintage synthesizers, enabling easy visualization, editing, and organization of patches. * See what patches on your synth look like * Edit the parameters of your synth in real time, while you play * Manage your patch banks directly from the app * Save patches in Patch Base, and back them up using iCloud * Access your patch files on your computer via iCloud Drive * Create random patches, and "init" patches as starting points for new sounds * Play your synth for sound testing using the on-screen keyboard Patch Base currently has editors for the following synthesizers, with more to come: * Access Virus C, Virus TI, Virus TI Snow * Akai Miniak * Alesis Micron * Behringer Deepmind 12 * Casio CZ-1, CZ-101, CZ-1000, CZ-3000, CZ-5000 * Clavia Nord Lead 2, Nord Lead 2X * DSI Mopho, Mopho Keyboard, Evolver, Evolver Keyboard, Tetra * E-mu Proteus/1, Proteus/2, Proteus 2000, Proteus 1000, Orbit-3, Virtuoso 2000, Xtreme Lead-1, Mo'Phatt, Planet Earth * Ensoniq ESQ-1, SQ-80, and ESQ-M * Korg Volca FM, Volca FM2, Minilogue, microKORG, MS2000, MS2000R, MS2000B, MS2000BR, DW-8000, EX-8000, Prophecy * Novation Circuit, Bass Station II * Oberheim Matrix-1000, Matrix-6, Matrix-6r * Roland JD-Xi, JV-1080, JV-2080, JV-1010, XP-80, XP-60, XP-50, XP-30, D-50, D-550, D-05, D-110, D-10, D-20, D-5, JV-880, JV-80, XV-5080, XV-3080, XV-5050, XV-2020, Alpha Juno-1, Alpha Juno-2, MKS-50, JD-800, JD-990, JX-8P, JP-8080 * Waldorf Blofeld, Micro Q * Yamaha DX7, DX7II, TX7, TX802, TX816, TX81Z, DX100, FB-01, FS1R, TG33, DX200, TG77, SY77, DX21, DX11, Reface DX The app is free for download and to try out, ensuring that the app works with your hardware setup. For full access to all editor features, each editor is available as an individual In-App Purchase, or via an All Access subscription. ** Unlock Every Editor with All Access ** Patch Base now offers the All Access subscription, giving you access to every editor that Patch Base offers for a single subscription price. You can subscribe on a monthly or annual basis. Subscription payment is charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of subscription purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Your iTunes account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can turn off auto-renewal and manage your subscription at any time from your iTunes Account Settings after purchase. Privacy Policy: https://coffeeshopped.com/patch-base-privacy-policy Terms of Use: https://coffeeshopped.com/patch-base-terms-conditions

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Patch Base at 53% against Piano Partner's 9%. Patch Base also leads on rating (3.4 vs 1.7) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 26 months). Piano Partner's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 31) and iOS requirement (9.3.5 vs 13.0). On price, ads 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

Both are free to download. Patch Base sells 31 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Piano Partner asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Patch Base holds the better App Store score, 3.4 against 1.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Patch Base has 85 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 9% of Piano Partner's written reviews are positive against 53% of Patch Base's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Piano Partner ships an update every 26 months, Patch Base every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Piano Partner versus Patch Base: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPiano PartnerPatch Base
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.7 (7 ratings)3.4 (85 ratings) — better
Positive reviews9.3% of reviews52.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings785 — better
Update frequencyEvery 26 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPadiPad
Requires iOS9.3.5 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB65 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRoland CorporationCoffeeshopped LLC

Customer experience

Piano Partner

All ratings7 ratings
Positive14.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative85.7%
Written reviews54 reviews
Positive9.3%
Neutral14.8%
Negative75.9%

Patch Base

All ratings85 ratings
Positive56.5%
Neutral3.5%
Negative40.0%
Written reviews104 reviews
Positive52.9%
Neutral3.8%
Negative43.3%

Bugs and requests

Piano Partner

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Patch Base

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • App crashes on iOS 14.2 and other versions
  • MIDI buffer full errors with DX7IIFD
  • Sysex transfer stalls and timeouts
  • Cannot access operators 4-6 on Volca FM
  • Algorithm changes crash app
Show 7 more
  • Patches randomly deleted after app restart
  • MIDI port assignment not persisting
  • Unable to send patches to synths
  • App hangs during patch transitions
  • Unmute function unavailable while editing
  • iCloud file synchronization not working
  • XV-5080 editor stuck on loading screen

Requested features

13 requests
  • MFB Dominion 1 editor
  • Arturia Microfreak randomizer
  • Novation Circuit Tracks support
  • Korg Wavestate editor
  • Roland MKS-70 and MKS-80 controllers
Show 8 more
  • Access Virus Ti2 character section and banks
  • Custom randomization options
  • Yamaha EX5/r and Motif XF editors
  • Prophet 6 support
  • Korg Minilogue enhancements
  • Undo button functionality
  • Pass-through MIDI option
  • Dropbox and Google Drive cloud support

In-app purchases

None

Piano Partner

No in-app purchases

31 purchases

Patch Base

Subscriptions2
  • Patch Base: Monthly7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • All Access: Annual7 Days trial$59.991 Year
One-time29
  • Casio CZ-101$29.99
  • Oberheim Matrix-6r$29.99
  • Yamaha DX7$29.99
Show 26 more
  • Yamaha TX7$29.99
  • Ensoniq ESQ-1$29.99
  • Korg Volca FM$29.99
  • Korg microKorg$29.99
  • Roland JD-Xi$29.99
  • Korg Minilogue$29.99
  • Roland JV-1080$29.99
  • Waldorf Blofeld$29.99
  • Roland D-50$29.99
  • Roland D-05$29.99
  • Roland D-110$29.99
  • Novation Bass Station II$29.99
  • Yamaha DX100$29.99
  • Access Virus TI Snow$29.99
  • Yamaha TG33$29.99
  • Roland JV-1010$29.99
  • Yamaha SY77$29.99
  • Roland XV-5050$29.99
  • Yamaha TX81Z$29.99
  • Oberheim Matrix-1000$29.99
  • Korg Volca FM2$29.99
  • Oberheim Matrix-6$29.99
  • Yamaha DX7II$29.99
  • Roland JV-880$29.99
  • Yamaha Reface DX$29.99
  • All Access$99.99

Questions

Is Piano Partner free?
Piano Partner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Patch Base free?
Patch Base is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Piano Partner or Patch Base?
Patch Base is rated higher. Piano Partner averages 1.7 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Patch Base averages 3.4 from 85 ratings.
Do Piano Partner or Patch Base have ads?
Neither Piano Partner nor Patch Base shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Piano Partner or Patch Base?
Piano Partner ships an update every 26 months, and Patch Base every 3 weeks. Most recently, Piano Partner was updated on October 5, 2026 and Patch Base on October 6, 2026.

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