iGrand Piano CS for iPad vs PadLoop
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
iGrand Piano CS for iPad
Experience concert-quality grand and upright pianos with ultra-realistic sound and built-in recording. Edit and save custom variations, connect external keyboards, and compose anywhere. Expand your library with additional instrument packs.
- Ultra-realistic grand and upright pianos
- High-definition stereo samples
- Built-in MIDI recorder with overdubbing
- Instrument editor with real-time controls
- Audiobus and Inter-App Audio support
- Expansion packs for more instruments
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THE CONCERT QUALITY PIANO APP UPDATED FOR AUDIOBUS AND INTER-APP AUDIO WITH NEW EXPANSION PACK, EQ AND USER VARIATIONS The ultimate piano instrument provides you with an extraordinary collection of ultra-realistic acoustic pianos along with built-in recording! Use the iRig KEYS and KEYS PRO portable keyboards (www.irigkeys.com) or the iRig MIDI 2 interface (www.irigmidi.com) to connect your external keyboard, and you're ready to compose, rehearse, perform and record with the very best instruments for your mobile world. You can now edit your sound even further with the new 3-band EQ and save up to 4 user variations per instrument. iGrand Piano puts the world's finest pianos right at your fingertips with studio-grade quality that stands up to the most powerful virtual instruments available on a computer. With high-definition stereo samples across multiple velocities, iGrand Piano brings you the most playable, expressive and beautiful sounding piano instruments available on a mobile device that you can play anytime and everywhere. iGrand Piano FREE gives you 2 world-class pianos (including one by registering) along with a capable recorder and metronome. The instruments in the FREE version are limited to the 4 octaves centered on middle C (C1 to C5). Purchase the βUpgrade to Full Versionβ option to get the full 88-note range and give your FREE app the same additional 6 instruments as the paid version. Add the Piano Expansion 1 via in-app purchase to extend your piano library with 9 additional high-quality instruments or the Piano Expansion 2 with 22 all-new instruments including the Hollywood Piano, piano + strings layers and harpsichords. Record your rehearsals or performances as MIDI with both overdubbing and punch-in capability, then export your track as audio via E-mail or File Sharing or Audio Copy to other iOS apps. With the built-in MIDI Recorder, you can change the tempo of your piece or even choose to use a different piano AFTER you've completed your performance! For composers of any level, the MIDI Recorder lets you capture and develop ideas anywhere your mobile life takes you. iGrand Piano also includes some professional MIDI performances to help you audition the various piano instruments or just inspire your own creative muse! The easy-to-use instrument editor puts real-time controls on the panel just above the keys to let you adjust the amount of ambience, the position of the lid (open, closed or anything in between), brightness, envelope release, key transposition and tuning. All edit knobs can be assigned to your choice of MIDI controllers for external fine-crafting of your instrument's sonic details. Virtual MIDI and MIDI Program Change are also supported along with Audiobus and Inter-App Audio for iOS 8. iGrand Piano features: - World-class, multi-velocity stereo grand and upright piano instruments (upright available by registering) - βUpgrade to Full Versionβ with 6 more pianos and full 88-note range instantly available via in-app purchase - Expandable libraries offer 31 additional instruments instantly available via in-app purchase - Intuitive instrument edit controls including ambience, lid, brightness, release, tuning and transpose - Included MIDI Recorder with overdub and punch-in capability - Export performances via E-mail, File Sharing and Audio Copy - Large visual metronome with variable click volume and adjustable tempo - Easy-to-use instrument editor with transpose to adjust ambience, tonality and tuning with 4 user variations per instrument - Audiobus and Inter-App Audio support for iOS 8 - Virtual MIDI and MIDI Program Change support - Low-latency for real-time playing - More than 64-voice polyphony on the latest devices - Designed in concert with iRig KEYS and iRig KEYS PRO portable MIDI keyboards and iRig MIDI 2 interface - Full version also available For more information: www.ikmultimedia.com/igrand www.irigkeys.com www.irigmidi.com
PadLoop
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Sixteen pads, a track looper and a sampler: PadLoop turns your phone into a real instrument for making beats with your fingers - no musical training needed. Try everything free for 7 days. After that PadLoop stays free with 2 banks, 2 looper tracks and one project, or you unlock everything with a single one-time purchase. No subscription. NEW β’ Ready beats: 24 complete grooves (Trap soul, Afrobeats, Deep house, UK drill, Funk, Lo-fi...), each with its own bank, tempo and swing, drums and music already recorded. One tap and you play over them β’ Optional plugins: 6 sound kits (Reggaeton, Afro & Amapiano, Jungle & DnB, Phonk, Drum Machines, Percussion) and 4 instruments with real recorded notes (grand piano, marimba & vibraphone, strings, winds) β’ Split a song: the Stem split plugin separates a track into vocals, drums, bass and the rest, right on your phone, no internet needed. Then put the parts on your pads (needs 3 GB of RAM or more) β’ Pedals: MIDI pedals run the looper hands-free β’ More precise mic recording: the delay is stored separately for speaker, headphones and Bluetooth β’ On first launch, if you like, an example to listen to or a step-by-step guide PLAY β’ 8 sound banks (128 pads): drums, basses, synths, vocals - all replaceable β’ Touch dynamics: hard at the bottom, soft at the top, like real pads β’ Keyboard: play any sound in a scale with no wrong notes, chords included β’ Note repeat with Latch, an arpeggiator, 16 Levels (the same sound at sixteen velocities), hold-down effects (filter, echo, reverb, lo-fi...) β’ Shape every pad: pitch, reverse, envelope, filter, echo, lo-fi RECORD LOOPS β’ Hit REC and play: the loop records itself and keeps going, layer after layer β’ Up to 16 synced tracks: name them and drag them into your own order, without stopping the loop β’ Time-stretch: a loop follows the project BPM without changing pitch β’ Quantization with a selectable grid (8ths, 16ths, triplets, 1/32) or off - and you can change it afterwards β’ Step sequencer with per-cell hit strength: accents and ghost notes β’ Mute in time, per-layer undo, loop doubling, swing SAMPLE ANYTHING β’ Record from the mic, import audio files, take the sound from a video, or resample the app itself β’ Trim with handles, split on hits automatically or chop by hand; clean up steady background noise β’ Sound library with 558 ready-made sounds and 29 pre-built banks SING AND SHARE β’ Record your voice straight onto a track, in time with the beat β’ Save your own banks and share them with friends as a file β’ Record your live performance, effects and mistakes included β’ Export to MP3/WAV or as separate tracks, at the same full level you hear in the app BUILT FOR REAL PLAYING β’ A "?" on the main screens explains every button, with the full guide one tap away β’ Two calibrations, for taps and for the mic, so what you record lands where you played it β’ MIDI controllers and keyboards, USB and Bluetooth, with MIDI learn β’ Autosave and one-file project backup HONEST β’ No ads. Ever. For anyone. β’ No subscriptions: a 7-day trial with everything unlocked, plugins included, then playing stays free forever (2 banks full of sounds, 2 looper tracks with the microphone too, one project) β’ A single one-time purchase unlocks everything: the full sampler, all 8 banks, 16 tracks, 558 sounds, 29 ready-made banks, 24 Ready beats, all plugins, export, performance recording, unlimited projects β’ Everything you create stays yours and keeps playing, no matter what Make your first beat in thirty seconds. The rest follows.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: PadLoop at every 6 days against iGrand Piano CS for iPad's every 5 months. PadLoop also leads on device support (3 vs 1). iGrand Piano CS for iPad's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. iGrand Piano CS for iPad sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and PadLoop sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
iGrand Piano CS for iPad ships an update every 5 months, PadLoop every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | iGrand Piano CS for iPad | PadLoop |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | 43.5% of reviews | β |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 6 days β better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | β |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod β better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 β better | 15.0 |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 643 MB | 138 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | IK Multimedia US, LLC | POSITIVE VIBRATION, SOCIEDAD LIMITADA. |
In-app purchases
iGrand Piano CS for iPad
- Piano Expansion Pack$14.99
- Piano Expansion Pack 2$14.99
- Upgrade to Full Version$19.99
PadLoop
- 7-Day Free TrialFree
- Full Unlock$9.99
Questions
Is iGrand Piano CS for iPad free?
Is PadLoop free?
Do iGrand Piano CS for iPad or PadLoop have ads?
Which is updated more often, iGrand Piano CS for iPad or PadLoop?
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