Comparison

BK Partner vs RRS Ivoks

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

Head to head
About

BK Partner

Control your Roland BK-series instrument's sounds and accompaniments from your iPad. It mirrors the instrument's front panel for quick access to functions, tones, and rhythms. Supports Core MIDI and Roland Wireless Connection.

Highlights
  • Browse and select instrument tones
  • Control musical accompaniments
  • Duplicate instrument's front control panel on iPad
  • Fast visual access to main functions
  • Support for Core MIDI
  • Support for Roland Wireless Connection
Read full description

This software application for iPad let you browse, select, and control the sounds ("Tones") and musical accompaniments ("Rhythms") of your Roland BK-series instrument. When using BK Partner you can: - Play your BK-series instrument while using your iPad as a duplication of its front control panel. This provides fast visual access to the BK's main functions, Tones, and Rhythms. Work with Core MIDI or Roland Wireless Connection (if supported by BK Instrument) *Note: The BK Partner can only display English texts.

About

RRS Ivoks

This app emulates analog synthesizers, offering a range of sound shaping tools including oscillators, filters, and amplifiers. It supports AUv3 hosting for integration with music production apps and provides extensive MIDI control.

Highlights
  • Analog Emulation
  • AUv3 Compatible
  • Dual Oscillators
  • Filter Block with ADSR
  • Amplifier Block with ADSR
  • Modulation (LFO) Controls
  • MIDI CC Implementation
Read full description

RRS Ivoks AUv3 instrument — comes as time-limited Demo-version for you to try. It gives you 5 minutes of Free play time. (You can reload the RRS Ivoks AUv3 instrument as many times as you want, thereby you get the Demo period again and again.) Unlimited version of RRS Ivoks AUv3 instrument comes as In-App Purchase. Features: • Analog Emulation; • Undo/Redo; • A/B comparison; • 2x/4x/8x Upsampling; • Macro controllers; • Scalable GUI. On the centre panel are located two audio-frequency oscillators: • OSC1 offers frequency Band regulator, five Waveforms and controls for LFO Modulation level plus OSC2 Cross-modulation; • OSC2 offers the same frequency Band and Waveforms, an independent control for Modulation depth, plus Detuning. Underneath these located the mixer, which offers level controls for the two Oscillators, the Noise generator, and Saturation Drive. To the right of these, located the filter block. The top half is a standard ADSR envelope — until you flip the switch «Envelope mode», when it becomes a repeating AD-envelope instead. The four controls at the bottom adjust Cut-off, Resonance, LPF to BPF switch, Modulation level and Envelope level. Next after the filter is the amplifier block, it also has ADSR envelope along with another Modulation level and Velocity sensitivity control. Again, the envelope can be switched to a Repeating Mode that generates a triangular waveform determined by the Attack and Decay settings, providing some of the instrument’s most distinctive effects. The leftmost panels house the Modulation (LFO) controls (top), Mode which offers four waveforms, including noise, and a stepped Function for sample & hold (S&H) effects, well as Speed control. And global settings such as the master Tune, master Volume, Legato mode, Monophonic and Duophonic operation and Unison switches, and the Glide control. To use Ivoks as an instrument, you need an AUv3-compatible host app like GarageBand, Auria, AUM, Cubasis and more — RRS Ivoks will appear in the list of Audio Unit instruments in the host app. MIDI CC Implementation Chart: • CC#003 => HQ • CC#009 => Saturation Drive • CC#014 => Modulator Speed • CC#015 => Modulator Mode • CC#020 => Filter Attack • CC#021 => AMP Attack • CC#022 => Filter Decay • CC#023 => AMP Decay • CC#024 => Filter Sustain • CC#025 => AMP Sustain • CC#026 => Filter Release • CC#027 => AMP Release • CC#028 => Filter Envelope Mode • CC#029 => AMP Envelope Mode • CC#030 => OSC1 Band • CC#031 => OSC2 Band • CC#085 => OSC1 Waveform • CC#086 => OSC2 Waveform • CC#087 => OSC1 XMod • CC#089 => OSC2 Detune • CC#090 => MOD to OSC1 • CC#102 => MOD to OSC2 • CC#103 => OSC1 Level • CC#104 => OSC2 Level • CC#105 => Noise Generator • CC#106 => Global Tune • CC#107 => Global Glide • CC#108 => Global Volume • CC#109 => Global Voice • CC#110 => Global Unison • CC#111 => Global Retrig • CC#112 => Filter Cut-off • CC#113 => Filter Resonance • CC#114 => Filter Mode • CC#115 => MOD to Filter • CC#116 => Filter Envelope • CC#117 => MOD to AMP • CC#118 => Velocity Sensitvity

Screenshots

RRS Ivoks4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BK Partner at none against RRS Ivoks's 1. BK Partner also leads on iOS requirement (8.1 vs 10.0). RRS Ivoks's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 12 months) and rating (4.4 vs 4.0). On price, review sentiment and ads 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. RRS Ivoks sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. BK Partner asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

RRS Ivoks holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RRS Ivoks has 46 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of BK Partner's written reviews are positive against 63% of RRS Ivoks's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BK Partner ships an update every 12 months, RRS Ivoks fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
BK Partner versus RRS Ivoks: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBK PartnerRRS Ivoks
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (6 ratings)4.4 (46 ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.9% of reviews63.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings646 — better
Update frequencyEvery 12 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS8.1 — better10.0
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRoland CorporationRRS, OOO

Customer experience

BK Partner

All ratings6 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews23 reviews
Positive60.9%
Neutral13.0%
Negative26.1%

RRS Ivoks

All ratings45 ratings
Positive82.2%
Neutral4.4%
Negative13.3%
Written reviews30 reviews
Positive63.3%
Neutral3.3%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

None

BK Partner

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

RRS Ivoks

One-time1
  • RRS Ivoks Unlimited$8.99

Questions

Is BK Partner free?
BK Partner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is RRS Ivoks free?
RRS Ivoks is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, BK Partner or RRS Ivoks?
RRS Ivoks is rated higher. BK Partner averages 4.0 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while RRS Ivoks averages 4.4 from 46 ratings.
Do BK Partner or RRS Ivoks have ads?
Neither BK Partner nor RRS Ivoks shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BK Partner or RRS Ivoks?
BK Partner ships an update every 12 months, and RRS Ivoks fortnightly. Most recently, BK Partner was updated on November 4, 2026 and RRS Ivoks on November 3, 2026.

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