Comparison

iMIDIPatchbay 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

iMIDIPatchbay

Organize your entire MIDI setup from a central point. Easily create split and layer configurations, send program changes, and filter controller data for external sound devices. Store and recall configurations as songs, and manage setlists for performances.

Highlights
  • Create split and layer configurations
  • Send Program Changes and control changes
  • Transpose sounds and rig
  • Filter controller data
  • Store and recall configurations as songs
  • Create setlists for performances
  • Link PDF documents to songs
Features
Read full description

iMIDIPatchbay lets you organize your whole MIDI setup from one central point. Do you often divide your keyboards into zones to assign different sounds which might come from external sound expanders? Do you need to send Program Changes to your MIDI equipment? Do you want to integrate your music making apps into your live gear? Well, then iMIDIPatchbay is definitely the right tool for you! LIST OF FEATURES - Create split and layer configurations very easily - Support for up to 4 master keyboards (In-App Purchase) - Send volume and other control changes (reverb, chorus, pan) to your sound devices - Send Program Changes to your sound devices - Transpose sounds in octave steps - Transpose the hole rig in half-tone steps - Filter controller data (sustain, pitch-bend, modulation, expression, aftertouch) - Store configurations as songs for later recall - Switch song of iMIDIPatchbay from another app or MIDI device via Program Changes - Switch songs while holding down keys or holding e.g. the sustain pedal without getting stuck notes - Play all your sounds even if you don't have all your master keyboards with you: "master switches" allow you to make another master act as a substitute for it (advanced feature!) - Create setlists to arrange songs for your performances (In-App Purchase) - Link multiple PDF documents (e.g. sheet music or notes) from Dropbox to each song (In-App Purchase) - Backup settings to Dropbox - UI which is optimized for live usage WHAT EXACTLY CAN I DO WITH iMIDIPatchbay? As a keyboard player, you most probably know about splitting and layering sounds. While this can be done relatively easy on professional keyboards, it becomes more complex if your gear consists of multiple keyboards and sound expanders. iMIDIPatchbay makes building such configurations a lot easier than it has ever been before. After connecting your keyboards and other MIDI devices to the iPad, you can easily create split zones and assign sounds of your MIDI devices to them. It's also possible to route the MIDI data to other apps if they have a virtual MIDI port. Furthermore, you can filter out controllers which is great if you want e.g. pitch bend or sustain to affect only a subset of the active sounds. WHAT DO I NEED TO GET STARTED? You need a CoreMIDI interface to connect your keyboards and sound expanders to the iPad. WHERE CAN I LEARN MORE? Go to iMIDIPatchbay's website in order to find a more detailed description of the app. If you encounter problems, please let me help you (you find the mail address on the website and on the info screen within the app). Please note that there is no way to respond to you if you post a review on the App Store instead. Always email me first! If you like the app, let others know by submitting a good review on the App Store. And feel free to send me suggestions for further releases.

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 * 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

Screenshots

iMIDIPatchbay4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Patch Base at Free against iMIDIPatchbay's $14.99. Patch Base also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (85 vs 18). iMIDIPatchbay's advantage is rating (4.2 vs 3.4) and review sentiment (67% vs 53%). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and iOS requirement 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

Patch Base is free to download; iMIDIPatchbay costs $14.99 up front. iMIDIPatchbay sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Patch Base sells 31 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

iMIDIPatchbay holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 18 and 85 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of iMIDIPatchbay's written reviews are positive against 53% of Patch Base's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iMIDIPatchbay ships an update every 2 months, Patch Base every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
iMIDIPatchbay versus Patch Base: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriMIDIPatchbayPatch Base
Price$14.99Free — better
Rating4.2 (18 ratings) — better3.4 (85 ratings)
Positive reviews67.2% of reviews — better52.9% of reviews
Number of ratings1885 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPad
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB69 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJohannes DoerrCoffeeshopped LLC

Customer experience

iMIDIPatchbay

All ratings18 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral11.1%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews67 reviews
Positive67.2%
Neutral9.0%
Negative23.9%

Patch Base

All ratings83 ratings
Positive56.6%
Neutral3.6%
Negative39.8%
Written reviews104 reviews
Positive52.9%
Neutral3.8%
Negative43.3%

Bugs and requests

iMIDIPatchbay

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

2 purchases

iMIDIPatchbay

One-time2
  • Multiple masters$9.99
  • Setlists$9.99
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 iMIDIPatchbay free?
iMIDIPatchbay costs $14.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Patch Base free?
Patch Base is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, iMIDIPatchbay or Patch Base?
iMIDIPatchbay is rated higher. iMIDIPatchbay averages 4.2 out of 5 from 18 ratings, while Patch Base averages 3.4 from 85 ratings.
Do iMIDIPatchbay or Patch Base have ads?
Neither iMIDIPatchbay nor Patch Base shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iMIDIPatchbay or Patch Base?
iMIDIPatchbay ships an update every 2 months, and Patch Base every 3 weeks. Most recently, iMIDIPatchbay was updated on September 19, 2026 and Patch Base on September 23, 2026.

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