Comparison

Cat Metronome 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

Cat Metronome

This app provides a delightful and visually engaging way to keep time for music practice. An animated cat moves to the beat, offering a more motivating alternative to traditional metronomes. It's designed for musicians of all levels, including children and those who benefit from visual cues.

Highlights
  • Animated cat visualizes the beat
  • Ultra-low latency audio
  • Full Italian tempo terms
  • Complete time signatures
  • First-beat accent animation
  • Designed for hearing-impaired users
  • VoiceOver support
Features
Read full description

Cat Metronome brings joy to music practice with a lovable animated cat that keeps time with every beat. Unlike cold, mechanical tools, this metronome features a procedurally generated cat that nods, waves its paws, and moves to your rhythm. PERFECT FOR EVERYONE • Musicians of all skill levels seeking a reliable, precise metronome • Children learning instruments who need motivation to practice • Hearing-impaired musicians who benefit from strong visual beat cues • Conductors and teachers who need quick access to tempo markings PROFESSIONAL PRECISION • Ultra-low latency synthesized audio – no perceptible delay • Full Italian tempo terms (Largo to Prestissimo) with one-tap selection • Complete time signatures: 1/4 to 12/8 and beyond • First-beat accent with distinct sound and animation ACCESSIBILITY FIRST • Designed with hearing-impaired users in mind • Strong visual contrast between downbeat and weak beats • The cat's exaggerated first-beat animation makes bar starts unmistakable • Full VoiceOver support • Light and Dark mode for any environment MINIMALIST DESIGN • Clean interface that keeps focus on the cat • No ads, no clutter • Works beautifully on iPhone and iPad • Free to use, no subscription needed Download Cat Metronome and make every practice session a little more delightful.

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, and XY performance pad. • 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 five layouts from the View menu: Piano: a familiar 2-octave keyboard with height-based velocity. 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 shape - the black and white pattern is how you find your place without looking. Rather than move notes around, out-of-scale keys dim and stop responding to touch, so only the keys in your key are labelled and playable. Wrong notes are simply out of reach. 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 directly 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 sound files persist across sessions. AFTERTOUCH & MPE EXPRESSION Add expressive depth with four aftertouch modes. 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.

Screenshots

Cat Metronome2 screens
KeyPad MIDI Controller3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: KeyPad MIDI Controller at every 2 days against Cat Metronome's every 7 months. KeyPad MIDI Controller also leads on ratings volume (13 vs 2) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Cat Metronome against 4.9 for KeyPad MIDI Controller. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: KeyPad MIDI Controller has 13 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cat Metronome ships an update every 7 months, KeyPad MIDI Controller every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Cat Metronome versus KeyPad MIDI Controller: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCat MetronomeKeyPad MIDI Controller
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better4.9 (13 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings213 — better
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNekopan Lab LLCDiscoDSP LLC

Customer experience

Cat Metronome

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

KeyPad MIDI Controller

All ratings13 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Cat Metronome

No in-app purchases

None

KeyPad MIDI Controller

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Cat Metronome free?
Cat Metronome is free to download, 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, Cat Metronome or KeyPad MIDI Controller?
Cat Metronome is rated higher. Cat Metronome averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while KeyPad MIDI Controller averages 4.9 from 13 ratings.
Do Cat Metronome or KeyPad MIDI Controller have ads?
Neither Cat Metronome nor KeyPad MIDI Controller shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cat Metronome or KeyPad MIDI Controller?
Cat Metronome ships an update every 7 months, and KeyPad MIDI Controller every 2 days. Most recently, Cat Metronome was updated on September 17, 2026 and KeyPad MIDI Controller on September 20, 2026.

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