Comparison

KeyPad MIDI Controller vs Reflection

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

Head to head
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, XY pad, and CC faders. • 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 six layouts from the View menu: Piano: a familiar 2-octave keyboard with height-based velocity. Piano Fader: four CC faders in place of the XY pad and drum pads. Assign any CC to each fader and save CC sets as presets. 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 black and white pattern. Out-of-scale keys dim and stop responding to touch, so only the keys in your key are labelled and playable. 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 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 sounds persist across sessions. AFTERTOUCH & MPE EXPRESSION 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 windows.

About

Reflection

Read full description

Reflection turns your phone or tablet into a live view of the chords you play, the moment you play them. It's designed for standalone use with a MIDI instrument or piano, or for use with the free Reflection plugin for your DAW. Reflection shows you a giant, easily readable display of the chords you're playing, as you play them, even from across the room. Perfect for anyone with multiple instruments. SEE AND LEARN CHORDS - See and learn chords as you play - Look up any chord by tapping, typing, or your voice - See chords as piano or guitar notation - Play with several instruments and a metronome CONNECT YOUR MUSIC - Connect a MIDI keyboard directly to your phone or tablet - Or use the free Reflection plugin in your DAW with Reflection for Mac or Windows, to mirror what you play to your phone over Wi-Fi - Join another Reflection user, like a teacher, to see what they're playing. Try the code DEMO.

Screenshots

KeyPad MIDI Controller3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: KeyPad MIDI Controller at none against Reflection's 1. KeyPad MIDI Controller also leads on device support and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price 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. Reflection sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. KeyPad MIDI Controller asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
KeyPad MIDI Controller versus Reflection: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKeyPad MIDI ControllerReflection
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (15 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings15 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 days—
AdsNo—
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — better—
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB73 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDiscoDSP LLCAdam Baker

In-app purchases

None

KeyPad MIDI Controller

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Reflection

One-time1
  • Reflection Pro$14.99

Questions

Is KeyPad MIDI Controller free?
KeyPad MIDI Controller is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Reflection free?
Reflection is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

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