KeyPad MIDI Controller vs StageFlow
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
StageFlow
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StageFlow helps you prepare live sound (PA) for gigs, church services and events. Draw your stage plot, connect the gear, and your wiring table, mixer input list and packing list are put together automatically. STAGE PLOT • Tap to place mics, instruments, speakers and mixers, and drag to move them • Select any piece of gear and only its cables light up, so the signal flow is clear at a glance • Make sheets for each purpose, such as “Instruments & mics” or “Mixer area”, and choose which cables each sheet shows WIRING & MIXER • Draw a cable to a mixer and set the channel, channel name and 48V right away • Mixer settings keep each channel's source, name, gain, HPF and more in one place • Templates included, such as the Behringer XR18 and YAMAHA MG10XU • Monitor mix sheet: see who gets what, and how much, in every monitor send • Automatic checks for cables without a length or without a mixer channel PACKING LIST • Gear and cables are counted automatically (each cable shows which input and output it's for) • Categories, reordering, extra quantities, spares and owners • Check items off as you pack DAY-OF CHECK • At the venue, check off each piece of gear as it's placed and each cable as it's connected, and do the same at teardown • Check items right on the stage plot with a tap BUILD FAST • Place equipment sets, such as a drum kit or vocal setup, complete with cables, and save your own sets • Multi-select, marquee select, align and distribute, and snapping to the grid and guides PRINT & SHARE • Share the stage plot as an image (PNG) or the printout as a PDF in one tap • Print the stage plot, wiring table, input list, monitor mix sheet and packing checklist on a white background • Plans sync automatically between your Mac, iPhone and iPad with iCloud • Export and import JSON, and export the input list as CSV Available in English, Japanese and Spanish. No account and no ads.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: KeyPad MIDI Controller at Free against StageFlow's $2.99. KeyPad MIDI Controller also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
KeyPad MIDI Controller is free to download; StageFlow costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
KeyPad MIDI Controller ships an update every 4 days, StageFlow weekly. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | KeyPad MIDI Controller | StageFlow |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $2.99 |
| Rating | 4.9 (16 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 16 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 45 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | DiscoDSP LLC | naoki takahashi |
In-app purchases
KeyPad MIDI Controller
No in-app purchases
StageFlow
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is KeyPad MIDI Controller free?
Is StageFlow free?
Do KeyPad MIDI Controller or StageFlow have ads?
Which is updated more often, KeyPad MIDI Controller or StageFlow?
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