Comparison

PadLab vs Pad Studio

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

Head to head
About

PadLab

Create ambient music, practice with drums, and perform live with this versatile music creation tool. It offers continuous pads, customizable drum kits, and loop recording capabilities for musicians.

Highlights
  • Continuous ambient pads with level controls
  • Customizable drum pads with sound import
  • Live loop recording and overdubbing
  • MIDI controller support
  • Performance set creation and management
  • Optional StageLab expansion for advanced synthesis
Features
Read full description

PadLab brings ambient pads, drums and instruments together for rehearsals, music creation and live performance. Play on your iPhone or iPad screen, or connect a compatible MIDI controller. • Continuous pads in different keys, with transitions and level controls. • Drum Pads with kits, individual sound selection and batch sample import. • Live Loops, available as a standalone one-time purchase or included in PadLab Full App, for creating patterns and recording quantized drum hits in one-loop or overdub mode. Arrange scenes, build your own kits and explore Gospel/worship presets. • A Live Loops mixer with volume, pan, mute, solo and convolution reverb with individual sends for each drum part. • A metronome with adjustable tempo, time signature, sound and volume. • MIDI Learn for pads, drum parts, transport, volume and set selection. • Complete performance sets that bring together pads, drums, Live Loops and StageLab instruments and settings when used. Arrange them in Set List for quick access. • Import and export performance sets and Live Loops sets with the personal files they use. Performance packages can include your samples and SF2 files. • On-screen guides to help you learn the controls and revisit them whenever needed. StageLab is an optional expansion unlocked through an in-app purchase. Combine up to eight sounds, use library instruments or import SoundFont SF2 files. Adjust levels, keyboard ranges, MIDI channels, envelopes, EQ, compression and reverb. Per-sound effects include chorus, tremolo, auto pan, drive and Leslie. Master controls provide volume, separate gain up to +9 dB and MIDI Learn. Inside StageLab, the WAVE 3 synthesizer offers oscillator, filter, envelope and effects editing, plus an integrated arpeggiator and sequencer. Explore a bank of 24 ARP/SEQ presets, create your own sounds and save your presets. In the standalone app, WAVE 3 and Live Loops follow the shared metronome. The AUv3 extension lets you use instruments in compatible hosts; Live Loops playback is available only in the standalone app. In AUv3, WAVE 3 retains Local/Host clock options. PadLab Full App includes Live Loops and StageLab, including for existing Full purchasers. WAVE 3 arpeggiator and sequencer are included in StageLab at no additional charge. Previous standalone ARP/SEQ purchasers retain access to their legacy tools. Buying Live Loops alone does not unlock StageLab or all premium drum kits. Other optional sounds, kits and features are offered through in-app purchases. Factory content referenced by a set depends on the library and purchases available on the destination device.

About

Pad Studio

Features
Read full description

Com 16 pads responsivos, você pode tocar livremente, criar batidas, improvisar ao vivo ou desenvolver composições completas com total liberdade. Projetado para performance e criação, o Pad Studio oferece zero latência e suporte à polifonia, garantindo uma experiência fluida e profissional em qualquer situação. Recursos principais: • 16 pads responsivos para performance em tempo real • Zero latência para máxima precisão • Suporte completo à polifonia e multi-toque • Inclui um kit padrão com timbres prontos para começar imediatamente • Criação ilimitada de kits personalizados • Importe seus próprios samples diretamente do dispositivo • Suporte a todos os tipos de arquivos de áudio • Personalize nomes e cores dos pads • Controle de volume individual por pad • Suporte a controladores MIDI Seja no palco, no estúdio ou em qualquer lugar, o Pad Studio é a ferramenta ideal para explorar sua criatividade e levar suas produções para o próximo nível.

Screenshots

PadLab4 screens
Pad Studio3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Pad Studio at Free against PadLab's $1.69. Pad Studio also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ads (none vs shown). PadLab's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks) and chart position (#18 vs unranked). On 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Pad Studio is free to download; PadLab costs $1.69 up front. PadLab sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Pad Studio asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PadLab ships an update every 4 days, Pad Studio every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
PadLab versus Pad Studio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPadLabPad Studio
Price$1.69Free — better
Rating4.3 (43 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews72.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings43 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#18 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.6 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size410 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDaniel AlbanoGabriel Silva

In-app purchases

10 purchases

PadLab

One-time10
  • Worship Pad$0.99
  • Pad Mix Pro$1.99
  • Pad Pulse Pro$1.99
Show 7 more
  • Arp Pro$1.99
  • Sequencer Pro$2.99
  • StageLab$3.69
  • Worship Drum Collection$3.99
  • PadLab Full App$4.59
  • Live Loops$5.99
  • PadLab Worship Complete$6.99
None

Pad Studio

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PadLab free?
PadLab costs $1.69, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Pad Studio free?
Pad Studio is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do PadLab or Pad Studio have ads?
PadLab shows ads; Pad Studio does not.
Which is updated more often, PadLab or Pad Studio?
PadLab ships an update every 4 days, and Pad Studio every 3 weeks. Most recently, PadLab was updated on November 9, 2026 and Pad Studio on October 31, 2026.

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