Comparison

16 Drones vs Drone Pad mobile

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

Head to head
About

16 Drones

Create evolving soundscapes and harmonic textures with a powerful ambient drone synthesizer. Shape layered drones using custom wavetables and envelopes, then perform expressively in key. Offers deep timbral control and flexible MIDI integration.

Highlights
  • 16 drone voices for layered textures
  • Custom wavetable synthesis
  • Per-voice drone envelopes
  • Subtractive synthesis layer
  • Expressive in-key performance voice
  • Support for musical scales
  • Standalone and AUv3 operation
  • MIDI input and learn
Features
Read full description

16 Drones is an ambient drone synthesizer built for evolving textures, harmonic soundscapes, and expressive in-key performance. Shape layered drones with a custom wavetable engine, per-voice controls, per-voice custom drone envelopes, and an additional subtractive layer. Then perform on top with a dedicated Play voice that stays in the same scale. Designed to be deep but immediate, 16 Drones gives you rich timbral control, musical scale exploration, expressive performance options, flexible MIDI workflow, and both standalone and AUv3 operation. Features: 16 drone voices for layered evolving textures Custom wavetable synthesis with per-voice control Per-voice custom drone envelopes for motion and character An additional subtractive layer for extra depth and weight A dedicated Play voice for expressive in-key performance Rich musical and exotic scales Standalone app and AUv3 instrument support MIDI input support for performance and control MIDI Learn for fast hardware mapping Aftertouch expression support, including polyphonic aftertouch Factory presets for fast inspiration

About

Drone Pad mobile

Read full description

Drone Pad generates one or more sustained reference tones — in equal or just intonation — with a fully customizable sound character. ◆ THREE REASONS MUSICIANS AND MEDITATORS CHOOSE DRONE PAD 1. It tunes your ear, not just your instrument. A continuous, pitch-perfect drone lets you hear immediately whether your fifths, thirds, and sevenths are in tune — no piano, no tuner required. Ideal for strings, winds, brass, and singers. 2. It breathes. Every single time. Unlike static drone apps, Drone Pad creates a living sound space: up to 7 oscillators per voice with natural beating frequencies, an LFO with individual phase offsets per voice, and a synthetically calculated reverb — the result is organic, never mechanical. 3. It holds space for stillness. A deep, slowly breathing fundamental tone helps the mind settle. Drone Pad runs stable for hours without interruption or repetition — trusted in sound healing, meditation, yoga, and bodywork. —— FEATURES - Concert pitch: 432, 440, 442 Hz or any custom pitch - 16 intervals from unison to perfect twelfth — each individually switchable - Equal and just intonation — switch and hear the difference instantly - Up to 7 oscillators per voice with continuous detune - 4 waveforms per voice: sawtooth, sine, triangle, square - LFO amplitude modulation with live wave animation - Synthetic reverb with adjustable mix and room size - Lowpass filter with resonance and attack envelope - 10 color themes — from black to pastel - 5 saveable presets - No account. No ads. No interruptions. Support: haakemusic.com

Screenshots

16 Drones4 screens
Drone Pad mobile4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Drone Pad mobile at none against 16 Drones's 1. Drone Pad mobile also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. 16 Drones sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Drone Pad mobile asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
16 Drones versus Drone Pad mobile: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter16 DronesDrone Pad mobile
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (12 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings12 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB3 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperRuben Terron RodriguezThomas Haake

In-app purchases

1 purchases

16 Drones

One-time1
  • 16 Drones Pro$11.99
None

Drone Pad mobile

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is 16 Drones free?
16 Drones is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Drone Pad mobile free?
Drone Pad mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do 16 Drones or Drone Pad mobile have ads?
Neither 16 Drones nor Drone Pad mobile shows ads.

Other comparisons