Comparison

Riffpad vs Microtonal Lab

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

Head to head
About

Riffpad

Create melodies quickly on your iPhone or iPad with this MIDI sketchpad. Draw notes, loop ideas, and use it standalone or within other music apps. It offers touch-first gestures for easy note manipulation and MIDI export options.

Highlights
  • Thumb-first MIDI piano roll
  • Draw, loop, and sketch melodies
  • AUv3 MIDI Processor integration
  • Touch-first gesture controls
  • MIDI export and audio previews
  • Scale highlighting and quantize
Features
Read full description

Riffpad is a thumb-first MIDI piano roll for sketching melodies fast on iPhone and iPad. Draw notes on the grid, loop ideas, and run patterns standalone or as an AUv3 MIDI Processor inside compatible iOS music host apps. Built for quick musical capture: - Place, move, resize, copy, paste, and delete notes with touch-first gestures - Load starter patterns for hooks, basslines, arps, and blank ideas - Keep melodies in key with scale highlighting, snap, and quantize controls - Loop short ideas, adjust tempo, and record simple live input - Send MIDI to external gear, other apps, or AUv3 instruments - Use the included AUv3 MIDI Processor in compatible host workflows - Export MIDI files and audio previews through the iOS share sheet - Import MIDI sketches when you want to keep developing an idea Riffpad keeps your patterns local. There are no accounts, feeds, ads, tracking SDKs, or cloud sync.

About

Microtonal Lab

Explore music beyond the traditional 12-note scale with this comprehensive microtonal studio. Create custom scales, play a microtonal keyboard, sequence patterns, and perform live with a launchpad. Export your creations as MIDI files for further production.

Highlights
  • Harmonic Galaxy visualizer
  • Microtonal keyboard with custom scales
  • 32-step sequencer with FX
  • Launchpad for live performance
  • Extensive world scale library
  • Multiple tuning systems support
  • MIDI export for DAWs
Features
Read full description

Microtonal Lab is a complete microtonal music studio for iOS. Break free from the 12-note octave and explore the infinite space between the notes. AUv3 PLUGIN Use MicrotonalLab as a plugin inside GarageBand, AUM, Cubasis, Drambo, and any AUv3-compatible host. The full step sequencer, tuning system, and SF2 instruments are available directly in your DAW. Record sequences as MIDI regions with automatic tempo sync. HARMONIC GALAXY Discover musical intervals as a visual universe. Every dot is an interval above the root — its size shows consonance, its color shows its position in the octave, and its number shows the exact distance in cents. Pinch to zoom and new microtones emerge from the depths. Build custom scales by tapping intervals and save them to your library. MICROTONAL KEYBOARD A fully playable keyboard with exact microtonal tuning. Choose from piano, strings, marimba, vibes, bass, pad, flute, or synthesized waveforms. Activate any scale from the library and the keyboard reconfigures to show precisely those notes. Supports glide between notes for expressive playing. STEP SEQUENCER A 16-step sequencer with microtonal note assignment per step, velocity, gate, and swing control. Syncs to the host tempo in AUv3 mode. LAUNCHPAD A grid-based launchpad for live performance. Rows correspond to scale degrees, columns to time — tap to toggle notes and play your patterns in real time. SCALE LIBRARY Browse world scales from dozens of musical traditions, including Arabic maqam, Indian ragas, Persian dastgah, Javanese gamelan, and many more. Preview any scale, then activate it across all views with one tap. TUNING SYSTEMS Switch between 12-TET, 19-TET, 24-TET, 31-TET, and 53-TET. Full access to all scale degrees in the sequencer for every tuning system. MIDI EXPORT Export your sequences to standard MIDI files with full microtonal pitch bend on each channel. Import directly into any DAW for further production. FX Filter (low-pass with cutoff and resonance), reverb (from small room to cathedral), and delay — all controllable via XY pads in real time during playback. Microtonal Lab is built for composers, sound designers, music theorists, and anyone curious about the music that lives between the keys.

Screenshots

Riffpad4 screens
Microtonal Lab4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Riffpad at monthly against Microtonal Lab's every 2 months. Riffpad also leads on price ($5.99 vs $6.99). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

Riffpad costs $5.99 and Microtonal Lab $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Riffpad ships an update monthly, Microtonal Lab every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Riffpad versus Microtonal Lab: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRiffpadMicrotonal Lab
Price$5.99 — better$6.99
Rating—1.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB90 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPAUL GLENN VERNONMartin Adler

Customer experience

Riffpad

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Microtonal Lab

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

None

Riffpad

No in-app purchases

None

Microtonal Lab

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Riffpad free?
Riffpad costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Microtonal Lab free?
Microtonal Lab costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Riffpad or Microtonal Lab have ads?
Neither Riffpad nor Microtonal Lab shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Riffpad or Microtonal Lab?
Riffpad ships an update monthly, and Microtonal Lab every 2 months. Most recently, Riffpad was updated on October 23, 2026 and Microtonal Lab on October 13, 2026.

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