Comparison

Riffpad vs Continuo

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ€” 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

Continuo

Generate basslines based on chord progressions. Input your chords, select a style, and the app creates a bassline that follows your changes. Offers multiple instruments, time signatures, and export options.

Highlights
  • Chord-based bassline generation
  • Multiple musical styles
  • Various bass instrument options
  • Support for any time signature
  • MIDI and MusicXML export
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

Type the changes. Get the bassline. Most bassline tools ask you for a scale. Continuo asks for your chords. Type a progression โ€” slash chords and all โ€” pick a style, and Continuo writes a line that actually plays those changes: chord tones on the strong beats, approach notes into the next chord, and a register that sits where a bass player would sit. HOW IT WORKS โ€ข Type your changes one bar at a time, separated by | โ€” or start from one of 18 built-in sets: 12-bar blues, rhythm changes, ii-V-I, doo-wop, montuno vamp, bossa turnaround, 7/8 vamp and more. โ€ข Slash chords like Am/C pin the bass note, so the line plays exactly what you wrote. โ€ข Pick a style, then shape it: Density (sparse to busy), Motion (plain roots to passing and chromatic tones), and Swing (straight to triplet). โ€ข Tap Next take to cycle through ranked alternatives, best first. Tap any chord in the strip to swap, move, or stretch it โ€” the line rewrites around your edit. โ€ข Undo steps back over anything that changed the line โ€” an edit, a preset, an import, a take, even a slider. WHAT'S INSIDE โ€ข Seven styles: root and fifth, walking, funk/R&B, tumbao, bossa nova, reggae one-drop, and Motown. โ€ข Seven instruments that change what gets played, not just the tone: 4-, 5- and 6-string bass guitar, upright, 808/sub, synth bass, and chiptune. โ€ข Any time signature โ€” 4/4, 3/4, 6/8, 9/8, 12/8, 5/4, 7/8, 5/8, 11/8 and more. Every style works in every meter. โ€ข Import changes from a MIDI or MusicXML file. โ€ข MIDI export, optionally with a reference chord track โ€” plus MusicXML with chord symbols for MuseScore, Sibelius, Dorico, and Finale. โ€ข A bass-clef notation preview with chord symbols. โ€ข Fully offline. No account, no sign-in, no ads, no in-app purchases. โ€ข Private by design โ€” Continuo collects nothing. Your music never leaves your device unless you export it. Continuo is by Songdeed. Pairs with Mediant, our chord-progression app.

Screenshots

Riffpad4 screens
Continuo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Continuo at $4.99 against Riffpad's $5.99. Continuo also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Riffpad costs $5.99 and Continuo $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 6 level
Riffpad versus Continuo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRiffpadContinuo
Price$5.99$4.99 โ€” better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviewsโ€”
Update frequencyMonthlyโ€”
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” better
Requires iOS17.015.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size5 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPAUL GLENN VERNONEVAN TRACEN POWERS

Customer experience

Riffpad

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

Continuo

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Riffpad

No in-app purchases

None

Continuo

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Riffpad free?
Riffpad costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Continuo free?
Continuo costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Riffpad or Continuo have ads?
Neither Riffpad nor Continuo shows ads.

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