StepLoom vs Pathfinder Sketch
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
StepLoom
Create electronic music with a touch-friendly groovebox. Quickly sketch beats, basslines, and melodies using a step sequencer, piano-roll editing, and arrangement views. Supports AUv3 plugins for expanded sound design.
- Touch-friendly beat and melody workflow
- Step sequencer and piano-roll editing
- Timeline, Session, and Flow arrangement views
- AUv3 instrument and effect plugin support
- Mixer controls for sound shaping
- MIDI input and external clock sync
- Export audio, stems, or MIDI
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StepLoom is a fast, touch-first electronic music sketchpad for making beats, loops, basslines, and melody ideas on iPhone and iPad. It gives you the focus of a compact groovebox without the weight of a full DAW, so you can start a rhythm, shape a synth line, try an AUv3 instrument, arrange patterns, and keep moving while the idea is fresh. Create drum patterns with a step sequencer, write melodic parts with piano-roll style editing, stack chords, add legato, adjust BPM, mix tracks, and switch sounds. Add Sample tracks by importing audio or recording directly in the Tracks view, then use the waveform editor to trim, reverse, normalize, tune, and shape One-shot or Loop playback. The project Media Library keeps custom audio available for reuse and arrangement. Turn loops into songs with three complementary arrangement views: shape Patterns and audio clips on the Timeline, launch quantized Patterns and Scenes in Session, or build visual paths and probability rules in Flow. Draw or record automation for mixer controls and supported AUv3 parameters. When you want to go beyond the built-in sounds, add AUv3 instrument or effect plugins, choose exposed plugin presets, open compatible plugin interfaces, and activate Plugin Sound directly from the sound picker. Optional iCloud sync keeps compatible projects and project media available across your Apple devices. StepLoom continues to work locally when sync is disabled. StepLoom is built for quick electronic music drafts: open the app, tap a grid, hear the result, and turn a loop into a structured idea. Main features: - Touch-friendly beat and melody workflow - Drum, melody, and custom Sample tracks - Step sequencer with playback highlight and loop control - Piano-roll style melody editing with chords and legato - Audio import and microphone sample recording - Waveform sample editor with trim, reverse, normalize, gain, tuning, One-shot, and Loop controls - Project Media Library for reusable custom audio - Timeline editing with drag, resize, layers, sections, loop ranges, and multi-selection - Quantized Pattern and Scene launching with Session performance recording - Blueprint-style Flow rules with Next, Jump, Random, Stop, and probability - AUv3 instrument and effect plugin slots - Plugin preset reading for AUv3s that expose factory presets - Plugin Sound option for playing tracks through AUv3 instruments - Mixer and AUv3 parameter automation - Mixer controls for volume, pan, EQ, filter, drive, meters, master gain, and limiter - MIDI input and external clock sync options - Optional iCloud project and media synchronization - Export full songs or the current pattern as audio, stems, or MIDI - Adaptive iPhone and iPad layouts StepLoom is for producers, beatmakers, songwriters, and electronic music learners who want a focused place to capture musical ideas before moving into a larger DAW.
Pathfinder Sketch
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Pathfinder Sketch turns your phone into a hands-on controller for the free Pathfinder plugin running on your computer — and a full playable instrument on its own. Draw a path across a living field of glowing spheres and Pathfinder plays every sound it crosses. Pass the phone around the room and up to four people jam together on the same field, each drawing their own line in their own color. NO COMPUTER? NO PROBLEM. Tap "Try the Demo" for a complete, playable session that runs entirely on your phone — a real drum kit scattered across the field, ready to draw through. It's the whole idea in your hand, free, with nothing to install. WITH THE FREE PATHFINDER PLUGIN: - Pair in seconds by scanning the on-screen QR code, or tap your computer from the list of sessions on your network. - Draw paths to play the plugin's field live from your phone. - Up to four players share one session — first come, first served, with spectators promoted into open slots automatically. - Monitor the mix through your phone with headphones, streamed low-latency over your own Wi-Fi. - Everything musical stays on your local network. Nothing about your sessions is sent anywhere. TRY FREE, THEN UNLOCK: Sketch is free to download and comes with a 7-day trial of the full performance suite. A one-time Pro unlock ($19.99, no subscription) keeps arp and gate, scenes, TURNS mode, and unlimited patterns — and it's shared with your whole Family Sharing group. Get the free Pathfinder plugin for macOS and Windows at audiotechhub.com. No accounts. No ads. Your jam never leaves your own network.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Pathfinder Sketch at Free against StepLoom's $3.99. StepLoom's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly). On ads and iOS requirement 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
Pathfinder Sketch is free to download; StepLoom costs $3.99 up front. Pathfinder Sketch sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. StepLoom asks for nothing beyond the download.
StepLoom ships an update every 2 days, Pathfinder Sketch weekly. Both last shipped on October 17, 2026.
| Parameter | StepLoom | Pathfinder Sketch |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days — better | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 宁 徐 | Audio Tech |
In-app purchases
StepLoom
No in-app purchases
Pathfinder Sketch
- Sketch Pro$19.99









