StepLoom vs Coil
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.
Coil
This app simulates the physical behavior of spring reverb tanks, offering two distinct spring types and interactive "hit" features. Control mix, tone, and dwell for unique sonic textures, with an optional amp stage for added grit. It functions as a standalone app or AUv3 plugin.
- Physically simulated springs
- Two distinct spring tank personalities (Long & Short)
- Interactive 'hit' function for metallic chaos
- Adjustable Mix, Tone, and Dwell controls
- Integrated amp stage with presence and grit
- AUv3 plugin and standalone app support
- MIDI learn for all controls
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Coil is a spring reverb built from the ground up around the thing that makes real spring tanks so good: they're physical. The springs stretch, resonate, build up energy, and get hit, and when you kick the tank, you hear it. There are no impulse responses inside Coil. The springs themselves are simulated while you play. Change the physics and you change the sound. TWO TANKS, TWO PERSONALITIES • LONG — big, slow, heavy springs. More depth, more wobble, more of that surf-era drip. • SHORT — tighter springs with a brighter, immediate response. Less wash, more snap. KRAANG! Hit the pedal and the springs respond with a burst of metallic chaos. Because they're physically simulated, what comes back depends on where the springs are in their motion when you land. Try it while the reverb is already ringing. It's ridiculous. It's also extremely useful. THREE KNOBS, NO MYSTERY • MIX — how much spring you want. • TONE — how fast the top end dies in the steel. Not an EQ: you're changing the behaviour of the spring itself. • DWELL — how long the springs keep moving. AND THE JEWEL Tap it and the whole thing goes through a measured amp stage — presence, grit and all. Nobody will tell you this is there. WORKS EVERYWHERE • AUv3 for GarageBand, Logic Pro, AUM and any Audio Unit host • Standalone app — plug in and play, no DAW needed • MIDI learn on every control • One purchase: Mac, iPad and iPhone No giant metal tank. No springs to break. No road case. A spring you don't have to haul around.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Coil at $0.99 against StepLoom's $3.99. Coil also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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
StepLoom costs $3.99 and Coil $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for StepLoom against 5.0 for Coil. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.
StepLoom ships an update every 2 days, Coil every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | StepLoom | Coil |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | $0.99 — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days — better | Every 3 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 27 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 宁 徐 | Joshua Rideout |
Customer experience
StepLoom
Coil
In-app purchases
StepLoom
No in-app purchases
Coil
No in-app purchases









