Comparison

StepLoom vs FlipDeck

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

FlipDeck

Features
Read full description

Record your cat, a sneeze, a sound from a TikTok. FlipDeck trims it, chops it and puts it on pads you can play like an instrument. Then it turns your performance into a video you can post. MAKE A BEAT OUT OF ANYTHING • Hold an empty pad to record from the mic. Eight effects (bass boost, fuzz, robot, octave up and down, and more) are recorded straight into the sample. • Sample any video in your Photos, or import audio files. • Chop a loop into slices automatically, or tap along to set the cuts. • Split a song into drums, vocals, bass and other with on-device AI. PLAY IT • 64 pads in four banks, with volume, pitch, pan, envelopes, a 3-band EQ and choke groups on every pad. • Keys mode plays any sound across a scale. Twelve scales, any root. • A built-in synth with five waveforms, a resonant filter and envelopes. Every note is generated live. • Note repeat and an arpeggiator, locked to the tempo. • 16 touch FX strips for live performance: stutter, tape echo, filter sweeps, reverse and more. SEQUENCE IT • 32 patterns you can switch between on the beat or the bar. • Record live, draw in a step grid, or write melodies in a full piano roll with velocity. • Swing, probability, note length, tap tempo. MIX IT • Send pads to four buses, each with three effect slots: reverb, tempo-synced delay, filters, bitcrush, drive, compression and chorus. • Load your AUv3 effect plugins right into FlipDeck. SHARE IT • One tap records your performance and renders a vertical video with the pads lighting up in time. • Remix links: send a whole beat as a link. It opens on your friend's phone sounding exactly the same. • Flip of the Day: everyone gets the same kit each day. Post yours with #FlipOfTheDay. WORKS WITH YOUR SETUP • USB, Bluetooth and network MIDI controllers. • Use FlipDeck as an instrument plugin inside GarageBand, AUM, Cubasis and other hosts. • Export WAVs, per-pad stems, MIDI files, or a complete Ableton Live bundle. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account, no ads, no tracking. Your recordings never leave your phone unless you share them. FLIPDECK PRO (one-time purchase) Mixer effects, AUv3 plugin hosting, Ableton and MIDI export, AI stem separation and videos without the watermark. Everything you need to make beats is free. Privacy Policy: https://flipdeck.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://flipdeck.app/terms

Screenshots

StepLoom4 screens
FlipDeck4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: FlipDeck at Free against StepLoom's $3.99. StepLoom's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On update cadence, ads, device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

FlipDeck is free to download; StepLoom costs $3.99 up front. FlipDeck sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. StepLoom asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

StepLoom ships an update every 2 days, FlipDeck daily. Both last shipped on October 17, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
StepLoom versus FlipDeck: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStepLoomFlipDeck
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 daysDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB80 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer宁 徐Perry Hampton

In-app purchases

None

StepLoom

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

FlipDeck

One-time1
  • FlipDeck Pro$9.99

Questions

Is StepLoom free?
StepLoom costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is FlipDeck free?
FlipDeck is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do StepLoom or FlipDeck have ads?
Neither StepLoom nor FlipDeck shows ads.
Which is updated more often, StepLoom or FlipDeck?
StepLoom ships an update every 2 days, and FlipDeck daily. Most recently, StepLoom was updated on October 17, 2026 and FlipDeck on October 17, 2026.

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