Comparison

ChordPolyPad vs HxMIDI Tools

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

Head to head
About

ChordPolyPad

This app is a versatile MIDI chord player that allows users to create and play complex chord sets. It offers extensive customization for pads, MIDI controls, and chord generation, functioning as a standalone app or an AUv3 MIDI effect plugin.

Highlights
  • Standalone app and AUv3 MIDI effect plugin
  • 128 pads per preset
  • Customizable X/Y MIDI controllers
  • Advanced random chord generator
  • Internal and external MIDI support
  • Chord filtering and quantizing
  • Preset manager with in-app purchases
Features
Read full description

"ChordPolyPad" is a MIDI chords player that lets you create chord sets using a large internal library, any custom combination of notes, or randomly generated chords. Each preset contains either 8 groups of 16 pads or 2 groups of 64 pads, for a total of 128 pads. In addition to playing chords, each pad can generate customizable MIDI controls on its horizontal and vertical axes, allowing expressive real-time modulation. "ChordPolyPad" can be used as a standalone application or as an AUv3 MIDI effect plug-in. The app supports full internal and external MIDI input and output. An internal sound bank is included for immediate use. The AUv3 MIDI effect plug-in supports multiple instances. A compatible host is required and must support the Audio Unit v3 (AUv3) MIDI effect format. Hosts supporting AUv3 MIDI effect on iOS: Logic Pro, Cubasis, Beatmaker, AUM, Audiobus, NanoStudio, Auria Pro, apeMatrix. Hosts supporting AUv3 MIDI effect on macOS: Logic Pro 10.7 or later. Features: • Standalone application and AUv3 MIDI effect plug-in • 8 groups of 16 pads or 2 groups of 64 pads per preset (128 pads) • Assignable MIDI port and MIDI channel for each pad • Customizable X/Y controller per pad • Per-note velocity control for each chord • Strumming configuration per pad • Copy and paste for pads and groups • Drag and drop chords directly from the library • Chord filtering and quantizing based on the selected scale • Predefined scales and possibility to create custom scales • Advanced random chord generator with diverse musical moods featuring voice leading and context-aware harmonic progressions for naturally flowing compositions • Stop "Audio Background" automatically after inactivity (15 min, 30 min, 1 h, 2 h, or never) • Internal sound bank • Receive MIDI notes and control from external devices • Send MIDI to a virtual port usable as MIDI input by other "Core MIDI" compatible apps • Preset manager with support for in-app purchase packs • "Program Change" support • Preset sharing support by "AirDrop", "Mail", "Messages", and other supported services • Native iCloud support • "iCloud Drive" support in the "Files" app on iOS and "Finder" on macOS • Full support for "Windowed Apps" mode on iPad • Undo/Redo Supported MIDI connections: • Virtual "Core MIDI" connections between apps • Any compatible MIDI interface • MIDI over Wi-Fi • MIDI over Bluetooth

About

HxMIDI Tools

This software allows owners of CME USB MIDI Host products to update firmware and fully configure their devices. Users can manage routing, mapping, and filtering of MIDI and USB inputs and outputs.

Highlights
  • Firmware updates for CME USB MIDI Hosts
  • Configure routing between MIDI and USB inputs/outputs
  • Filter incoming MIDI events
  • Map incoming MIDI events to others
  • Full product configuration
Read full description

HxMIDI Tools, the software dedicated to CME USB MIDI Hosts products owners. With this software, you will be able to update the firmware of your CME Pro H4MIDI WC, H2MIDI Pro, H12MIDI Pro as well as all other products to come. The software is also used to fully configure your product, you have an access to the routing, mapping and filtering features. With this software you will be able to configure routing to each MIDI and USB input, you can decide to route any input to any output. You can also decide to filter any incoming MIDI event so it is not forwarded to the routed output. The latest version also offers the possibility to map any incoming MIDI event to another one, and much more

Screenshots

ChordPolyPad3 screens
HxMIDI Tools4 screens

Verdict

The call

ChordPolyPad and HxMIDI Tools both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 92% of ChordPolyPad's written reviews are positive against 0% of HxMIDI Tools's. ChordPolyPad also leads on ratings volume (51 vs 4). HxMIDI Tools's advantage is price (Free vs $17.99) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). On rating, ads 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

HxMIDI Tools is free to download; ChordPolyPad costs $17.99 up front. ChordPolyPad sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. HxMIDI Tools asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for ChordPolyPad against 4.5 for HxMIDI Tools. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ChordPolyPad has 51 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 92% of ChordPolyPad's written reviews are positive against 0% of HxMIDI Tools's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ChordPolyPad ships an update every 2 months, HxMIDI Tools every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
ChordPolyPad versus HxMIDI Tools: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChordPolyPadHxMIDI Tools
Price$17.99Free — better
Rating4.6 (51 ratings) — better4.5 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews92.1% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings51 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size54 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLaurent ColsonCME PTE. LTD.

Customer experience

ChordPolyPad

All ratings51 ratings
Positive92.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative7.8%
Written reviews114 reviews
Positive92.1%
Neutral3.5%
Negative4.4%

HxMIDI Tools

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

ChordPolyPad

One-time3
  • Retro Pop$4.99
  • Clubwave$4.99
  • Liminal Spaces$4.99
None

HxMIDI Tools

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ChordPolyPad free?
ChordPolyPad costs $17.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is HxMIDI Tools free?
HxMIDI Tools is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ChordPolyPad or HxMIDI Tools?
ChordPolyPad is rated higher. ChordPolyPad averages 4.6 out of 5 from 51 ratings, while HxMIDI Tools averages 4.5 from 4 ratings.
Do ChordPolyPad or HxMIDI Tools have ads?
Neither ChordPolyPad nor HxMIDI Tools shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ChordPolyPad or HxMIDI Tools?
ChordPolyPad ships an update every 2 months, and HxMIDI Tools every 2 weeks. Most recently, ChordPolyPad was updated on October 15, 2026 and HxMIDI Tools on October 4, 2026.

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