Xkey Plus vs iSymphonic Orchestra
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Xkey Plus
This app enhances the functionality of ESI Xkey musical keyboards on mobile devices. It allows users to update firmware, customize velocity curves, and configure key sensitivity and timings for an advanced user experience.
- Check for new Xkey firmware
- Velocity curves editor
- Configure Xkey sensitivity & timings
- Access all Xkey parameters
- Configure key & button assignments
- Access Xkey documentation & support
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◆◆◆ Xkey Plus ◆◆◆ This app is dedicated to ESI Xkey musical keyboard. It is an ideal companion to your mobile keyboard. FEATURES ◆ Check for new Xkey firmware ◆ Velocity curves editor ◆ In-depth configuration of Xkey sensitivity & timings (advanced users) ◆ Access to all Xkey parameters (advanced users) ◆ Possibility to configure new assignments to all keys & buttons (requires Fw 1.2+) ◆ Direct access to Xkey documentation & support REQUIREMENTS ◆ Xkey musical keyboard ◆ USB cam kit or lightning cable ◆ Compatible with iPad (iOS 7 or later) Do not hesitate to contact us if you find any problem on this app. If you like this app, don't forget to write a positive review ! ESI
iSymphonic Orchestra
This app provides sophisticated, realistic orchestral sounds for musicians. Connect a MIDI keyboard to your device to access a wide range of instruments for live performance or composition. It supports advanced audio and MIDI connections with other apps.
- Realistic orchestral instrument sounds
- MIDI keyboard connectivity
- Audio Unit and Inter-App Audio support
- Low latency audio engine
- Integrated effects with presets
- MIDI recording and playback
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The ultimate orchestra sound app for sophisticated musicians by award-winning sound designer Kurt Ader, designed as professional sound module for your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch by connecting an external MIDI keyboard, using the Apple USB camera adapter or another adapter supported by Apple.¹ Listen to the demo videos on our product website! This app supports Audio Unit and Inter-App Audio for audio & MIDI connections from/to other audio apps, as well as Bluetooth LE MIDI ! iSymphonic Orchestra was designed with the goal to deliver you superb, extremely realistic and stunning orchestra sounds, instantly with the first key being pressed by you on your MIDI keyboard. Just select a sound and you are ready for your live performance or for a boost of creativity while composing new songs. The sounds used in this app were explicitly recorded to fulfill these requirements and involved several months of recording and post processing under supervision of Kurt Ader and included a variety of innovative, new recording techniques. So far these sounds were only available to very few, famous movie composers. Now they are finally available for the first time to everybody. The supreme quality of these sounds, combined with the unique way they were recorded and assembled, gives us confidence that you haven't heard anything comparable as of to date, even not on Mac or PC. 25 Sounds included with base App: • Orchestra Strings Spiccato & Legato 1 - 4 • Orchestra Strings Slow 1 - 3 • Chamber Arco Strings • Legato Orchestra Strings 1 • Full Sordino Strings 1 - 2 • Legato Orchestra • Staccato Orchestra 1 - 3 • Tremolo Orchestra • Pizzicato Strings • Full Strings • Tremolo Strings • All Brass 1 - 2 • Trombone Section • Cello & Woodwinds • Horns & Strings • Full Legato Orchestra 297 additional sounds available as 15 optional in-app purchase sound sets: „Pro-", „Arpa-", „Canto-", „Boato-", „Vento-", „Ottone-", „Voce-", „Varia-", „Perla-", „Aulos-", „Keys-", „Cupra-", „Organ-", „Tosca-" and „Corda Sound Set". You find a detailed sound list & demo videos on our product website. General Features: • Low latency disk streaming. • Very efficient audio engine. • Polyphony of several hundred stereo voices.² • Audio latency down to 1 ms. • Integrated effects with 18 presets. • 16 parts. • Scale Tuning & Master Tune. • MIDI velocity response curve editor. • App States: Save app's entire state as user presets. • Interactive, easy & quick sound finder. • App can keep running in the background, so you can play on your keyboard while e.g. using Safari or another app to display scores or surfing the Internet. • Hermode Tuning: Imitates the tuning behavior of well educated musicians of i.e. orchestras and choirs. • Audio Unit v3 Plugin included. • Supports Apple's "Inter-App Audio" (IAA) system. • Virtual on-screen piano keyboard with velocity support, scalable & scrollable. MIDI Player / Recorder: • Record, save and load your songs in standard MIDI file format. • Share your songs easily as audio file. • Unlimited amount of tracks. • Configurable MIDI channel per track. • Unlimited recording and playback length. • Open MIDI (.mid) files directly from other apps (i.e. from Safari, Mail). • Metronome • Use the "Tempo Zoom" dial knob to i.e. slow down playback at any time and learn your favorite songs easily. ¹ For more information about supported adapters and MIDI keyboards, please visit our product website. ² Sounds are using several voices per note. Polyphony depends on the exact device model being used. You find a polyphony table on our product website. Anti-Spy Commitment: We take your privacy very seriously. None of our apps contain so called „spy” behaviors and we committed ourself to a very high privacy standard. For more information read our „Privacy Policy for Mobile Apps”.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Xkey Plus at Free against iSymphonic Orchestra's $9.99. Xkey Plus also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 12) and iOS requirement (9.3 vs 12.0). iSymphonic Orchestra's advantage is rating (3.8 vs 2.9) and review sentiment (63% vs 36%). On 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
Xkey Plus is free to download; iSymphonic Orchestra costs $9.99 up front. iSymphonic Orchestra sells 12 one-off in-app purchases. Xkey Plus asks for nothing beyond the download.
iSymphonic Orchestra holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iSymphonic Orchestra has 103 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 36% of Xkey Plus's written reviews are positive against 63% of iSymphonic Orchestra's.
Xkey Plus ships an update every 3 months, iSymphonic Orchestra every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on June 6, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Xkey Plus | iSymphonic Orchestra |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $9.99 |
| Rating | 2.9 (13 ratings) | 3.8 (103 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 35.7% of reviews | 62.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 13 | 103 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 9.3 — better | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 1.3 GB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ESI Audiotechnik GmbH | Christian Schoenebeck d/b/a Crudebyte |
Customer experience
Xkey Plus
iSymphonic Orchestra
Bugs and requests
Xkey Plus
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
iSymphonic Orchestra
Reported bugs
14 issues- App crashes when using multiple AU instances in AUM
- GarageBand integration fails during export and audio merging
- Audio cuts out or plays only partially during export
- Track deletion causes complete app crash and data loss
- Reverberation artifacts on specific notes (C4, C5)
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- Loud distortion spikes occurring randomly
- MIDI keyboard connection freezes or stops working
- Settings menu becomes garbled with accessibility features enabled
- App freezes when connecting to certain MIDI controllers
- Audiobus compatibility issues despite advertised support
- Sound packs fail to download or load correctly
- Stuck MIDI notes when changing channels with pedal depressed
- Glitching and connection loss in multi-instance setups
- Export functionality broken in GarageBand AU version
Requested features
15 requests- Ability to hide unowned sound packs for easier navigation
- Zoom function for keyboard section
- Adjustable attack and release envelope controls
- Filter to show only owned sounds
- Dedicated save/record/play controls on main screen
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- Bundle pricing option for all sound packs
- Separate woodwinds, horns, and strings-only IAP options
- Improved AU plugin UI closer to standalone version
- Microphone placement and mixing options like Spitfire Labs
- Favorites or custom sound folders
- Better orchestral percussion sounds
- Ability to import files from device without USB
- Export preset functionality between devices
- All-off MIDI signal for all channels simultaneously
- Cheaper entry-level sound pack bundle
In-app purchases
Xkey Plus
No in-app purchases
iSymphonic Orchestra
- Arpa Sound Set$8.99
- Vento Sound Set$8.99
- Pro Sound Set$11.99
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- Canto Sound Set$11.99
- Boato Sound Set$11.99
- Voce Sound Set$11.99
- Varia Sound Set$11.99
- Aulos Sound Set$11.99
- Perla Sound Set$11.99
- Cupra Sound Set$16.99
- Corda Sound Set$16.99
- Keys Sound Set$24.99








