Akai MPD218 vs Native Instruments Maschine MK3
Two of our picks from Best Pad Controllers, compared side by side on the specs and trade-offs that actually matter.
Short answer
Between the Native Instruments Maschine MK3 and the Akai MPD218, we recommend the Native Instruments Maschine MK3 ($489 when we checked it on 2026-10-01) as the better pad controller for most people. Producers who want a full production hub built around big pads, not just a MIDI controller. The Akai MPD218 ($119 when we checked it on 2026-10-01) still makes sense if producers who want big MPC-style pads for finger drumming and sampling without spending much.
Akai Professional MPD218 USB MIDI Pad Controller
$119.00observed
Lowest we have recorded: $119.00 on (7 weekly checks)
Native Instruments Maschine Mk3 Drum Controller
$489.00observed
Lowest we have recorded: $489.00 on (6 weekly checks)
Specs head to head
| Spec | Akai MPD218 | Native Instruments Maschine MK3 |
|---|---|---|
| Pads | 16 MPC pads (48 across 3 banks) | 16, touch-sensitive |
| Connectivity | USB | USB |
| Included software | Ableton Live Lite, MPC Beats, Drum Synth 500 by AIR | Maschine 2.0 plus Komplete 11 Select (25GB), at time of writing |
| Weight | 2 pounds | 4.8 pounds |
Our take on each
Akai MPD218
Best for: Producers who want big MPC-style pads for finger drumming and sampling without spending much.
The MPD218 is Akai Professional's entry MIDI pad controller, and it's the one r/edmproduction's "Best Pad based Midi controller" thread called flat out "the obvious choice," picking up more votes than every other suggestion combined.
Sixteen velocity- and pressure-sensitive MPC pads sit across three switchable banks, which works out to 48 assignable triggers for drums, one-shots and samples. Eighteen assignable knobs, also spread across the three banks, handle DAW parameters, plugin effects and instrument controls. It's USB-powered, so there's no separate power brick, and Akai bundles Ableton Live Lite plus its own MPC Beats software in the box.
The tradeoff shows up in the same thread that recommended it: a competing comment said "I'm not completely happy with the MPD," and the complaint is usually pad feel, since the pads are smaller and stiffer than what you get on a pricier controller. There's no display, no 5-pin MIDI out, and the build is mostly plastic.
Native Instruments Maschine MK3
Best for: Producers who want a full production hub built around big pads, not just a MIDI controller.
The Maschine MK3 is Native Instruments' flagship pad controller, and it's the one r/makinghiphop's thread singled out flatly: "Best pads are on Maschine hands down." It's also the step up from a MIDI controller into something closer to a self-contained production system.
Sixteen large, touch-sensitive pads sit above a 96kHz/24-bit audio interface built into the unit, with two switchable line/instrument inputs, two balanced outputs, a mic input, headphone output, MIDI in/out and a footswitch jack, so it can record and monitor without any other interface. Touch-sensitive knobs and a Smart Strip for pitch bends and effects round out the control surface, and Native Instruments bundles its Maschine 2.0 software with the 25GB Komplete 11 Select library at the time of writing.
The cost is real: about four times the budget pick, for a controller that leans on Native Instruments' own Maschine software to unlock its deepest features rather than working as a plain MIDI device. At 4.8 pounds with an aluminum shell, it's also the heaviest pick here.
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