Addictive Keys vs EZkeys 2
Specs, price and the Dubspot Score, side by side — with our verdict on which sampler to buy.
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Both are sampled keyboard instruments aimed squarely at songwriters, and both promise a mix-ready sound the moment you open them. But XLN Audio's Addictive Keys and Toontrack's EZkeys 2 solve the songwriting problem from opposite ends: one leans on sonic breadth and mic character, the other on a single flagship grand plus a chord-and-MIDI co-writer. That gap in philosophy is exactly why producers pit them against each other.
The key difference
The decisive split is what each spends its money on. Addictive Keys buys you range and sound design at the source: four distinct instruments (Studio Grand, Modern Upright, Electric Grand, and the Mark One EP), each captured with multiple mic positions you can blend into intimate or roomy, clean or heavily-effected tones straight from the ExploreMaps browser. EZkeys 2 spends everything on one thing, a beautifully multi-sampled Fazioli F212 grand, then wraps it in an idea-generation layer: Bandmate, Suggest Chords, Songwriting Scales, and a library of 1,350-plus human-performed MIDI files. So the real question is not which piano sounds better, it is whether you want more keyboard sounds and mic flexibility, or one great grand attached to a writing assistant.
The producer who wants several characterful keyboard sounds and deep mic control for one price, and values sonic breadth over a built-in chord assistant.
The keyboard-first songwriter who wants one first-class Fazioli grand plus chord suggestions and a huge drag-anywhere MIDI library to spark and finish ideas.
Which should you buy?
Addictive Keys is the stronger pure instrument and the better value, scoring 8.4 to EZkeys 2's 7.8 while offering four sounds for the same order of price, plus XLN's frequent free-instrument giveaway as an unbeatable entry point. EZkeys 2 justifies its steeper single-piano price only if its songwriting brain and portable MIDI library are what actually unblock you, in which case it earns its keep. For most producers who just want inspiring, ready-to-mix keys, Addictive Keys wins on breadth and money; for keyboard-first writers who want a co-writer suggesting the next chord, EZkeys 2 is worth the premium.
Specs compared
| Addictive Keys | EZkeys 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $99 | — |
| Dubspot Score | 8.4 | 7.8 |
| Formats | VST, AU, AAX (64-bit), Standalone | VST3, AU, AAX, Standalone |
| Instruments included | Studio Grand, Modern Upright, Electric Grand, Mark One | — |
| Mac requirements | macOS 10.13 or later (64-bit) | — |
| Windows requirements | Windows 10, 11 (64-bit) | — |
| Presets | Presets arranged in ExploreMaps with preview | — |
| Microphone options | Mix and match microphone setups per instrument | — |
| Supported hosts | Ableton Live 10+, Logic Pro 10+, Pro Tools 11+, FL Studio 20+, Reason 10.3+, Reaper 5+, Cubase 10+, Cakewalk by Bandlab | — |
| Sampled instrument | — | Fazioli F212 grand piano |
| Core library size | — | ~4 GB of multi-sampled sounds |
| MIDI content | — | 1,350+ individually played MIDI files (plus 800+ legacy) |
| Songwriting tools | — | Bandmate, Suggest Chords, Songwriting Scales, Tap2Find, Grid editor |
| Platforms | — | 64-bit Windows 10+ and macOS 10.13+ (Intel and Apple silicon) |
| Disk space | — | 5 GB free disk space required |
Addictive Keys vs EZkeys 2: FAQ
Is Addictive Keys or EZkeys 2 better for beginners?
EZkeys 2 has the edge for a beginner who is still shaky on theory, since Suggest Chords and Songwriting Scales actively guide you toward progressions that work. Addictive Keys is friendlier if the beginner just wants great sounds fast without a suggestion engine, thanks to its instant-preview ExploreMaps browser and mix-ready presets.
Which is better value, Addictive Keys or EZkeys 2?
Addictive Keys is the clearer value: a single instrument is $99 and all four in the Complete Collection run about $249, and XLN regularly gives away a full instrument free with an account. EZkeys 2 costs plugin-suite money for a single piano sound, with extra pianos and EPs sold separately as EKX and EBX add-ons, so you pay more to reach a comparable palette.
Do I need EZkeys 2 if I already have Addictive Keys, or vice versa?
Only if the missing feature is the one you actually work around. Add EZkeys 2 to an Addictive Keys setup when you want its Fazioli grand and, more importantly, the chord tools and human-performed MIDI you can drop onto any instrument. Add Addictive Keys to an EZkeys 2 setup when you need electric pianos, an upright, or blendable mic positions that a single-grand instrument cannot provide.
See the full plugin database for more comparisons.