Sidecar MIDI Controller vs Radio Unit
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sidecar MIDI Controller
Transform your QWERTY keyboard or game controller into a powerful MIDI controller for your iOS music apps. Play melodies, trigger chords, and adjust synth parameters with ease, even while running other apps in the background.
- QWERTY keyboard piano mapping
- Configurable pads for notes, chords, and messages
- Scale-configurable virtual keyboard
- Game controller support
- AUv3 plugin integration
- Slide-over and side-by-side mode compatibility
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There are hundreds of great iOS synth apps, but playing them with on-screen keyboards can be a challenge. Sidecar turns your ordinary QWERTY keyboard into a powerful MIDI controller. The lower part of the keyboard is mapped piano-style, letting you play melodies with the physical keys -- much easier to keep your fingers in the right place, and to get the notes you want. The app is configurable; you can have ten different set-ups, and switch between them quickly with a tap on the "QWERTY" row. There are also ten configureable pads for each set-up, which you can trigger with the number keys. Each pad can play a specific note, a chord, generate a program change message, or send a control code. Because Sidecar operates in slide-over and side-by-side mode on the iPad, you can use your physical keyboard with any MIDI app, even if the other app is running in the background. On screen, you have access to each of the pads -- map the knobs and sliders of your synth apps to MIDI CC messages, and then use Sidecar to adjust these sliders as you play. Sidecar also provides a scale-configurable virtual keyboard. Pick the scale you want, and then you can't hit a wrong note. In addition to external keyboards, Sidecar also supports many game controllers. The app is now universal; while the iPhone doesn't support slide-over, you can still take advantage of the configuration options of the app. * Easy MIDI Configuration With ten separately configurable MIDI destinations you can quickly set up a set of assignments for each of the MIDI apps that you use. Have a set of chords for Animoog, choose different presets for ToneStack, or assign pads to different samples for DM1. Each MIDI destination has ten configurable pads, which can be assigned to chords, single notes, a program change message, or a controller change message. For notes and chords, the touch position controls note velocity. For controller change messages, the location of a touch on screen can be used to determine the controller value. * QWERTY Keyboard Support Toggle on support for the external keyboard, and you can switch between the ten MIDI destinations quickly (using the keys in the QWERTY row). Toggle on or off any of the ten pads by pressing the number keys. The two lowest rows of keys are mapped as a standard piano keyboard, providing a musical play surface with an ordinary text keyboard. Note that QWERTY keyboards only send "key press" information to your iPad -- to silence a sounding note, you simply tap the space bar. * AUv3 Support Add the plug-in to your favorite DAW or looper, and Sidecar will give you easy access to multiple synths. Many AUv3 hosts will also let you map the keyboard keys to the transport controls. * Game Controller Ready Sidecar also supports the iON iCade game controller, mapping the buttons of the iCade to the pads. Because the iCade was designed for games, it sends button press and release information, which makes it easy to toggle on and off the pads. * MIDI Relay If you have an external MIDI controller, you can have it send MIDI events to Sidecar -- and these will be relayed to any of the ten MIDI destinations you select. Use this to quickly switch from one synth to another. *Control Background Synths Because Sidecar sends MIDI messages, it can be used to control background synthesizers, sequencers, and effects apps. Sidecar is designed to work along side your other iOS music apps.
Radio Unit
Stream over 35,000 internet radio stations with this app. Enhance your audio experience by using it as an AUv3 plugin with other compatible music apps. Discover new music and save your favorites.
- Access 35,000+ radio stations
- Enhance audio with AUv3 plugins
- Intuitive interface
- Song discovery and saving
- Favorites sync across devices
- MIDI control for AUv3 plugin
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Discover a world of music with Radio Unit, a sleek and powerful Internet radio player with a built-in Audio Unit (AUv3) plugin. Elevate your listening experience by enhancing streaming audio in real time using your favorite third-party audio processing plugins (not included) within AUv3-compatible hosts like Drambo or GarageBand. Features: • Intuitive Interface: Enjoy a clean, user-friendly design for effortless navigation. • Song Discovery: Tap to add the currently playing song to your favorites, then open it in the Apple Music app or search for it on Google. • Massive Station Library: Access over 35,000 radio stations—search by name, browse by genre or location, and sort by popularity. • Favorites Sync: Save stations and songs to your favorites list, seamlessly synced across your devices. • AUv3 Integration: Use Radio Unit as a standalone app or as an AUv3 plugin in hosts like Drambo, GarageBand, and more, with support for multiple plugin instances. • MIDI Mapping: Control buttons can be triggered by MIDI Note events (C3 to F3). (AUv3 only) • Battery Efficient: Stream music without draining your device. The app requires internet connection.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Sidecar MIDI Controller at 4.9 against Radio Unit's 4.6. Sidecar MIDI Controller also leads on price ($4.99 vs $6.99). Radio Unit's advantage is ratings volume (59 vs 14). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Sidecar MIDI Controller costs $4.99 and Radio Unit $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Sidecar MIDI Controller holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 14 and 59 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 76% of Sidecar MIDI Controller's written reviews are positive against 81% of Radio Unit's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Sidecar MIDI Controller ships an update every 3 months, Radio Unit every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sidecar MIDI Controller | Radio Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 — better | $6.99 |
| Rating | 4.9 (14 ratings) — better | 4.6 (59 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 76.2% of reviews | 81.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 14 | 59 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Secret Base Design | BeepStreet |
Customer experience
Sidecar MIDI Controller
Radio Unit
Bugs and requests
Sidecar MIDI Controller
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Radio Unit
Reported bugs
17 issues- Cannot remove recognized songs
- Cannot remove favorite saved songs (Mac)
- Last update ruined experience with loading times and connection issues
- Sadé channel frequently disconnects
- Some stations don’t connect at all
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- Cannot see song title/artist
- Seamless integration with GarageBand and Logic Pro doesn't work
- Cannot change station with MIDI, LFOs etc. after update
- Cubasis 3 can’t find app
- BBC streams no longer play
- Cannot edit user slots after adding of link
- Links not working
- Cannot add user slots ('see the developer to unlock slots')
- Adding stations near impossible
- Failed URL slot flashes red and is inaccessible
- Cannot paste other URLs
- Cannot record and sample the feed into DAW
Requested features
13 requests- Option to remove or filter hostile nations
- Add more stations (Golha radio, IRIB radio)
- Ability to organize, tag, and edit stream specifications
- Ability to use with CarPlay
- Pitch slider within the app to slow down radio in real time
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- More user presets/slots
- iCloud sync for recently played stations and discovered pieces
- Ability to change station with MIDI, LFOs etc. (post-update issue)
- More exposed parameters for tweaking
- Greater resources for slots (folders/sections)
- Import/export presets list
- Assign MIDI CC to volume knob and channel switch buttons
- Support for streams in OGG container format
In-app purchases
Sidecar MIDI Controller
No in-app purchases
Radio Unit
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Sidecar MIDI Controller free?
Is Radio Unit free?
Which has better reviews, Sidecar MIDI Controller or Radio Unit?
Do Sidecar MIDI Controller or Radio Unit have ads?
Which is updated more often, Sidecar MIDI Controller or Radio Unit?
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