# MIDI Scope vs ShowMIDI

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ShowMIDI at none against MIDI Scope's 3. ShowMIDI also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 9 months) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). MIDI Scope's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 88%). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. MIDI Scope sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. ShowMIDI asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for MIDI Scope against 4.8 for ShowMIDI. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 20 and 18 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of MIDI Scope's written reviews are positive against 88% of ShowMIDI's.

MIDI Scope ships an update every 9 months, ShowMIDI every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 9, 2026 and September 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MIDI Scope | ShowMIDI |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/midi-scope/id1185667452/reviews) | [4.8 (18 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/showmidi/id6472608850/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **20** | 18 |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 87.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 1 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kinematic Systems](https://appshunter.io/developer/1162866262) | [Uwyn, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/597132109) |

## What reviewers say

### MIDI Scope

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/midi-scope/id1185667452)

Monitor MIDI activity on your iOS device. Filter events by type, group, or channel, with detailed packet interpretation in decimal and hexadecimal. Send feedback directly to the developer.

**Highlights:** Monitor MIDI activity, Filter events by type, group, or channel, Detailed event packet interpretation, Raw packet data in decimal and hexadecimal, iOS device compatibility

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small | $0.99 | one-time |
| Small | $2.99 | one-time |
| Large | $4.99 | one-time |


### ShowMIDI

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/showmidi/id6472608850)

This application provides a real-time, glanceable view of all MIDI activity on your computer. It visualizes various MIDI messages and allows you to pause the flow for a data snapshot. It can be used as a standalone tool or an AUv3 plugin within your DAW.

**Highlights:** Real-time MIDI visualization, Auto-hides irrelevant messages, Pause and snapshot data, Standalone application, AUv3 plugin support, Supports MPE configuration

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MIDI Scope free?

MIDI Scope is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is ShowMIDI free?

ShowMIDI is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, MIDI Scope or ShowMIDI?

MIDI Scope and ShowMIDI are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 20 and 18 ratings respectively.

### Do MIDI Scope or ShowMIDI have ads?

Neither MIDI Scope nor ShowMIDI shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, MIDI Scope or ShowMIDI?

MIDI Scope ships an update every 9 months, and ShowMIDI every 2 months. Most recently, MIDI Scope was updated on September 9, 2026 and ShowMIDI on September 5, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*