Midiflow Adapter (Audiobus) vs ShowMIDI
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Midiflow Adapter (Audiobus)
This app bridges the gap for music applications that only support Core MIDI, enabling them to integrate with Audiobus 3. It creates virtual MIDI ports, allowing older music apps to send and receive MIDI data within the Audiobus 3 ecosystem.
- Creates permanent virtual MIDI ports
- Supports up to 10 receiving apps
- Supports up to 10 sending apps
- Allows multiple instances in Audiobus 3
- Translates between Core MIDI and Audiobus 3
- Works with apps allowing MIDI port selection
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This MIDI app for Audiobus 3 allows you to include music apps, which don't support Audiobus MIDI but only Core MIDI. It creates permanent virtual MIDI ports for input and output. After distinctly selecting each of those ports in your "legacy" music apps, they can receive and send MIDI from/to Audiobus 3. + Connect up to 10 receiving apps (like synthesizers) + Connect up to 10 sending apps (like sequencers) + Use multiple instances of this app in Audiobus NOTE: This app requires Audiobus 3. Insert it into one or more MIDI input and output ports. Furthermore, this adapter only works with apps that allow you to select MIDI ports for sending and receiving. It won't work with apps that have no MIDI setup page. IMPORTANT: Connecting apps via Core MIDI is an advanced topic. If you haven't done it before, please become familiar with it prior to downloading this app. CONNECT YOUR "LEGACY" APPS TO AUDIOBUS 3 Audiobus 3 has introduced a powerful MIDI routing system that makes interconnecting MIDI apps a lot easier than it was before. However, not all music apps support this new system, yet. Midiflow Adapter makes those apps compatible, by translating between the "old" Core MIDI system and the new Audiobus 3. This, however, only works with apps that let you to select MIDI ports for input and output, or at least the MIDI channel. It is not enough if these apps create their own virtual MIDI port. SETUP FOR SYNTH APPS (RECEIVERS) Midiflow Adapter creates 10 permanent virtual MIDI output ports. This means that you can use up to 10 music apps with this adapter. For setting it up, start Midiflow Adapter. Then, start your first synth app that you want to connect with Audiobus via this adapter app. Go to its MIDI settings and activate reception on the MIDI port called "MF Adapter Out 1". It is essential that you deactivate reception on all other ports. Now, go to Audiobus 3 and insert MF Adapter into a MIDI output slot. In the input slot, add any other app, like Midiflow Keyboard. When you switch to Midiflow Adapter, you can select which of your synth apps the MIDI data should go. In this case, it is already set to "Out 1", so you're ready to go. For your second synth app, do the same steps, but select MIDI port "MF Adapter Out 2", and so on. Then, you can select it in the adapter app. SETUP FOR SEQUENCER APPS (SENDERS) The procedure is identical to the one for receiver apps (see above). However, you need to configure the MIDI output settings instead of the input settings. Midiflow Adapter creates 10 permanent virtual MIDI input ports for that purpose. They are called "MF Adapter In 1-10". WORKING WITH CHANNELS Some Core MIDI apps don't allow you to select the input/output ports, but only the MIDI input/output channel. In that case, they receive on all ports. The only way to selectively trigger them is to assign a unique channel to them. In Midiflow Adapter, you can then select this channel as input/output. NON-COMPATIBLE APPS If one of your music apps neither supports selecting the MIDI port nor setting the MIDI channel, you cannot use it with Midiflow Adapter.
ShowMIDI
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.
- Real-time MIDI visualization
- Auto-hides irrelevant messages
- Pause and snapshot data
- Standalone application
- AUv3 plugin support
- Supports MPE configuration
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ShowMIDI is an open-source multi-platform GUI application to effortlessly visualize MIDI activity. Instead of wading through logs of MIDI messages to correlate relevant ones and identify what is happening, ShowMIDI visualizes the current activity and auto-hides what you don't care about anymore. It provides you with a real-time glanceable view of all MIDI activity on your computer. ShowMIDI is designed to be always on, using the spacebar or play/pause button you can pause the flow and focus on a data snapshot with the latest state of any MIDI entity. ShowMIDI can be ran as a standalone application that automatically detects all your MIDI devices, or as an AUv3 plugin in your DAW or host to visualize MIDI data in your sessions. ShowMIDI visualizes: * MIDI ports * channels * program change * note on/off * channel pressure * polyphonic pressure * continuous control change * pitchbend * RPN and NRPN * MPE configuration and channel modes ShowMIDI supports: * themes * standalone operation * AUv3 operation
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: ShowMIDI at Free against Midiflow Adapter (Audiobus)'s $1.99. ShowMIDI also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.2) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 12 months). Midiflow Adapter (Audiobus)'s advantage is iOS requirement (10.2 vs 12.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
ShowMIDI is free to download; Midiflow Adapter (Audiobus) costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
ShowMIDI holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 18 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Midiflow Adapter (Audiobus)'s written reviews are positive against 88% of ShowMIDI's.
Midiflow Adapter (Audiobus) ships an update every 12 months, ShowMIDI every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Midiflow Adapter (Audiobus) | ShowMIDI |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.2 (5 ratings) | 4.8 (18 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | 87.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 5 | 18 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 12 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 10.2 — better | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Johannes Doerr | Uwyn, LLC |
Customer experience
Midiflow Adapter (Audiobus)
ShowMIDI
In-app purchases
Midiflow Adapter (Audiobus)
No in-app purchases
ShowMIDI
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Midiflow Adapter (Audiobus) free?
Is ShowMIDI free?
Which has better reviews, Midiflow Adapter (Audiobus) or ShowMIDI?
Do Midiflow Adapter (Audiobus) or ShowMIDI have ads?
Which is updated more often, Midiflow Adapter (Audiobus) or ShowMIDI?
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