Comparison

CueMix 5 vs ShowMIDI

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

CueMix 5

Control MOTU's 828 and UltraLite-mk5 audio interfaces with this app. Adjust settings, monitor live inputs, and apply DSP-driven effects like reverb and EQ. Create custom monitor mixes for each output, even using your device as a standalone mixer.

Highlights
  • Access MOTU 828/UltraLite-mk5 settings
  • DSP mixing and effects processing
  • Monitor live inputs on analog outputs
  • Create unique monitor mixes per output
  • Apply reverb, EQ, and dynamics effects
  • Standalone mixer control
Features
Read full description

CueMix™ 5 provides fast and easy access to all of the settings in MOTU’s popular, award-winning 828, UltraLite-mk5 and OctaLite audio interfaces (and other MOTU Gen5 products), which include DSP mixing, effects processing and best-in-class analog audio quality for mobile and studio audio recording. Use CueMix 5 to adjust basic device settings and to monitor live inputs directly on any analog output pair with the unit’s on-board DSP-driven mixing. Create a separate, unique monitor mix for each output (monitor outs, phones, etc.) Apply on-board effects, including reverb, 4-channel parametric EQ and dynamics processing to inputs and mix busses. Use the 828, UltraLite-mk5, or OctaLite as a stand-alone mixer and control everything CueMix™ 5 software running on your iPad™ or iPhone™. From studio to stage, MOTU interfaces deliver exceptional sound quality, state-of-the-art operation and rock-solid performance.

About

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.

Highlights
  • Real-time MIDI visualization
  • Auto-hides irrelevant messages
  • Pause and snapshot data
  • Standalone application
  • AUv3 plugin support
  • Supports MPE configuration
Features
Read full description

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

CueMix 54 screens
ShowMIDI4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ShowMIDI at 88% against CueMix 5's 30%. ShowMIDI also leads on rating (4.8 vs 2.8) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ShowMIDI holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 14 and 18 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 30% of CueMix 5's written reviews are positive against 88% of ShowMIDI's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
CueMix 5 versus ShowMIDI: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCueMix 5ShowMIDI
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.8 (14 ratings)4.8 (18 ratings) — better
Positive reviews30.4% of reviews87.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1418 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMOTU Inc.Uwyn, LLC

Customer experience

CueMix 5

All ratings14 ratings
Positive28.6%
Neutral21.4%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews23 reviews
Positive30.4%
Neutral13.0%
Negative56.5%

ShowMIDI

All ratings18 ratings
Positive94.4%
Neutral5.6%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive87.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

CueMix 5

No in-app purchases

None

ShowMIDI

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is CueMix 5 free?
CueMix 5 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ShowMIDI free?
ShowMIDI is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, CueMix 5 or ShowMIDI?
ShowMIDI is rated higher. CueMix 5 averages 2.8 out of 5 from 14 ratings, while ShowMIDI averages 4.8 from 18 ratings.
Do CueMix 5 or ShowMIDI have ads?
Neither CueMix 5 nor ShowMIDI shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CueMix 5 or ShowMIDI?
CueMix 5 ships an update every 2 months, and ShowMIDI every 2 months. Most recently, CueMix 5 was updated on October 19, 2026 and ShowMIDI on October 17, 2026.

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