Comparison

MusiKraken vs Note to Be

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

Head to head
About

MusiKraken

Transform your mobile device into a powerful, customizable MIDI controller. Utilize built-in sensors and connected hardware to create unique musical expressions and control instruments or software. Supports advanced MIDI features and audio unit plugins.

Highlights
  • Modular MIDI controller editor
  • Device sensor inputs (touch, motion, camera, mic)
  • Connect external devices (game controllers, Apple Watch)
  • MIDI effects and routing
  • Audio Unit (AUv3) plugin hosting
  • MIDI 2.0 support
  • OSC data output
Features
Read full description

MusiKraken is a modular MIDI Controller Construction Kit, empowering you to fully harness the capabilities of your mobile device's hardware. Winner of a 2022 MIDI Innovation Award! Make music using device sensors like Touch, Motion Sensors, Camera (face, hand, body and color tracking, including TrueDepth and LiDAR support) and Microphone, or connected devices like Game Controllers, Apple Watch or AirPods. Choose from several types of modules in the editor and connect the ports to create your own personal MIDI controller setup. Route the MIDI signals through effect modules to control multiple instruments simultaneously or invent creative new MIDI controller combinations. MusiKraken supports sending and receiving MIDI data over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or via Core MIDI (for example by using Inter-Device Audio and MIDI (IDAM)). And it can host Audio Unit (AUv3) instrument plugins. Or send the sensor data via OSC. MusiKraken is also one of the first apps to officially support MIDI 2.0! You already own a very powerful device with all kinds of sensors and connection possibilities. With this app you can use these sensors as inputs, combine them with all kinds of MIDI effects and send the resulting MIDI events to your computer, synthesizer, any other MIDI-capable app or Audio Unit to to create your own, expressive MIDI controller setup. Your device for example has a multitouch screen. Use this with the Keyboard module to slide on the keys to control multiple musical parameters simultaneously. Using MPE, MIDI 2.0 or the Chord Splitter also allows you to control these parameters separately per key. Newer devices also support tracking the finger radius (or pressure on older devices), which adds another dimension of control. Multitouch is also used by the Chords Pad to play the chords of a selected scale, or the Touchpad, which allows you control values via touch gestures. Another unique input sensor is the camera: MusiKraken supports tracking your hands in front of the camera, your body pose, your face or objects with specific colors. This way you can for example use your iOS device as a Theremin, jump or dance around in front of the camera to generate notes or control audio parameters, use your mouth to control the sound of a virtual trumpet, or any other combination. If your device has a TrueDepth or LiDAR sensor, you can also use the distances as input values. Your device also has motion sensors: Accelerometer, Gyroscope and Magnetometer. They can be either used separately, or combined to get the current rotation of the device in three dimensions. Use this to generate sounds or control parameters while shaking or tilting your device. Your device also has a microphone, and MusiKraken can detect the pitch or amplitude of the signal. Your iOS device also allows you to connect to external devices. MusiKraken for example supports Game Controllers (trigger events on button or thumbstick changes, motion sensors, haptics and light on supported Game Controllers), Apple Watch (motion sensors, digital crown, touch, heart rate) or the motion sensors within AirPods. The real power comes once you start combining the sensors with the effect modules. There are effects that can be used to change or filter the MIDI events. Some effects allow you to combine multiple input sources into new output values. Or splits chords into separate notes so that they can be sent to different channels. Important: Please note that some of the modules only work on iOS devices with specific hardware: ARKit Face Tracking and the TrueDepth module need a TrueDepth front camera, and Hand and Body Pose Tracking needs at least iOS 14, and might be too slow on older devices. HealthKit is used in the app to access Apple Watch data like heart beat or motion sensors. The app only uses sensor data to generate MIDI events.

About

Note to Be

This app offers advanced MIDI quantization for iOS musicians. It allows precise control over note selection, octave flexibility, and MIDI CC integration for crafting harmonious compositions and dynamic live performances. Supports microtonal scales and multi-synth setups.

Highlights
  • Customizable note and octave selection
  • MIDI CC to note conversion
  • Multi-synth channel assignment
  • Live performance toggles
  • Microtonal scale support (Scala Library)
  • MPE polyphonic playback
Features
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Take full control of your MIDI experience with Note to Be—the powerful iOS app designed to transform how you interact with your music. Whether you're working with a MIDI keyboard, sequencer, or MIDI CC input, Note to Be ensures your notes are perfectly quantized to the nearest selected note, allowing you to craft precise, harmonious compositions with ease. Key Features: - Customizable Note Selection: Choose individual notes from any octave, or apply your selection across the full -1 to +8 octave range. - Octave Flexibility: Work within the entire octave spectrum, selecting and unselecting notes with a simple tap. - MIDI CC Integration: Use MIDI CC from hardware controllers or apps like ShiftBud to convert control changes into quantized notes. Easily create chord voicings and dynamic live performances. - Multi-Synth Support: Assign different MIDI channels to multiple synths, allowing each to respond to the quantized MIDI output independently. - Live Performance Enhancement: Engage the 'all notes' toggle to instantly apply note selections across all octaves or quickly select notes in a specific key and scale. - Microtonality: Select a microtonal scale from the Scala Library with +5000 microtonal scales, or import your own to the iCloud folder. Play the MPE supported synths polyphonically. With Note to Be, your music becomes a canvas, and every note is a brushstroke. Unlock new creative possibilities and refine your sound with the precision of MIDI quantization, right from your iOS device. Note to Be is a MIDI app and does not produce any sound on its own. You need a MIDI input source and an audio output destination in order to work with Note to Be. The AUv3 plugin requires an AUv3 host app such as AUM, Logic Pro for iPad, Loopy Pro, Cubasis, Nanostudio, apeMatrix, Audiobus etc.

Screenshots

MusiKraken3 screens
Note to Be4 screens

Verdict

The call

MusiKraken and Note to Be both sit at 5.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 97% of MusiKraken's written reviews are positive against 50% of Note to Be's. MusiKraken also leads on ratings volume (24 vs 7). Note to Be's advantage is price ($3.99 vs $9.99) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 4 weeks). On rating, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

MusiKraken costs $9.99 and Note to Be $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for MusiKraken against 4.9 for Note to Be. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 24 and 7 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 97% of MusiKraken's written reviews are positive against 50% of Note to Be's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MusiKraken ships an update every 4 weeks, Note to Be every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
MusiKraken versus Note to Be: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMusiKrakenNote to Be
Price$9.99$3.99 — better
Rating5.0 (24 ratings) — better4.9 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews97.0% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings24 — better7
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size110 MB71 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSnarpCem Olcay

Customer experience

MusiKraken

All ratings24 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews33 reviews
Positive97.0%
Neutral3.0%
Negative0.0%

Note to Be

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

None

MusiKraken

No in-app purchases

None

Note to Be

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MusiKraken free?
MusiKraken costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Note to Be free?
Note to Be costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, MusiKraken or Note to Be?
MusiKraken is rated higher. MusiKraken averages 5.0 out of 5 from 24 ratings, while Note to Be averages 4.9 from 7 ratings.
Do MusiKraken or Note to Be have ads?
Neither MusiKraken nor Note to Be shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MusiKraken or Note to Be?
MusiKraken ships an update every 4 weeks, and Note to Be every 9 days. Most recently, MusiKraken was updated on September 24, 2026 and Note to Be on September 21, 2026.

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