MC Pad vs ShowMIDI
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MC Pad
Transform your iPhone or iPad into a versatile Bluetooth MIDI controller. Send MIDI commands to compatible devices and software, offering customizable controls and a hierarchical preset structure for live performances.
- Bluetooth MIDI controller
- Control compatible devices
- Support PC, CC, and Note commands
- CC toggle mode
- Hierarchical preset structure
- Customizable UI
- Screen lock for live performance
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MC Pad turns your iPhone / iPad into a Bluetooth MIDI controller. Control any Bluetooth MIDI compatible devices. Or link it with Bluetooth MIDI adaptor that plugged into MIDI In/Out ports. E.g. A Bluetooth MIDI adaptor plugged into an audio interface, use MC Pad to send MIDI command to it and control the DAW / plug-in. Main Features: - Connect up to 5 Bluetooth MIDI devices. - Support MIDI commands: PC (Program Change), CC (Control Change), Note. - CC toggle mode: enable CC command with toggle on/off (Two different CC commands) . - Hierarchy structure: Create list of presets, each preset contains number of MIDI commands. - Easy UI with customisable command button colour or image. - Screen Lock: Lock the screen during the live performance.
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 review sentiment: ShowMIDI at 88% against MC Pad's 50%. ShowMIDI also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence 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
Both are free to download. MC Pad sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. ShowMIDI asks for nothing beyond the download.
ShowMIDI holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 18 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of MC Pad's written reviews are positive against 88% of ShowMIDI's.
MC Pad ships an update every 3 months, ShowMIDI every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and September 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | MC Pad | ShowMIDI |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (5 ratings) | 4.8 (18 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 87.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 5 | 18 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.7 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | RockCat Studio Limited | Uwyn, LLC |
Customer experience
MC Pad
ShowMIDI
In-app purchases
MC Pad
- Unlimited Credit + Remove Ads$0.99
ShowMIDI
No in-app purchases









