Comparison

miniMIDI vs Grip

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

Head to head
About

miniMIDI

Transform your iPhone into a powerful MIDI controller for your Mac. Easily connect wirelessly or via wire to control software instruments in Logic Pro X and GarageBand. Features include customizable pads and a velocity-sensitive keyboard.

Highlights
  • Wired or wireless MIDI connection
  • 16 customizable pads
  • Velocity-adjustable keyboard
  • Logic Pro X and GarageBand integration
  • Pad and Keyboard modes
Read full description

Turn your iPhone into a wired or wireless MIDI controller. Connect to your Mac (or another MIDI-compatible device), load an instrument in your DAW, and start playing! Play notes on 1 to 12 pads or a 13-key transposable keyboard with adjustable velocity, shaped with sustain, mod wheel, and arpeggiator controls. Nothing connected? A built-in demo sound gives you instant audio feedback when you just want to play. Make your controller your own with a custom background and glow colors. Free features include pad and keyboard modes, velocity and transposition adjustment, sustain control, and the demo sound. The mod wheel, arpeggiator, and appearance customization are unlocked with miniMIDI Pro, a one-time purchase.

About

Grip

Control Ableton Live remotely from your iOS device. Manage transport, recording, track settings, and clips wirelessly. Includes a built-in MIDI keyboard for on-the-go note input.

Highlights
  • Wireless Ableton Live control
  • Voice control for transport and recording
  • Track arming, soloing, and muting
  • Clip launching and scene navigation
  • Built-in MIDI keyboard
  • Project saving and volume control
Features
Read full description

Grip is the missing app for Ableton Live. This app requires Grip Desktop to be running on the same computer as Ableton Live. Download that app first at www.gripforlive.com. Stay in creative flow with Grip: Remote control Ableton from anywhere in your studio, bedroom, or battlestation—at your synth, in the vocal booth, or from the couch. Grip connects to your computer over Wi-Fi as a native Live control surface. No MIDI mapping required. Stop running from your mic to the computer, or having to play guitar near your computer. With Grip, you can literally use your voice to say "record" and play directly into Ableton Live. Keep Grip with you at whatever instrument you're playing, to play, record, undo, redo, and even save from your phone or tablet. TRANSPORT & RECORDING • Control Live with your voice • Play, stop, record, and overdub • Undo and redo • Preview and record into scenes • Quickly loop between sections of your song in arrangement • Pre-roll recording before your locators • Toggle metronome • Save your project from your phone • Change volume • Arm, solo, and mute tracks MIXER & NAVIGATION • Record & launch clips, move and copy them between tracks and scenes on the session view • Jump to locators • Launch scenes • Scrub through your arrangement with your finger • Switch between session and arrangement view • Mixer controls for volume, sends, pan, and arm/solo • Insert, duplicate, or delete tracks or scenes • Rename locators and scenes MIDI PIANO & DRUM PAD • Built-in piano for playing notes into Live • Push-like drum pad for playing notes or drum kits • Requires the Mac version of Grip. (Windows support for MIDI forthcoming.)

Screenshots

miniMIDI3 screens
Grip4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Grip at every 3 weeks against miniMIDI's every 55 months. Grip also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.6). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for miniMIDI against 5.0 for Grip. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 2 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

miniMIDI ships an update every 55 months, Grip every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
miniMIDI versus Grip: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterminiMIDIGrip
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings4 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 55 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB54 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJack EdmondsAdam Baker

Customer experience

miniMIDI

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Grip

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

miniMIDI

No in-app purchases

None

Grip

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is miniMIDI free?
miniMIDI is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Grip free?
Grip is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, miniMIDI or Grip?
miniMIDI and Grip are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 4 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do miniMIDI or Grip have ads?
Neither miniMIDI nor Grip shows ads.
Which is updated more often, miniMIDI or Grip?
miniMIDI ships an update every 55 months, and Grip every 3 weeks. Most recently, miniMIDI was updated on October 7, 2026 and Grip on September 29, 2026.

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