miniMIDI vs KeyPad MIDI Controller
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Wired or wireless MIDI connection
- 16 customizable pads
- Velocity-adjustable keyboard
- Logic Pro X and GarageBand integration
- Pad and Keyboard modes
Read full descriptionHide 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.
KeyPad MIDI Controller
Transform your device into a professional MIDI controller with touch-optimized piano keys, drum pads, and performance controls. It supports SFZ, SF2, WAV, and M4A samples, and can control iOS apps, hardware synths, and Mac software wirelessly or wired.
- Touch-optimized piano keyboard
- 9-pad drum grid
- XY performance pad
- Built-in sound engine (SF2, SFZ, WAV, M4A)
- AUv3 plugin support
- Network MIDI for Mac control
- Aftertouch and MPE expression
Read full descriptionHide full description
Transform your iPad or iPhone into a professional MIDI controller with a touch-optimized piano keyboard, isomorphic grid, drum pads, and XY performance controls. Control iOS apps, hardware synths, and Mac software wirelessly or wired, as a standalone app or an AUv3 plugin in your favorite DAW. Perfect for mobile producers, live performers, beat makers, and sound designers. CORE FEATURES • Built-in sound engine for SF2, SFZ, WAV, and M4A. • Piano keyboard, isomorphic grid, 9-pad drum grid, and XY performance pad. • Scale mode with 12 scales and any root key, on both piano and grid. • Aftertouch and MPE with Mono AT, Poly AT, and XY MPE modes. • Aftertouch and Mod Wheel remapping to any MIDI CC or Pitch Bend. • Velocity, Pitch Bend, and Modulation faders, plus a latching sustain button. • AUv3 plugin for GarageBand, AUM, Cubasis, BeatMaker, and Drambo. • Network MIDI, OSC output, and 16 MIDI channels + Omni. • Adaptive interface for all iPad and iPhone sizes. VIEW MODES Switch between five layouts from the View menu: Piano: a familiar 2-octave keyboard with height-based velocity. Grid: Isomorphic: every row and column keeps the same interval, so chords and scales have one shape anywhere. Grid: 2 Rows: a piano-style pair of rows, naturals below, sharps above. Grid: Minor Thirds: columns step up by 3 semitones, rows move chromatically. Grid: Big Piano: large naturals with quarter-size sharps. Your view, layout, and root note persist across sessions. SCALE MODE Choose from 12 scales - Major, Natural Minor, Harmonic Minor, Melodic Minor, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Locrian, Pentatonic Major, Pentatonic Minor, Blues, and Whole Tone - in any of the 12 root keys. On the grid, cells remap so only in-scale notes are laid out, putting every note under your fingers. On the piano, the keyboard keeps its familiar shape - the black and white pattern is how you find your place without looking. Rather than move notes around, out-of-scale keys dim and stop responding to touch, so only the keys in your key are labelled and playable. Wrong notes are simply out of reach. Switch back to Chromatic anytime for the full keyboard. GRID EXPRESSION Every grid layout includes a dedicated mod-wheel row. A vibrant gradient highlights roots and notes, optional labels show note names, and per-note MPE with pitch bend gives each finger independent control. BUILT-IN SOUND ENGINE Play sounds directly without any external app. Load SF2 SoundFonts with multi-preset selection, or import SFZ, WAV, and M4A samples. The low-CPU engine maps samples across the keyboard automatically, and sound files persist across sessions. AFTERTOUCH & MPE EXPRESSION Add expressive depth with four aftertouch modes. Mono AT applies uniform pressure across chords, Poly AT sends independent pressure per note, and XY MPE allocates per-note MIDI channels (2-16) with Y on CC74 and X on Pitch Bend. Remap aftertouch or mod wheel to any MIDI CC or Pitch Wheel. A green gradient on pressed keys shows pressure in real time. CONNECT TO YOUR MAC Control Logic Pro, Ableton Live, or any Mac music software from your iPad or iPhone. Connect wirelessly over your local network with Bonjour, or plug in via USB for a rock-solid, zero-latency link. STANDALONE OR AUV3 Load KeyPad inside GarageBand, AUM, Cubasis, BeatMaker, Drambo, or any AUv3 host to play your instruments without switching apps, with settings saved in your project. Or run it standalone to drive hardware synths, route MIDI to other iOS apps, or control your Mac. TOUCH-OPTIMIZED PERFORMANCE Height-Based Velocity: Touch keys at different vertical positions for dynamic velocity, with three curves to shape the response. XY Performance Pad: Control two parameters at once with multi-touch. Assign any MIDI CC to each axis for filter sweeps, effect morphing, or live sound manipulation. Smart Layout: Scales to the window, keeping the full layout with controls and pads on iPhone, iPad, Split View, and AUv3 plugin.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: KeyPad MIDI Controller at every 3 days against miniMIDI's every 55 months. KeyPad MIDI Controller also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and ratings volume (14 vs 4). On price, rating, review sentiment 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for miniMIDI against 4.9 for KeyPad MIDI Controller. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 14 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
miniMIDI ships an update every 55 months, KeyPad MIDI Controller every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | miniMIDI | KeyPad MIDI Controller |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better | 4.9 (14 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 14 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 55 months | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jack Edmonds | DiscoDSP LLC |
Customer experience
miniMIDI
KeyPad MIDI Controller
In-app purchases
miniMIDI
No in-app purchases
KeyPad MIDI Controller
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is miniMIDI free?
Is KeyPad MIDI Controller free?
Which has better reviews, miniMIDI or KeyPad MIDI Controller?
Do miniMIDI or KeyPad MIDI Controller have ads?
Which is updated more often, miniMIDI or KeyPad MIDI Controller?
Other comparisons















