Midi Poly Grid vs PartyKeys Glow
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Midi Poly Grid
This app functions solely as a MIDI controller, requiring a host application or DAW to produce sound. It offers intuitive pad controls for melodies and finger drumming, with advanced modulation options like MPE and polyphonic aftertouch. Connect virtually or via USB/Bluetooth to other devices and DAWs.
- Size-adjustable grid of pads
- MPE and polyphonic aftertouch modulation
- Custom grid creation
- Virtual MIDI connection
- Preset saving
- Multiple layouts and colors
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# Midi Poly Grid This App is Open Source. Access the code here: https://github.com/anzbert/beat_pads ## Important Disclaimer This App is **ONLY** usable as a Midi Controller. It does **NOT** produce any sound on its own and requires a host application or a second device with a DAW or other sound production app. ## Information Midi Poly Grid is a lightweight Midi Controller app for mobile phones and tablets for melodies and finger drumming at home and on the go. Connections can be made virtually to other apps via platform midi channels, or via USB or Bluetooth Midi to other devices. This app aims to be an easy-to-use pad input device featuring a variety of layouts, intuitive playability and modern modulation options, such as MPE and Polyphonic Aftertouch. It was designed for people that prefer pads to pianos! The focus of this app is not to be a jack-of-all-trades Midi swiss army knife, but instead to be a great at one thing: Intuitive and versatile pad controls. ## Features - A size-adjustable grid of pads for finger drumming and melody input - Various layouts and colors, inspired by the Ableton Push - Presets can be saved with different pad setups - Innovative MPE and polyphonic Aftertouch modulation with graphical feedback - Push Style MPE pitchbend and slide - Send Velocity by Y position on pad, randomly or with a fixed value - Usable as a standard MIDI device with any PC, Mac or other USB or Bluetooth device - Optional controls, such as Pitch Bend, Mod Wheel and Sustain - Highligh a large number of musical scales - Receives Midi Notes, making the pads usable like a Launchpad - Custom grid creation based on the note intervals on the X and Y Axis to create Grids inspired by the Harmonic Table, Wicki Hayden, MidiMech and others - Supports virtual Midi connection to other apps on your device - Built-In support for the popular finger drumming courses from XpressPads.com - And more... ## Feedback and Contributions Anyone is most welcome to contribute, report an issue or start a discussion in the Github repository. Thanks! ## Licence Licenced under GPL3. The code in this project is freely usable in any other open source project. Enjoy! ## iOS Specific Information Can be used with any Mac via USB, Bluetooth Midi or WiFi. Usage with PC is limited to WiFi with free third-party software (rtpMidi), and USB with third-party USB midi connectors, due to Apple's limited implementation of USB Midi on iOS. AUv3 is unfortunately not supported at this time, as it is currently impossible with Flutter. More info about that here: https://github.com/flutter/flutter/issues/16092
PartyKeys Glow
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Turn music theory into color. PartyKeys Glow lights up the keys of your PartyKeys keyboard so you can see scales and chords as colors — right while you compose. Add PartyKeys Glow to any track in GarageBand as an Audio Unit. Pick a root note and a scale or chord, tap Light, and the matching keys glow in the exact colors your music maps to. Tap Clear to turn them off. Perfect for kids and beginners learning to play and compose — see the notes light up instead of memorizing them. • See any scale or chord as color on your real keyboard • 12 root notes, plus major, minor, modes and 12 chord types • Works as an Audio Unit inside your favorite music apps • Connects over Bluetooth MIDI • A transparent effect — it never changes your track's sound Requires a PartyKeys 36 keyboard connected over Bluetooth MIDI.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: PartyKeys Glow at Free against Midi Poly Grid's $3.99. PartyKeys Glow also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 11 days). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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
PartyKeys Glow is free to download; Midi Poly Grid costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Midi Poly Grid ships an update every 11 days, PartyKeys Glow daily. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Midi Poly Grid | PartyKeys Glow |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (8 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 8 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 11 days | Daily — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 24 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Andreas Mueller | Beijing Visual & Sense Technology Co., Ltd. |
In-app purchases
Midi Poly Grid
No in-app purchases
PartyKeys Glow
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Midi Poly Grid free?
Is PartyKeys Glow free?
Do Midi Poly Grid or PartyKeys Glow have ads?
Which is updated more often, Midi Poly Grid or PartyKeys Glow?
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