Comparison

TouchOSC Mk1 vs Midi Controller

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

Head to head
About

TouchOSC Mk1

This app provides a customizable OSC and MIDI control surface for iOS devices. It allows remote control of music software and hardware, sending and receiving OSC and MIDI messages over Wi-Fi or CoreMIDI. Users can create custom layouts with various controls and utilize accelerometer data.

Highlights
  • Modular OSC and MIDI control surface
  • Send/receive OSC and MIDI messages
  • Wi-Fi and CoreMIDI support
  • Customizable touch controls
  • Accelerometer data sending
  • Free layout editor available
Features
Read full description

TouchOSC is a modular OSC and MIDI control surface for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad by hexler. It supports sending and receiving Open Sound Control and MIDI messages over Wi-Fi and CoreMIDI inter-app communication and compatible hardware. The application allows to remote control and receive feedback from software and hardware that implement the OSC or MIDI protocols such as Apple Logic Pro/Express, Ableton Live, Renoise, Pure Data, Max/MSP/Jitter, Max for Live, OSCulator, VDMX, Resolume Avenue/Arena, Modul8, Plogue Bidule, NI Traktor, NI Reaktor, Quartz Composer, Supercollider, vvvv, Isadora and many others. The interface provides a number of customizable touch controls to send and receive messages: Faders / Rotary controls / Encoder controls / Push buttons / Toggle buttons / XY pads / Multi-faders / Multi-push / Multi-toggles / Multi-xy pads / LEDs / Labels / Time & battery displays Additionally the program can send Accelerometer data. The application comes with example layouts and completely custom layouts can be constructed using the free TouchOSC Editor application. Please see https://hexler.net/touchosc for more information, video demonstrations and download the free layout editor application for macOS, Windows and Linux and the free TouchOSC Bridge utility to easily control any MIDI-capable application on your computer.

About

Midi Controller

Transform your iPhone or iPad into a versatile MIDI controller. Send notes, control changes, and program changes wirelessly or via USB to any compatible DAW or hardware. Customize your workspace with unlimited, dynamic controls.

Highlights
  • USB, WLAN, and Bluetooth connectivity
  • Customizable buttons, pads, and sliders
  • Send Notes, CC, and Program Change values
  • Works with macOS and CoreMidi compatible hardware
  • No additional software required
  • Dynamic control creation
Features
Read full description

MidiController turns your iPhone/iPad into a complete MIDI controller, that works over USB, WLAN or Bluetooth. No additional software needed! Send all possible Notes, Continuous Controller / Control Change and Program Change values to the connected device. Build your workspace from the ground up with unlimited, custom Pushes/Buttons and Sliders. All Pushes/Buttons and Sliders are completely customisable - customize every value of every control possible and how the control behaves. You can even create dynamic controls (e.g. Program Change values that count up or down). • Works with every macOS: From 10.5 (Leopard) up to the newest 10.15 (Catalina) • Works on every iPhone and iPad • Also works with external hardware (e.g. synths,...) that supports Apple (CoreMidi) • If your hardware/PC does not support CoreMidi, you can use an iPhone/iPad compatible MIDI-Interface as bridge to make MidiController work with ALL MIDI devices Works with every application that supports MIDI-Input. Example DAWs (Digital Audio Workstation): * Logic X Pro * Ableton Live * Avid Pro Tools * Propellerhead Reason * Steinberg Cubase * Cockos Reaper * and many more (in principle every application that supports midi input) ** NOTES ** • MidiController does not play any sound itself, it only sends out MIDI-Information to connected devices. • MidiController is primary created to work with macOS-Devices. If you want to use MidiController with hardware that does not support Apple CoreMidi, you might need an iPhone/iPad compatible MIDI-Interface as bridge. A MIDI interface typically connects to your iOS per lightning port and provides standard MIDI DIN ports to connect to your hardware. There are also bluetooth MIDI interfaces that connect wirelessly. • MidiController does not receive any MIDI-Information, it generates and sends them itself depending on the user-input. ______________________________________________ APP USAGE INFO & MIDI CONTROLLER SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS Should you choose to upgrade to a midi controller subscription, payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours prior to the end of the current period, and cancellation of the current active subscription period is not allowed. Auto-renewal may be turned off in your Account Settings in iTunes after purchase. You can also manage your subscriptions in Account Settings after purchase. LICENSED APPLICATION END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Midi Controller Terms of Service: https://learned-romano-d09.notion.site/Terms-Conditions-9fc801bf71f94e4cae7b31b72c7e13e3 Midi Controller Privacy Policy: https://learned-romano-d09.notion.site/Privacy-Policy-ee4011f149ac417bbedbfea3f0250a96

Screenshots

TouchOSC Mk13 screens
Midi Controller4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Midi Controller at Free against TouchOSC Mk1's $4.99. TouchOSC Mk1's advantage is review sentiment (76% vs 41%) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Midi Controller is free to download; TouchOSC Mk1 costs $4.99 up front. Midi Controller sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. TouchOSC Mk1 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.2 for TouchOSC Mk1 against 4.1 for Midi Controller. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 88 and 42 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 76% of TouchOSC Mk1's written reviews are positive against 41% of Midi Controller's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TouchOSC Mk1 ships an update every 3 months, Midi Controller every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
TouchOSC Mk1 versus Midi Controller: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTouchOSC Mk1Midi Controller
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.2 (88 ratings) — better4.1 (42 ratings)
Positive reviews76.2% of reviews — better40.9% of reviews
Number of ratings88 — better42
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 7 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS9.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHexler LLCMizo LLC

Customer experience

TouchOSC Mk1

All ratings88 ratings
Positive78.4%
Neutral3.4%
Negative18.2%
Written reviews399 reviews
Positive76.2%
Neutral6.8%
Negative17.0%

Midi Controller

All ratings42 ratings
Positive76.2%
Neutral7.1%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive40.9%
Neutral18.2%
Negative40.9%

Bugs and requests

TouchOSC Mk1

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Frequent connection drops
  • Compatibility issues with certain hardware and software
  • Crashes and freezes on some devices
  • Inconsistent behavior across different setups

Requested features

6 requests
  • Improved documentation and tutorials
  • More visual customization options
  • Better support for newer devices and OSes
  • Expanded compatibility with more DAWs and software
  • Wireless connectivity improvements
Show 1 more
  • Haptic feedback for controls

Midi Controller

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

TouchOSC Mk1

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Midi Controller

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly: MIDI Controller7 Days trial$3.991 Month
One-time1
  • Lifetime: MIDI Controller$29.99

Questions

Is TouchOSC Mk1 free?
TouchOSC Mk1 costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Midi Controller free?
Midi Controller is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, TouchOSC Mk1 or Midi Controller?
TouchOSC Mk1 is rated higher. TouchOSC Mk1 averages 4.2 out of 5 from 88 ratings, while Midi Controller averages 4.1 from 42 ratings.
Do TouchOSC Mk1 or Midi Controller have ads?
Neither TouchOSC Mk1 nor Midi Controller shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TouchOSC Mk1 or Midi Controller?
TouchOSC Mk1 ships an update every 3 months, and Midi Controller every 7 months. Most recently, TouchOSC Mk1 was updated on October 15, 2026 and Midi Controller on October 8, 2026.

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