# Tabletop vs MidiQuestEssentialsi

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Tabletop at 54% against MidiQuestEssentialsi's 0%. Tabletop also leads on rating (3.3 vs 1.0) and ratings volume (85 vs 2). MidiQuestEssentialsi's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Tabletop sells 11 one-off in-app purchases and MidiQuestEssentialsi sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Tabletop holds the better App Store score, 3.3 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tabletop has 85 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of Tabletop's written reviews are positive against 0% of MidiQuestEssentialsi's.

Tabletop ships an update every 3 months, MidiQuestEssentialsi every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Tabletop | MidiQuestEssentialsi |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.3 (85 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tabletop/id436080882/reviews)** | [1.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/midiquestessentialsi/id1338670761/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **85** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | **53.9% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 1.4 GB | 52 MB |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 | **10.2** |
| Devices | iPad | iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Retronyms Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/307726643) | [Sound Quest](https://appshunter.io/developer/1271850366) |

## What reviewers say

### Tabletop

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tabletop/id436080882)

Create music with a modular studio environment. Mix and match over 40 virtual instruments, effects, and sequencers to compose songs, beats, and mashups. Expand your sound palette by purchasing additional devices.

**Highlights:** Modular music creation environment, Over 40 virtual instruments and effects, Mix and match devices, Create beats, songs, and mashups, Piano roll timeline editor, MIDI support, Share music to SoundCloud

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| EKKO | $1.99 | one-time |
| WHIRL | $2.99 | one-time |
| Verve | $2.99 | one-time |
| XFADE | $2.99 | one-time |
| TT-303 | $2.99 | one-time |
| Cueboard | $2.99 | one-time |
| GLITCHBOARD | $3.99 | one-time |
| Deadbeat | $3.99 | one-time |
| X0X Drum Deranger | $7.99 | one-time |
| RS4000 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Bundle E | $24.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful features
- 👍 Intuitive interface
- 💡 Innovative modular design
- 🎨 Versatile music creation

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- 🔋 High CPU usage
- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
- 🔇 Poor sound quality

**Reported bugs**

- Synth parameters not saving properly
- Incompatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- Unreliable audio export

**Requested features**

- MIDI support
- Improved sequencing capabilities
- More free sound modules
- Waveform editing and sample management


### MidiQuestEssentialsi

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/midiquestessentialsi/id1338670761)

This application serves as a comprehensive editor and librarian for MIDI SysEx data, supporting a vast array of popular hardware instruments. It allows users to manage and manipulate sound parameters for a wide range of synthesizers and other MIDI devices.

**Highlights:** SysEx Editor, SysEx Librarian, Supports over 900 MIDI instruments, Parameter management, Sound editing

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Dave Smith Tetra | $24.99 | one-time |
| Yamaha Reface CS | $24.99 | one-time |
| Yamaha Reface CP | $24.99 | one-time |
| TC-Helicon VoiceWorks | $29.99 | one-time |
| Roland D-50 | $39.99 | one-time |
| Waldorf Blofeld | $39.99 | one-time |
| Untergeek Matrix-6R | $39.99 | one-time |
| Dave Smith Toraiz AS-1 | $49.99 | one-time |
| Korg N364 | $54.99 | one-time |
| MQEssentials v1 All Instrument | $199.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Tabletop free?

Tabletop is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is MidiQuestEssentialsi free?

MidiQuestEssentialsi is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Tabletop or MidiQuestEssentialsi?

Tabletop is rated higher. Tabletop averages 3.3 out of 5 from 85 ratings, while MidiQuestEssentialsi averages 1.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Tabletop or MidiQuestEssentialsi have ads?

Neither Tabletop nor MidiQuestEssentialsi shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Tabletop or MidiQuestEssentialsi?

Tabletop ships an update every 3 months, and MidiQuestEssentialsi every 5 weeks. Most recently, Tabletop was updated on October 11, 2026 and MidiQuestEssentialsi on September 28, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*