Comparison

TEFview vs NS MIDI Player

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

Head to head
About

TEFview

This app lets you view, print, and play musical tablatures and various music file formats on your iOS device. It supports MIDI playback with speed control, metronome, and file management features for easy organization and sharing.

Highlights
  • View tablatures and standard notation
  • MIDI playback with speed control
  • Assign volume and MIDI instrument per track
  • Metronome and countdown timer
  • File manager with WIFI sharing
  • PDF export for printing and sharing
Features
Read full description

TEFview for iOS is an app that allows you to view, print and play tablatures created in TablEdit Tablature Editor on your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. TEFview allows you as well to view and listen to ASCII tabs, ABC tunes, MIDI, PowerTab, GuitarPro and musicXML files. Specifications: - Supported file formats: TablEdit, ASCII, ABC, MIDI, Music XML, PowerTab, GuitarPro - Tablature and/or Standard notation display, - MIDI Playback with full speed control, - Ability to assign the volume and the MIDI instrument for any track in real time, - Metronome and count down, - Embedded Help, - Emails file as attachment, - File manager. - WIFI file sharing, Files app support - Subdirectory management - Playlist - extract the compressed tef files from a zip file - pdf export: the pdf can be emailed, printed to a compatible AirPrint printer or opened in a third app,

About

NS MIDI Player

This application allows users to play MIDI files on their Apple devices. It supports various MIDI formats, custom sound fonts, and synchronized lyrics. Advanced features like audio export and MIDI output connection are available via a one-time purchase.

Highlights
  • Play standard MIDI files (.mid, .midi, .kar)
  • Support for custom SoundFonts (.sf2, .dls)
  • View time-synced lyrics
  • Connect to MIDI outputs
  • Export MIDI as audio
  • Queue multiple songs
  • Background audio and AirPlay support
Features
Read full description

NS MIDI Player is a simple MIDI player for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Features include: - Free! - No ads, subscriptions, or data collection - Play standard MIDI files (SMF) with file extensions .mid, .midi, and .kar - GM and GS standards supported with the default SoundFont - Use custom SoundFonts with file extension .sf2 or .dls - View time-synced lyrics - Connect to MIDI outputs with Core MIDI* - Export MIDI files as audio* - Queue multiple songs to be played in order* - "Open with" from other apps, such as Safari - Integrated with the Files app (iOS and iPadOS) - Supports drag-and-drop - Supports Quick Look previews - Share MIDI files directly from the app - Supports background audio and AirPlay - Lock screen and Control Center controls with scrubbing - Gapless repeat mode - Playback speed control with tap tempo - Customizable reverb - Transpose* Note: Features marked with an asterisk (*) require upgrading to the full version before they can be used. This is a one-time purchase shared across all of your devices and helps support further development. All other features are free. Included FluidR3Mono GM SoundFont is licensed under the MIT License. Included Sample MIDI file is "Hard Times" from http://www.soundswell.co.uk/pages/swmids.htm and is in the public domain. This app and its creator are not affiliated with the creators of these files in any way.

Screenshots

TEFview4 screens
NS MIDI Player2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: TEFview at none against NS MIDI Player's 5. TEFview also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.5) and iOS requirement (11.1 vs 17.5). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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. NS MIDI Player sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. TEFview asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

TEFview holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 303 and 196 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of TEFview's written reviews are positive against 84% of NS MIDI Player's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TEFview ships an update every 5 months, NS MIDI Player every 3 months. Both last shipped on September 22, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
TEFview versus NS MIDI Player: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTEFviewNS MIDI Player
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (303 ratings) — better4.5 (196 ratings)
Positive reviews91.1% of reviews — better84.4% of reviews
Number of ratings303 — better196
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS11.1 — better17.5
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB130 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTablEditNitin Seshadri

Customer experience

TEFview

All ratings303 ratings
Positive92.7%
Neutral3.6%
Negative3.6%
Written reviews190 reviews
Positive91.1%
Neutral3.2%
Negative5.8%

NS MIDI Player

All ratings196 ratings
Positive88.8%
Neutral3.6%
Negative7.7%
Written reviews90 reviews
Positive84.4%
Neutral5.6%
Negative10.0%

User reviews

TEFview

From 303 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Plays all tef files flawlessly
  • 🎶 Can change tempo for learning
  • 👍 Amazing free resource
  • 🎹 Brilliant for MIDI to Notation
  • 🎸 Great for learning new songs

Room to improve

  • 🔧 Settings for print not user-friendly
  • 🤖 Synth sounds could be improved
  • 🔍 Scrolling can be too sensitive

NS MIDI Player

From 196 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and intuitive user interface
  • 🎵 Excellent sound quality with soundfont support
  • 💰 Free version available with core functionality
  • 🎧 Custom soundfont compatibility
  • 📱 QuickLook/QuickView integration for quick previews

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezing issues
  • ⏱️ Slow loading times for large MIDI files
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • ❌ Limited free version functionality
  • 💸 Premium features behind paywall ($7.99-$22)

Bugs and requests

TEFview

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Doesn't work with files in iCloud Drive
  • Crashes when opening MIDI files

Requested features

3 requests
  • Left-handed fretboard view
  • Chord name display
  • Ability to delete downloaded files

NS MIDI Player

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • App crashes frequently during normal use
  • Settings menu causes crashes
  • Export/conversion button force closes app
  • Soundfont file picker fails to open
  • Audio initialization errors with some soundfonts
Show 9 more
  • App freezes after several minutes of use
  • Some MIDI files only play with default soundfont
  • Reverb and echo instruments play at incorrect volumes
  • App stops playing when sent to background
  • File extension case sensitivity (.mid vs .MID)
  • Large MIDI files (1.2MB+) fail to load or load extremely slowly
  • Soundfont compatibility issues with newer formats
  • Audio output issues despite correct system settings
  • App reappears on iPad after deletion from Mac

Requested features

16 requests
  • Playlist creation and management
  • Instrument selection/replacement per channel
  • Background playback with screen off
  • Auto-play all files in folder
  • Pitch adjustment capability
Show 11 more
  • MIDI file browser within app
  • Visual feedback (piano roll, notes, chords)
  • Support for additional formats (MMF, MXMF, PMD, MLD)
  • DLS level 1 support
  • Drag and drop from Finder
  • File deletion button
  • Track history/recently played list
  • Persistent soundfont loading
  • Loop sections of MIDI files
  • External control via Bluetooth
  • Batch file processing

In-app purchases

None

TEFview

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

NS MIDI Player

One-time5
  • Thanks$0.99
  • Small Tip$1.99
  • Medium Tip$4.99
Show 2 more
  • NS MIDI Player (Full Unlock)$7.99
  • Large Tip$9.99

Questions

Is TEFview free?
TEFview is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is NS MIDI Player free?
NS MIDI Player is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, TEFview or NS MIDI Player?
TEFview is rated higher. TEFview averages 4.7 out of 5 from 303 ratings, while NS MIDI Player averages 4.5 from 196 ratings.
Do TEFview or NS MIDI Player have ads?
Neither TEFview nor NS MIDI Player shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TEFview or NS MIDI Player?
TEFview ships an update every 5 months, and NS MIDI Player every 3 months. Most recently, TEFview was updated on September 22, 2026 and NS MIDI Player on September 22, 2026.

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