# Midi Studio vs NS MIDI Player

The clearest difference is price: NS MIDI Player at Free against Midi Studio's $1.99. NS MIDI Player also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.0) and review sentiment (84% vs 64%). Midi Studio's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months) and iOS requirement (5.1.1 vs 17.5). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

NS MIDI Player is free to download; Midi Studio costs $1.99 up front. Midi Studio sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and NS MIDI Player sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

NS MIDI Player holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 65 and 196 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Midi Studio's written reviews are positive against 84% of NS MIDI Player's.

Midi Studio ships an update every 5 weeks, NS MIDI Player every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Midi Studio | NS MIDI Player |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.0 (65 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/midi-studio/id519720275/reviews) | **[4.5 (196 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ns-midi-player/id1514225088/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 65 | **196** |
| Positive reviews | 64.4% of reviews | **84.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 500 MB | 130 MB |
| Requires iOS | **5.1.1** | 17.5 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [VITALIY TARASYUK](https://appshunter.io/developer/519720278) | [Nitin Seshadri](https://appshunter.io/developer/1241696993) |

## What reviewers say

### Midi Studio

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/midi-studio/id519720275)

This app acts as a modular MIDI control surface, allowing users to remotely control software and hardware via Wi-Fi or USB. It offers various touch controls like faders, knobs, and XY pads for music production and studio setups.

**Highlights:** Modular MIDI control surface, Wi-Fi and USB connectivity, Faders, knobs, buttons, XY pads, Customizable layouts (Pro version), CoreMidi message support, Velocity sensitive keys

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Live Drums Layout | $0.99 | one-time |
| CD Player Layout | $0.99 | one-time |
| Vinyl Player Layout | $0.99 | one-time |
| Buy ready-made layout | $1.99 | one-time |
| Buy Control | $1.99 | one-time |
| DJ Mixer Layout | $1.99 | one-time |
| Buy Gold Layout | $4.99 | one-time |
| Daw Control Layouts | $4.99 | one-time |
| Buy Premium Layout | $9.99 | one-time |
| Create Custom Layouts | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎛️ Versatile MIDI controller with multiple layout options
- 🚀 Low latency wireless MIDI connection over WiFi
- 💡 Velocity-sensitive keyboards and drum pads
- 🎹 Works seamlessly with popular DAWs (Logic, Ableton, Reason, Reaper)
- 👍 Easy to set up and intuitive interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💸 Expensive in-app purchases for custom layouts ($15-$23)
- 📦 Extremely large app size (500MB+) for a MIDI controller
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
- 📚 Poor documentation and unclear setup instructions
- 🚫 No customer support or unresponsive support team

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on startup or during use
- MIDI keyboard and drum pads frequently break or become unresponsive
- Dropped MIDI events during performance
- Connectivity issues between iOS devices
- In-app purchase store causes crashes

**Requested features**

- Bluetooth MIDI support as alternative to WiFi
- MIDI learn function for easier configuration
- IAA (Inter-App Audio) or Audiobus support
- Editable drum pad layouts with half-step intervals
- Configuration profiles for switching between instruments


### NS MIDI Player

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ns-midi-player/id1514225088)

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:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Thanks | $0.99 | one-time |
| Small Tip | $1.99 | one-time |
| Medium Tip | $4.99 | one-time |
| NS MIDI Player (Full Unlock) | $7.99 | one-time |
| Large Tip | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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)

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- Playlist creation and management
- Instrument selection/replacement per channel
- Background playback with screen off
- Auto-play all files in folder
- Pitch adjustment capability


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Midi Studio free?

Midi Studio costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is NS MIDI Player free?

NS MIDI Player is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Midi Studio or NS MIDI Player?

NS MIDI Player is rated higher. Midi Studio averages 4.0 out of 5 from 65 ratings, while NS MIDI Player averages 4.5 from 196 ratings.

### Do Midi Studio or NS MIDI Player have ads?

Neither Midi Studio nor NS MIDI Player shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Midi Studio or NS MIDI Player?

Midi Studio ships an update every 5 weeks, and NS MIDI Player every 3 months. Most recently, Midi Studio was updated on September 26, 2026 and NS MIDI Player on September 22, 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.*