# Midi Studio vs Knob Lab

The clearest difference is price: Knob Lab at Free against Midi Studio's $1.99. Knob Lab also leads on rating (4.3 vs 4.0) and review sentiment (85% vs 64%). Midi Studio's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (65 vs 12). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Knob Lab is free to download; Midi Studio costs $1.99 up front. Midi Studio sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Knob Lab sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Knob Lab holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Midi Studio has 65 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Midi Studio's written reviews are positive against 85% of Knob Lab's.

Midi Studio ships an update every 5 weeks, Knob Lab every 5 months. Both last shipped on October 13, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Midi Studio | Knob Lab |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.0 (65 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/midi-studio/id519720275/reviews) | **[4.3 (12 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/knob-lab/id727466234/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **65** | 12 |
| Positive reviews | 64.4% of reviews | **84.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 500 MB | 66 MB |
| Requires iOS | **5.1.1** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [VITALIY TARASYUK](https://appshunter.io/developer/519720278) | [Uri Nachmias](https://appshunter.io/developer/316332139) |

## 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


### Knob Lab

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/knob-lab/id727466234)

This application transforms your iOS device into a versatile MIDI controller. It allows you to manage various DAWs and music software remotely via USB, WiFi, or Bluetooth. Create intricate control setups with a single rotary knob, affecting multiple MIDI destinations simultaneously.

**Highlights:** Remote DAW control, USB, WiFi, Bluetooth connectivity, Virtual MIDI support, Audiobus integration, Complex control mapping, iPad support, MIDI logger

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Two Knob Layout | $0.99 | one-time |
| Four/Six Knob Layout | $0.99 | one-time |
| Nine/Twelve knob layout. | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlock all layouts | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Midi Studio free?

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

### Is Knob Lab free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Midi Studio or Knob Lab?

Knob Lab is rated higher. Midi Studio averages 4.0 out of 5 from 65 ratings, while Knob Lab averages 4.3 from 12 ratings.

### Do Midi Studio or Knob Lab have ads?

Neither Midi Studio nor Knob Lab shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Midi Studio or Knob Lab?

Midi Studio ships an update every 5 weeks, and Knob Lab every 5 months. Most recently, Midi Studio was updated on October 13, 2026 and Knob Lab on October 13, 2026.

---

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