Comparison

SessionBand Original vs ShowMIDI

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

Head to head
About

SessionBand Original

Create professional-quality music in minutes with this chord-based loop app. It converts selected chords into studio-quality audio across 71 genres, even if you have no musical experience. Build, mix, and share royalty-free tracks on the go.

Highlights
  • Chord-based audio loops
  • 71 music styles
  • Instant style flipping
  • Track builder
  • Auto-transpose
  • Mix and record tracks
  • Royalty-free music creation
Read full description

Create professional quality music in minutes with the original multi-genre version of the award-winning SessionBand – the world's only chord-based loop app. “Perfect for songwriters, producers, singers and music newbies“ 148 Apps SessionBand instantly converts the chords you select into studio-quality audio - wherever you are, whatever your level of ability and whatever your type of music. With over 80,000 chord-based audio loops created by the UK's top session musicians and producers now included as part of the download, creating your own royalty-free music is minutes away – even if you can't play a note! From cutting-edge Guetta-style Pop/Dance, to authentic Deep House, Britpop or Bluegrass. From Pop Rock to Grime, there are 71 styles to suit every taste with the SessionBand Original app and once you've created a track in one style, sit back and hear it played in all the other styles...instantly. Little wonder that SessionBand Original has reached No 1 in the paid music app rankings in 34 countries since launch. “Remarkably polished“ Forbes “Create like a master“ Engadget “This app has numerous features to make your track sound professional and stunning“ AppPicker Watch the video at sessionbandapp.com PLEASE NOTE – THE EXCLUSIVE MUSICAL CONTENT IN THIS APP IS NOT DUPLICATED IN ANY OF THE OTHER SESSIONBAND APPS. The fastest way to create studio-quality music... • Simply pick one of 71 styles • Choose your chords • Stretch or shorten loops in seconds • Build up a full track in minutes • Instantly hear your track across all the other styles! • Auto-transpose your entire track (not electronic pitch shift!) • Mix your track (manual or automated) • Adjust track tempo (+/- 15%) • Record direct to audio • Copy straight to other music apps (if you want to) • Share with the world! Unique features that revolutionise songwriting... • Create a track in one style and 'flip' it to hear it in all the other styles...instantly • Listen to your R&B track with a Reggae vibe or your Rock track in Dubstep. • Build a complete track in a few minutes with all-new 'Track Builder' • Mix, record and export your tracks in minutes Get the UK's best musicians and producers working on your songs! - Benefit from the people who record with some of the world's biggest stars including Mariah Carey, Kylie Minogue, Leona Lewis, Mel C, Van Morrison, Mark Knopfler, Sugababes and Cheryl Cole. - Over 80,000 copyright-free audio loops covering 71 diverse styles they have been created exclusively for SessionBand now included with the download. Create great sounding real music on the go... • No internet access required once the app and all the styles are downloaded • Create studio-quality music absolutely anywhere! Anyone can create and release professional tracks with SessionBand... • No musical experience required • Simple, intuitive interface allows easy chord/loop selection and manipulation • Audition loops as you go • Build a full track in minutes • Highly educational and great fun • All SessionBand loops are copyright-free so you can include them freely in your music whether it's for commercial release or not Get more for your money... - The download now includes all 71 sets of audio loops covering a wide range of styles from Acoustic, Blues and Dance all the way through to Hip Hop/Rap, Rock and Urban/R&B.

About

ShowMIDI

This application provides a real-time, glanceable view of all MIDI activity on your computer. It visualizes various MIDI messages and allows you to pause the flow for a data snapshot. It can be used as a standalone tool or an AUv3 plugin within your DAW.

Highlights
  • Real-time MIDI visualization
  • Auto-hides irrelevant messages
  • Pause and snapshot data
  • Standalone application
  • AUv3 plugin support
  • Supports MPE configuration
Features
Read full description

ShowMIDI is an open-source multi-platform GUI application to effortlessly visualize MIDI activity. Instead of wading through logs of MIDI messages to correlate relevant ones and identify what is happening, ShowMIDI visualizes the current activity and auto-hides what you don't care about anymore. It provides you with a real-time glanceable view of all MIDI activity on your computer. ShowMIDI is designed to be always on, using the spacebar or play/pause button you can pause the flow and focus on a data snapshot with the latest state of any MIDI entity. ShowMIDI can be ran as a standalone application that automatically detects all your MIDI devices, or as an AUv3 plugin in your DAW or host to visualize MIDI data in your sessions. ShowMIDI visualizes: * MIDI ports * channels * program change * note on/off * channel pressure * polyphonic pressure * continuous control change * pitchbend * RPN and NRPN * MPE configuration and channel modes ShowMIDI supports: * themes * standalone operation * AUv3 operation

Screenshots

SessionBand Original4 screens
ShowMIDI4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ShowMIDI at Free against SessionBand Original's $8.99. ShowMIDI also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.8) and review sentiment (88% vs 52%). SessionBand Original's advantage is ratings volume (87 vs 18). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

ShowMIDI is free to download; SessionBand Original costs $8.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ShowMIDI holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 87 and 18 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 52% of SessionBand Original's written reviews are positive against 88% of ShowMIDI's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
SessionBand Original versus ShowMIDI: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSessionBand OriginalShowMIDI
Price$8.99Free — better
Rating3.8 (87 ratings)4.8 (18 ratings) — better
Positive reviews51.7% of reviews87.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings87 — better18
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size1000 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUK Music Apps LtdUwyn, LLC

Customer experience

SessionBand Original

All ratings87 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral10.3%
Negative23.0%
Written reviews180 reviews
Positive51.7%
Neutral17.8%
Negative30.6%

ShowMIDI

All ratings18 ratings
Positive94.4%
Neutral5.6%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive87.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

SessionBand Original

Reported bugs

23 issues
  • App crashes when saving chord progressions
  • App crashes when editing chords
  • App crashes when adding more than one chord
  • App crashes after importing files
  • App crashes on iPhone X when returning to app
Show 18 more
  • App crashes when headphones are connected
  • App crashes frequently during normal use
  • App fails to launch after updates
  • App hangs during installation
  • Downloads randomly stop after 5-10 seconds
  • Audio distortion issues
  • Tempo not matching set BPM
  • Exported audio out of sync with metronome
  • Exported files shorter than expected
  • Lag when exporting to other DAWs like Cubasis
  • Sharp/flat buttons not responding
  • App freezes when scrolling text input
  • Loop playback doesn't match visual GUI
  • Exported audio includes muted channels
  • Audio quality degradation when changing speed
  • Timing issues when exporting
  • BPM inconsistency between app versions
  • Audiobus export sends entire mix despite muting channels

Requested features

25 requests
  • Audiobus compatibility
  • MIDI file export functionality
  • Pause/play button in edit mode
  • Real-time MIDI keyboard input support
  • Zoomed-out preview for full page view during performance
Show 20 more
  • PDF export capability
  • Slash chord support
  • Song part coloring options
  • Ability to mix and match styles between packs
  • Key change within song functionality
  • More chord variations (9ths, diminished, 6ths, etc.)
  • Batch download for all styles at once
  • Background audio playback capability
  • More jazz, funk, fusion, and pop styles
  • Melody line feature
  • Tempo and style change during song
  • Automation mode
  • Copy/paste functionality for multiple measures
  • Variations within same style
  • Ableton Link support
  • Ability to use saved chord progressions across all packs
  • More Irish/Celtic jigs and reels styles
  • Audio recording over backing tracks
  • Pinch zoom functionality
  • Scroll position marker on scroll bar

ShowMIDI

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

SessionBand Original

No in-app purchases

None

ShowMIDI

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SessionBand Original free?
SessionBand Original costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ShowMIDI free?
ShowMIDI is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SessionBand Original or ShowMIDI?
ShowMIDI is rated higher. SessionBand Original averages 3.8 out of 5 from 87 ratings, while ShowMIDI averages 4.8 from 18 ratings.
Do SessionBand Original or ShowMIDI have ads?
Neither SessionBand Original nor ShowMIDI shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SessionBand Original or ShowMIDI?
SessionBand Original ships an update every 2 months, and ShowMIDI every 2 months. Most recently, SessionBand Original was updated on October 26, 2026 and ShowMIDI on October 24, 2026.

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