iMIDIPatchbay vs Midi Controller
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
iMIDIPatchbay
Organize your entire MIDI setup from a central point. Easily create split and layer configurations, send program changes, and filter controller data for external sound devices. Store and recall configurations as songs, and manage setlists for performances.
- Create split and layer configurations
- Send Program Changes and control changes
- Transpose sounds and rig
- Filter controller data
- Store and recall configurations as songs
- Create setlists for performances
- Link PDF documents to songs
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iMIDIPatchbay lets you organize your whole MIDI setup from one central point. Do you often divide your keyboards into zones to assign different sounds which might come from external sound expanders? Do you need to send Program Changes to your MIDI equipment? Do you want to integrate your music making apps into your live gear? Well, then iMIDIPatchbay is definitely the right tool for you! LIST OF FEATURES - Create split and layer configurations very easily - Support for up to 4 master keyboards (In-App Purchase) - Send volume and other control changes (reverb, chorus, pan) to your sound devices - Send Program Changes to your sound devices - Transpose sounds in octave steps - Transpose the hole rig in half-tone steps - Filter controller data (sustain, pitch-bend, modulation, expression, aftertouch) - Store configurations as songs for later recall - Switch song of iMIDIPatchbay from another app or MIDI device via Program Changes - Switch songs while holding down keys or holding e.g. the sustain pedal without getting stuck notes - Play all your sounds even if you don't have all your master keyboards with you: "master switches" allow you to make another master act as a substitute for it (advanced feature!) - Create setlists to arrange songs for your performances (In-App Purchase) - Link multiple PDF documents (e.g. sheet music or notes) from Dropbox to each song (In-App Purchase) - Backup settings to Dropbox - UI which is optimized for live usage WHAT EXACTLY CAN I DO WITH iMIDIPatchbay? As a keyboard player, you most probably know about splitting and layering sounds. While this can be done relatively easy on professional keyboards, it becomes more complex if your gear consists of multiple keyboards and sound expanders. iMIDIPatchbay makes building such configurations a lot easier than it has ever been before. After connecting your keyboards and other MIDI devices to the iPad, you can easily create split zones and assign sounds of your MIDI devices to them. It's also possible to route the MIDI data to other apps if they have a virtual MIDI port. Furthermore, you can filter out controllers which is great if you want e.g. pitch bend or sustain to affect only a subset of the active sounds. WHAT DO I NEED TO GET STARTED? You need a CoreMIDI interface to connect your keyboards and sound expanders to the iPad. WHERE CAN I LEARN MORE? Go to iMIDIPatchbay's website in order to find a more detailed description of the app. If you encounter problems, please let me help you (you find the mail address on the website and on the info screen within the app). Please note that there is no way to respond to you if you post a review on the App Store instead. Always email me first! If you like the app, let others know by submitting a good review on the App Store. And feel free to send me suggestions for further releases.
Midi Controller
Transform your iPhone or iPad into a versatile MIDI controller. Send notes, control changes, and program changes wirelessly or via USB to any compatible DAW or hardware. Customize your workspace with unlimited, dynamic controls.
- USB, WLAN, and Bluetooth connectivity
- Customizable buttons, pads, and sliders
- Send Notes, CC, and Program Change values
- Works with macOS and CoreMidi compatible hardware
- No additional software required
- Dynamic control creation
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MidiController turns your iPhone/iPad into a complete MIDI controller, that works over USB, WLAN or Bluetooth. No additional software needed! Send all possible Notes, Continuous Controller / Control Change and Program Change values to the connected device. Build your workspace from the ground up with unlimited, custom Pushes/Buttons and Sliders. All Pushes/Buttons and Sliders are completely customisable - customize every value of every control possible and how the control behaves. You can even create dynamic controls (e.g. Program Change values that count up or down). • Works with every macOS: From 10.5 (Leopard) up to the newest 10.15 (Catalina) • Works on every iPhone and iPad • Also works with external hardware (e.g. synths,...) that supports Apple (CoreMidi) • If your hardware/PC does not support CoreMidi, you can use an iPhone/iPad compatible MIDI-Interface as bridge to make MidiController work with ALL MIDI devices Works with every application that supports MIDI-Input. Example DAWs (Digital Audio Workstation): * Logic X Pro * Ableton Live * Avid Pro Tools * Propellerhead Reason * Steinberg Cubase * Cockos Reaper * and many more (in principle every application that supports midi input) ** NOTES ** • MidiController does not play any sound itself, it only sends out MIDI-Information to connected devices. • MidiController is primary created to work with macOS-Devices. If you want to use MidiController with hardware that does not support Apple CoreMidi, you might need an iPhone/iPad compatible MIDI-Interface as bridge. A MIDI interface typically connects to your iOS per lightning port and provides standard MIDI DIN ports to connect to your hardware. There are also bluetooth MIDI interfaces that connect wirelessly. • MidiController does not receive any MIDI-Information, it generates and sends them itself depending on the user-input. ______________________________________________ APP USAGE INFO & MIDI CONTROLLER SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS Should you choose to upgrade to a midi controller subscription, payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours prior to the end of the current period, and cancellation of the current active subscription period is not allowed. Auto-renewal may be turned off in your Account Settings in iTunes after purchase. You can also manage your subscriptions in Account Settings after purchase. LICENSED APPLICATION END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Midi Controller Terms of Service: https://learned-romano-d09.notion.site/Terms-Conditions-9fc801bf71f94e4cae7b31b72c7e13e3 Midi Controller Privacy Policy: https://learned-romano-d09.notion.site/Privacy-Policy-ee4011f149ac417bbedbfea3f0250a96
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Midi Controller at Free against iMIDIPatchbay's $14.99. iMIDIPatchbay's advantage is review sentiment (67% vs 41%) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 7 months). On rating, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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
Midi Controller is free to download; iMIDIPatchbay costs $14.99 up front. iMIDIPatchbay sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Midi Controller sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.2 for iMIDIPatchbay against 4.1 for Midi Controller. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 18 and 42 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 67% of iMIDIPatchbay's written reviews are positive against 41% of Midi Controller's.
iMIDIPatchbay ships an update every 2 months, Midi Controller every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | iMIDIPatchbay | Midi Controller |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $14.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.2 (18 ratings) — better | 4.1 (42 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 67.2% of reviews — better | 40.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 18 | 42 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 7 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 17 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Johannes Doerr | Mizo LLC |
Customer experience
iMIDIPatchbay
Midi Controller
In-app purchases
iMIDIPatchbay
- Multiple masters$9.99
- Setlists$9.99
Midi Controller
- Monthly: MIDI Controller7 Days trial$3.991 Month
- Lifetime: MIDI Controller$29.99
Questions
Is iMIDIPatchbay free?
Is Midi Controller free?
Which has better reviews, iMIDIPatchbay or Midi Controller?
Do iMIDIPatchbay or Midi Controller have ads?
Which is updated more often, iMIDIPatchbay or Midi Controller?
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