Comparison

iMIDIPatchbay vs Minute Chords

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Minute Chords

This app helps you practice and improve your chord transitions. Track your progress by timing how many chord changes you can make in one minute and aim to beat your personal best. It's designed to make learning guitar chords faster and more efficient.

Highlights
  • Chord transition timing
  • Score tracking
  • Progress monitoring
  • Clear chord sound guidance
  • Finger movement optimization
Features
Read full description

Minute Chords is the fastest way to build smooth, confident chord changes on guitar. The #1 skill bottleneck for beginner and intermediate players is slow chord transitions. Minute Chords fixes that with focused, timed practice — one minute per chord pair, tracked and scored. HOW IT WORKS • App shows two random chords to switch between • You get one minute — change chords as many times as you can • Your score is recorded so you can track improvement over time • Repeat daily for rapid, measurable progress CHORD LIBRARY (full version) A, Am, A7, B, Bm, B7, C, D, Dm, D7, E, Em, F, F easy, F bar, G, G v2 — 17 essential chords covering everything a beginner and intermediate player needs. WHY IT WORKS Deliberate practice with a timer forces you to stay focused. Seeing your score improve each session keeps you motivated. Most players see noticeable improvement within a week of daily practice. PERFECT FOR • Complete beginners learning their first open chords • Intermediate players cleaning up transitions • Anyone who wants to build muscle memory fast • Daily warm-up before band practice or lessons Free version includes the 6 most essential beginner chords. Upgrade once to unlock all 17 chords — no subscription, no ongoing fees.

Screenshots

iMIDIPatchbay4 screens
Minute Chords3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Minute Chords at Free against iMIDIPatchbay's $14.99. Minute Chords also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 67%). iMIDIPatchbay's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.6). On update cadence, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

Minute Chords is free to download; iMIDIPatchbay costs $14.99 up front. iMIDIPatchbay sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Minute Chords sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
iMIDIPatchbay versus Minute Chords: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriMIDIPatchbayMinute Chords
Price$14.99Free — better
Rating4.2 (18 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews67.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings18 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJohannes DoerrGerard Grundy

Customer experience

iMIDIPatchbay

All ratings18 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral11.1%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews67 reviews
Positive67.2%
Neutral9.0%
Negative23.9%

Minute Chords

Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

iMIDIPatchbay

One-time2
  • Multiple masters$9.99
  • Setlists$9.99
5 purchases

Minute Chords

One-time5
  • Manual Chord Picker$0.99
  • Remove Adds$0.99
  • Tip / Support development$0.99
Show 2 more
  • Large Coffee$9.99
  • Extra Support$99.99

Questions

Is iMIDIPatchbay free?
iMIDIPatchbay costs $14.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Minute Chords free?
Minute Chords is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do iMIDIPatchbay or Minute Chords have ads?
Minute Chords shows ads; iMIDIPatchbay does not.
Which is updated more often, iMIDIPatchbay or Minute Chords?
iMIDIPatchbay ships an update every 2 months, and Minute Chords every 2 months. Most recently, iMIDIPatchbay was updated on September 19, 2026 and Minute Chords on September 18, 2026.

Other comparisons