Comparison

midi Sampler vs Guitar by Ear

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

Head to head
About

midi Sampler

Transform your device into a powerful musical instrument sampler. Record or import sounds to create custom instruments, play live with virtual keyboards, or connect an external MIDI controller. Explore a vast library of free sound samples.

Highlights
  • Create custom instruments from single sounds
  • Receive MIDI messages from external keyboards
  • Import common audio formats (wav, mp3, caf, m4a)
  • Automatic scale generation across 8 octaves
  • Two independent multi-touch virtual keyboards
  • Free downloadable sound samples
Features
Read full description

"midi Sampler" turns your device into a sampler for professional musicians and / or DJs composers able to: - Create the entire musical instrument from a single sampled sound - Receive MIDI messages from an external MIDI keyboard and play the corresponding notes - Turn any MIDI keyboard in any musical instrument / special effect that you want The application is simple and immediate ... once started you can immediately play the musical instrument of default "GRAND PIANO" (or download, by pressing the "i" (info button) -> "SAMPLES" of "midi keyboard", and play the FREE sound samples available on website www.ngcybit.it -> "Samples Collection"). To create a new musical instrument just: 1) record only one sound / voice / special effect "note: LA" or "note: A" (using the record button of "midi Sampler") or create it using any wave editor for Mac or PC (for example: Audacity). All the common audio formats are supported by "midi Sampler": - wav - mp3 - caf - m4a - etc ... 2) import the sound recorded or created with Your hands in your device: - through synchronization (using the iTunes software for Mac or PC) - by using the "iTunes File Sharing" 3) select the sound that you have imported using the buttons "Import" and/or "Samples" of "midi Sampler": "midi Sampler" will create for you the full scale of sounds and assign them to the virtual keyboard with 8 octaves of "midi Sampler", at which point you can play live with your instrument or entertain your friends with a scale of special effects using the two independent keyboards displayed on the monitor of the device and/or using any external MIDI keyboard connected to your device via: - iRig MIDI adapter - a camera connection kit USB adapter + USB to MIDI adapter (Apple compatible - generally used to connect an external MIDI keyboard to a Mac or PC) You can also import a song from the iTunes library and by controlling "SAMPLE START POSITION" select a sound of interest by extracting it from the imported song: "midi Sampler" will automatically create the complete musical instrument. The "SAMPLE START POSITION" control can also be used to choose the exact start position of the sound sample to be played: the "SAMPLE ATTACK POSITION". With "midi Sampler" you can record or manually create the sound you want and turn your device + external MIDI keyboard in any musical instrument you want! Features: - Import any type of sound and automatic generation of the scale of sounds (8 octaves) - Ability to store an infinite number sounds using the archive of sounds ("Samples Archive") of "midi Sampler" - "Samples Collection" with many sound samples free downloadable - "General MIDI samples" FREE library downloadable from the "Samples Collection" - Two independent keyboards multi-touch (24 + 24 keys) with independent octaves control for each keyboard - Ability to receive the MIDI messages from an external MIDI keyboard / MIDI device (with independent octaves control) - Filter for the MIDI IN messages - "Bending" control to change the sound in real time - "Sample Start Position" control to remove the initial part of a sound sample (eg silence) by specifying the start time instant of the sample (AUDIO CUT FEATURE) - "Sustain Pedal" - Multi voices (up to 96) - Default "GRAND PIANO" sample - Ability of "recording" of musical patterns during live performances:     enabling the recording (using the "midi Sampler" recording button), "midi Sampler" will record (audio file) the music played by the user using the keyboard (multi-touch keyboards or external MIDI keyboard)

About

Guitar by Ear

Master the guitar by ear, regardless of your skill level. This app offers a shortcut to fluency, helping you understand chords and melodies deeply. Practice with your phone or a real guitar and see significant results in days.

Highlights
  • Learn to play by ear
  • Understand chords and melodies
  • Practice with smartphone or real guitar
  • Suitable for beginners and advanced players
  • Supports various music genres
  • Develop deep musical understanding
Features
Read full description

Either you are a complete beginner or you already learned a couple of scales, a couple of chords and your favorite solos, or even if you are a seasoned musician but you don’t feel any progress anymore… Guitar by Ear comes to rescue! Part of the revolutionary "... by Ear" series, this app sets you up for the real mastery of the instrument. It will help you learn in any genre: Pop, Rock, Indie, Blues, Jazz, Country and everything in-between! This is a pro tool for guitarists who want a shortcut to fluency on the guitar. With this tool you will be able to play the guitar it is meant to be played by ear, any melody or solo, you will gain a very deep understanding of chords and the notes they consist of and are surrounded by, they tell you all about this in lessons, but you never actually get to ingrain it. Yet this is the most important skill there is for mastering the guitar and play any music by ear. The app allows you to practice with just the smartphone or with your real guitar. This exercise might look a little bit tedious, but trust us, you will see very powerful results in your music within days of using the app. You could call it hacking the guitar. Either you are a complete beginner, or you already play for some years, you will learn to play the guitar by ear in DAYS with Guitar by Ear, something other musicians struggle for YEARS for and still not everyone gets there. You will. During the first month. How much money would you pay to obtain such a skill? Consider this your lucky day, because you are on your way for real musicianship whether it is your hobby or you want to pursue career in music, this app sets you up for the best results.

Screenshots

midi Sampler4 screens
Guitar by Ear4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Guitar by Ear at 100% against midi Sampler's 0%. Guitar by Ear also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 30 months) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 14.0). midi Sampler's advantage is price ($1.99 vs $19.99). On ads, 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

midi Sampler costs $1.99 and Guitar by Ear $19.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

midi Sampler ships an update every 30 months, Guitar by Ear monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
midi Sampler versus Guitar by Ear: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parametermidi SamplerGuitar by Ear
Price$1.99 — better$19.99
Rating2.6 (5 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 30 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB190 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGianluca NataliniOleg Sokolov

Customer experience

midi Sampler

All ratings5 ratings
Positive20.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative60.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative80.0%

Guitar by Ear

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

midi Sampler

No in-app purchases

None

Guitar by Ear

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is midi Sampler free?
midi Sampler costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Guitar by Ear free?
Guitar by Ear costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do midi Sampler or Guitar by Ear have ads?
Neither midi Sampler nor Guitar by Ear shows ads.
Which is updated more often, midi Sampler or Guitar by Ear?
midi Sampler ships an update every 30 months, and Guitar by Ear monthly. Most recently, midi Sampler was updated on November 10, 2026 and Guitar by Ear on November 15, 2026.

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