# ShowMIDI vs Side Stage Audio Tools

The clearest difference is price: ShowMIDI at Free against Side Stage Audio Tools's $14.99. ShowMIDI also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.1). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

ShowMIDI is free to download; Side Stage Audio Tools costs $14.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ShowMIDI ships an update every 2 months, Side Stage Audio Tools every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ShowMIDI | Side Stage Audio Tools |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $14.99 |
| Rating | **[4.8 (18 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/showmidi/id6472608850/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **18** | — |
| Positive reviews | 87.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 8 MB | 35 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Uwyn, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/597132109) | [Peter Fealey](https://appshunter.io/developer/1737456598) |

## What reviewers say

### ShowMIDI

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/showmidi/id6472608850)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Side Stage Audio Tools

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/side-stage-audio-tools/id6758391796)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ShowMIDI free?

ShowMIDI is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Side Stage Audio Tools free?

Side Stage Audio Tools costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Do ShowMIDI or Side Stage Audio Tools have ads?

Neither ShowMIDI nor Side Stage Audio Tools shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ShowMIDI or Side Stage Audio Tools?

ShowMIDI ships an update every 2 months, and Side Stage Audio Tools every 4 months. Most recently, ShowMIDI was updated on November 4, 2026 and Side Stage Audio Tools on November 5, 2026.

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