ShowMIDI vs VinylCheck
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Real-time MIDI visualization
- Auto-hides irrelevant messages
- Pause and snapshot data
- Standalone application
- AUv3 plugin support
- Supports MPE configuration
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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
VinylCheck
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At the record store wondering "Do I already own this?" Digging through crates at the record convention and feeling paranoid about opening up Discogs on your phone? VinylCheck instantly helps you search your collection to see if you own something, and which version it is. Scan a barcode or search by artist and album to check your Discogs collection and wantlist in seconds. Avoid the awkward gaze of record store owners who don’t like customers using Discogs while shopping (it happens). SCAN BARCODES Point your camera at any record's barcode for instant lookup. Works with UPC and EAN codes. CHECK YOUR COLLECTION See immediately whether you own it, want it, or haven't logged it. Color-coded badges make status clear at a glance. SEE PRICING View Discogs marketplace pricing — low, median, and high — to know if you're getting a fair deal. SEARCH MANUALLY No barcode? Search by artist or album title. Results group different pressings so you can find the exact version. MANAGE YOUR WANTLIST Add or remove records from your Discogs wantlist directly from search results. WORKS OFFLINE Your collection syncs locally, so you can check ownership even without signal in a basement record shop. This app requires a free Discogs account.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: ShowMIDI at Free against VinylCheck's $0.99. ShowMIDI also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). 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
ShowMIDI is free to download; VinylCheck costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ShowMIDI | VinylCheck |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.99 |
| Rating | 4.8 (18 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 87.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 18 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Uwyn, LLC | William Chatham |
In-app purchases
ShowMIDI
No in-app purchases
VinylCheck
No in-app purchases









