Comparison

ShowMIDI vs VinylCheck

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Real-time MIDI visualization
  • Auto-hides irrelevant messages
  • Pause and snapshot data
  • Standalone application
  • AUv3 plugin support
  • Supports MPE configuration
Features
Read full description

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

About

VinylCheck

Features
Read full description

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

ShowMIDI4 screens
VinylCheck4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

ShowMIDI is free to download; VinylCheck costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
ShowMIDI versus VinylCheck: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShowMIDIVinylCheck
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating4.8 (18 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews87.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings18 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUwyn, LLCWilliam Chatham

In-app purchases

None

ShowMIDI

No in-app purchases

None

VinylCheck

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ShowMIDI free?
ShowMIDI is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is VinylCheck free?
VinylCheck costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do ShowMIDI or VinylCheck have ads?
Neither ShowMIDI nor VinylCheck shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ShowMIDI or VinylCheck?
ShowMIDI ships an update every 2 months, and VinylCheck every 2 months. Most recently, ShowMIDI was updated on October 17, 2026 and VinylCheck on October 11, 2026.

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