AxeNotes vs MIDI Memos
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
AxeNotes
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Choose Chromatic to see all the Notes on the Fretboard (with sharps or flats). Choose Diatonic to see all the Major and Minor Scales from the Circle of Fifths. Hundreds of combinations! Click on any note to hear the note, show the note name, see the music notation , and find all locations of that note on a guitar.
MIDI Memos
Quickly capture musical ideas with a single tap. Record MIDI from external keyboards or the built-in on-screen piano, then instantly share clean MIDI files to your favorite DAWs. It's a streamlined tool for songwriters and musicians.
- One-tap MIDI recording
- On-screen piano keyboard
- Background recording
- Automatic take splitting
- MIDI file sharing to DAWs
- Take library with search and favorites
- Adjustable tempo and metronome
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MIDI Memos is the fastest way to capture a musical idea on your iPhone or iPad. One button, one tap, you're recording. Play your MIDI keyboard or tap the built-in on-screen piano. Tap stop. You've got a clean Standard MIDI File ready to share to GarageBand, Logic, Ableton, Cubase, or any DAW. That's it. No setup, no tracks, no menus to navigate. WHAT IT DOES • Records MIDI from any Bluetooth or USB-C MIDI keyboard, controller, or pad • Built-in on-screen piano — set the exact number of keys, slide the starting note one key at a time, and play full-width in landscape • Background recording keeps capturing while the screen is locked or you switch to another app • Optional auto-split breaks a long session into separate takes at the silences (off by default) • A quick summary after each take — see the note count, length, detected key, and tempo, then rename, favorite, or discard it on the spot • Plays back every take through a high-quality piano so you can audition immediately • Optional metronome click during recording • Adjustable tempo (40–240 BPM), embedded in every exported file so it imports at the right tempo • Share .mid files instantly via AirDrop, Files, Mail, Messages, or directly to any DAW • Take library with favorites, search, and a 30-day trash so accidental deletes are recoverable • Universal — works on iPhone and iPad • No accounts, no tracking, no ads WHO IT'S FOR • Songwriters who want to capture a melody before it slips away • Producers who need a quick MIDI sketchpad away from the studio • Pianists and keyboardists practicing on a digital piano who want to log a take • Teachers and students who want a no-friction way to record an exercise • Anyone who has ever thought "I had an idea, but by the time I opened my DAW it was gone" WHY IT'S DIFFERENT Most DAWs are powerful and complex. MIDI Memos is the opposite — a single-purpose utility that does one thing well. There is no project to create, no track to arm, no preset to pick. The big red button is the entire interface. PRIVACY Your recordings stay on your device and are never uploaded. There are no accounts and no ads. MIDI Memos sends anonymous usage analytics and crash reports so bugs get fixed; none of it is used to track you across other apps. REQUIREMENTS • iOS 18 or later • iPhone or iPad • A MIDI keyboard via Bluetooth or USB is recommended; on-screen keyboard works too
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: MIDI Memos at Free against AxeNotes's $1.99. MIDI Memos also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 11 months). AxeNotes's advantage is iOS requirement (16.2 vs 18.0). On 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
MIDI Memos is free to download; AxeNotes costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
AxeNotes ships an update every 11 months, MIDI Memos every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | AxeNotes | MIDI Memos |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 3 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 11 months | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.2 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Joseph Svantner | Mayank Sanganeria |
In-app purchases
AxeNotes
No in-app purchases
MIDI Memos
No in-app purchases









