Comparison

midiOS vs PartyKeys Glow

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

Head to head
About

midiOS

Features
Read full description

Before installing, visit midios.app/setup for setup instructions. midiOS is a new kind of instrument. Transform your iPhone into an expressive MIDI instrument with advanced harmony, multidimensional performance control, and deep DAW integration. Play notes, chords, scales, arpeggios, modulation, and complete live performances from the device you already carry. With Offline Play, midiOS becomes a self-contained instrument. Choose from built-in sounds, create an instrument rack, record or import personal samples, and capture performances in Offline LiveGridβ€”without a Mac, DAW, account, or network connection. Designed for musicians, midiOS opens ready to perform. Tap pads to play notes, chords, and scales. Change keys, modes, voicings, and tonal centers without interrupting your flow. Swipe across pads to explore inversions, chord qualities, suspensions, secondary dominants, chromatic movement, and harmonic variations. Every gesture can become musical. Shape your performance with multi-touch, directional gestures, device motion, aftertouch, pitch movement, XY pads, sliders, knobs, and macros. Optional facial controls let head and expression movements influence harmony, modulation, register, and other performance destinations in real time. Performance Modes transform these inputs into coordinated musical systems. Intelligent voice leading keeps chords connected, expressive harmony controls create fluid transitions, and synchronized arpeggiation follows your DAW’s tempo and phase without restarting the pattern. Built-in modes provide focused setups for piano performance, harmony exploration, musical learning, generative flow, and Ableton control, while Custom Mode lets you create your own instrument. Save complete instruments and performance setups in the Layout Library, then switch between them quickly. Discover and install compatible instruments through the midiOS Marketplace, or transfer your own layouts securely between midiOS and the midiOS Bridge. Using the free midiOS Bridge for Mac, connect over USB or Wi-Fi for a fast, authenticated MIDI connection to your computer. midiOS works with MIDI-compatible software and offers deep Ableton Live integration, including clip and scene launching, transport, session navigation, mixer controls, macros, and real-time visual feedback on your iPhone. Rotate your device to enter LiveGrid and transform your iPhone into a live performance controller. Launch clips and scenes, navigate your session, control transport, and manage your performance from across the stage or studio. Built for live performance, midiOS combines responsive MIDI, intelligent harmony, stable note ownership, fast layout switching, haptic feedback, visual feedback, and automatic reconnection in a workflow designed to keep you focused on making music. Most MIDI apps give you buttons. midiOS gives you an instrument that responds to how you play. Learn more at midios.app.

About

PartyKeys Glow

Features
Read full description

Turn music theory into color. PartyKeys Glow lights up the keys of your PartyKeys keyboard so you can see scales and chords as colors β€” right while you compose. Add PartyKeys Glow to any track in GarageBand as an Audio Unit. Pick a root note and a scale or chord, tap Light, and the matching keys glow in the exact colors your music maps to. Tap Clear to turn them off. Perfect for kids and beginners learning to play and compose β€” see the notes light up instead of memorizing them. β€’ See any scale or chord as color on your real keyboard β€’ 12 root notes, plus major, minor, modes and 12 chord types β€’ Works as an Audio Unit inside your favorite music apps β€’ Connects over Bluetooth MIDI β€’ A transparent effect β€” it never changes your track's sound Requires a PartyKeys 36 keyboard connected over Bluetooth MIDI.

Screenshots

midiOS4 screens
PartyKeys Glow4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: PartyKeys Glow at Free against midiOS's $24.99. PartyKeys Glow also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 3 days) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

PartyKeys Glow is free to download; midiOS costs $24.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

midiOS ships an update every 3 days, PartyKeys Glow daily. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Β· 3 level
midiOS versus PartyKeys Glow: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametermidiOSPartyKeys Glow
Price$24.99Free β€” better
Update frequencyEvery 3 daysDaily β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad β€” better
Requires iOS26.016.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size341 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerjason merrillBeijing Visual & Sense Technology Co., Ltd.

In-app purchases

None

midiOS

No in-app purchases

None

PartyKeys Glow

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is midiOS free?
midiOS costs $24.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is PartyKeys Glow free?
PartyKeys Glow is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do midiOS or PartyKeys Glow have ads?
Neither midiOS nor PartyKeys Glow shows ads.
Which is updated more often, midiOS or PartyKeys Glow?
midiOS ships an update every 3 days, and PartyKeys Glow daily. Most recently, midiOS was updated on October 9, 2026 and PartyKeys Glow on October 8, 2026.

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