Comparison

MIDI Scribe vs Tonkro

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

Head to head
About

MIDI Scribe

This app automatically records practice sessions from MIDI instruments, segmenting takes by breaks or specific MIDI commands. Review and organize your recordings with a piano roll, star favorites, and export them as MIDI files. It prioritizes user privacy with no ads or data collection.

Highlights
  • Automatic take capture
  • Configurable idle time for new takes
  • Manual take control via MIDI commands
  • Piano roll for reviewing takes
  • Starring favorite takes
  • Configurable retention policy for unstarred takes
  • Export as MIDI files
Read full description

MIDI Scribe is a free productivity app for capturing and organizing practice takes from your MIDI-capable musical instrument. Run it while you practice, and it will automatically start new takes after every session break, with a configurable auto-take idle time, as well as support for specific MIDI commands (such as a middle or left piano pedal press) to manually start and end takes. A piano roll is provided to review and scrub individual takes. Star the takes that you want to keep indefinitely, while unstarred takes are cleaned up over time based on a configurable retention policy. All takes can be exported as MIDI files for use in other programs. MIDI Scribe is completely private. Connect your instrument, capture your takes, and keep everything securely on your device . No ads, no analytics, no snooping on your usage, and nothing ever leaves your device unless you export it. MIDI Scribe is completely free and open source for you to enjoy.

About

Tonkro

Features
Read full description

MAKE MUSIC BY TOUCHING THE MACHINE Tonkro is a playful music workstation for iPad: part synthesizer, sampler, drum machine, sequencer, recorder, editor, mixer, and DJ performance space. SHAPE ORIGINAL INSTRUMENTS Explore distinctive synth and drum engines through four expressive controls. Each workshop is built to feel immediate: touch the illustrated machinery, hear the result, and let the characters react to your performance. SAMPLE THE WORLD Record through the microphone or import audio. Play one sound chromatically, divide it into untransposed slices, or map multiple samples across keys and pads. Trim, crop, loop, reverse, fade, change speed, transpose, and preserve the original recording with non-destructive editing. FIND RHYTHMS YOUR WAY Seven sequencer personalities turn taps, held notes, patterns, gestures, and playful systems into musical motion. Tempo, transport, MIDI, and recording stay connected, so a sketch can become an arrangement without breaking the flow. RECORD AND ARRANGE Build with eight stereo tracks. Record audio or notes, edit clips and piano-roll performances, overdub, punch, loop, lift, drop, mix, export stems, and save portable project bundles. PERFORM WITH MONSTER DECKS Load two tracks, set beat grids, sync, use key lock, cue points, hot cues, quantized loops, EQ, filters, pitch bend, and the crossfader. Record the performance or print it directly into the tape arrangement. MADE FOR PLAY Tonkro keeps its creative tools visible, touchable, and full of character. It works without an account, advertising, or third-party analytics. Your projects, recordings, and imported samples remain on your iPad unless you choose to export or share them.

Screenshots

MIDI Scribe4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: MIDI Scribe at 3 against Tonkro's 1. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
MIDI Scribe versus Tonkro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMIDI ScribeTonkro
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPad
Requires iOS18.618.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size39 MB48 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJames RansonBipasha Nayak

In-app purchases

None

MIDI Scribe

No in-app purchases

None

Tonkro

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MIDI Scribe free?
MIDI Scribe is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tonkro free?
Tonkro is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do MIDI Scribe or Tonkro have ads?
Neither MIDI Scribe nor Tonkro shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MIDI Scribe or Tonkro?
MIDI Scribe ships an update every 3 weeks, and Tonkro every 3 weeks. Most recently, MIDI Scribe was updated on October 31, 2026 and Tonkro on October 31, 2026.

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