ULTIMIDI vs VinylScratch
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ULTIMIDI
Design custom MIDI touch control surfaces with a free-form canvas. Assign gestures, physics, and automation to faders, knobs, and more. Connect to any MIDI-capable app or hardware for a personalized music creation experience.
- Customizable MIDI touch control surfaces
- Free-form canvas for layout design
- Assign gesture bindings and automation
- Connect to MIDI apps and hardware
- Advanced control logic and routing
- Cloud saving for controller layouts
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Design custom MIDI touch control surfaces with ease. Assign gesture bindings, physics behaviors, automation, visual design, and more on the fly. ----- Make your instrument feel like YOU. ULTIMIDI lets you build your perfect controller layout on a free-form canvas. Add faders, knobs, XY pads, buttons, joysticks, step sequencers, and MUCH more, then arrange and connect them together exactly how you want. Advanced Connectivity: - Connect to any MIDI-capable app, hardware synth, DAW, or Bluetooth MIDI enabled device. (Network connectivity features coming soon!) Automation Capabilities: - Hand draw your LFO curves or instantly adjust a step sequencer. ULTIMIDI prioritizes ZERO menus when in performance mode. Set up your automation targets ahead of time, and adjust them instantly with your own UI layout. Powerful control logic: - Need that fader to push to 75% only when button A and button B are pressed at the same time? No problem. - Chain actions, build logic gates, bind global gestures, and sync them all with with an internal or external MIDI clock. - Complex routing is made simple with zero coding knowledge required. Other Goodies: - Keep multiple controller layouts locally or save them to the cloud - Cross platform capabilities - Map anything with an external MIDI controller - Loop your control devices - Show photos / video on your canvas - Much more Designed for YOU, the creative musician who wants to connect all of their gear together for ease of use in performance or studio workflows without kneeling down to the manufacturer's idea of a "convenient" layout. ----- ULTIMIDI is a growing platform empowering musicians with simple to use MIDI tools that pack a punch under the hood. Music production can be a highly technical pursuit. For some of us that's part of the enjoyment of the activity, and for others, we just want to play. ULTIMIDI seeks to find a balance between complex routing / logic behaviors, and a no-code, open canvas interface that is fun and enjoyable to use. So whether you just want a few knobs with custom emoji cursors, or you want to create a full control surface brain to connect your entire studio together, ULTIMIDI does it all. Inject your soul and creative eye into your control surface, without abandoning technical complexity. ----- ULTIMIDI is in active development, we are actively adding in new features and control devices. Any future additions to the standard version or the currently available add-on packs will be automatically applied to purchases made today. Join the touch control movement!
VinylScratch
Transform your device into a professional DJ scratch instrument. Load samples, control them with realistic vinyl physics, and shape sounds with live effects. Record and share your creations, or use it as an AUv3 plugin in your favorite music production apps.
- Realistic vinyl physics engine
- Live XY effects pad
- Cut and reverse playback
- Cue points and looping
- WAV recording and sharing
- AUv3 plugin support
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VinylScratch turns your iPhone into a real scratch instrument. Load any audio sample and control it like a record — scratch, cut, loop, cue, and shape the sound with live effects — all with your fingers on the touchscreen. Whether you're a turntablist practicing cuts without decks, a producer sketching DJ-style arrangements, or a beatmaker who wants tactile sample control — VinylScratch gives you the physics, the effects, and the workflow to do it properly. Drop in a sample, feel the vinyl, twist the FX, hit record. VINYL PHYSICS ENGINE The scratch engine models real platter mechanics. Sound accelerates and decelerates the way a record actually does, with natural spin-down when you release. • Drag on the waveform to scratch — velocity and direction tracked sample-accurately • Three inertia modes: VINYL (natural spin-down), PAGE (instant stop), OFF • Adjustable sensitivity from ultra-fine to aggressive • Multitouch scratch support on iPad LIVE FX PAD A Kaoss Pad-style XY touch surface for real-time effects. Slide your finger to shape the sound — both axes control different parameters simultaneously. • Filter — LP/HP sweep and ISO (SP-404 style isolator) • Reverb — room, hall, plate and more • Delay — time, feedback, and LP cutoff control • Distortion — bit crush and lo-fi presets • FX1 & FX2 — two configurable effect slots with custom axis mapping • HOLD — lock the effect in place after lifting your finger • Glow trail visualization on the XY pad CUT & REV • CUT — hold to mute the signal, just like a crossfader kill • REV — flips playback direction • Crossfader strip for blend control CUE POINTS & LOOP • Two cue points: CUE A and CUE B — set, jump, clear • Loop IN/OUT with toggle — keeps the region when disabled • Full waveform view with overview strip TRANSPORT & RECORDING • Play / Pause with repeat mode • Record your scratch + FX session as WAV • Share or save directly from the app • Time display with millisecond precision AUv3 PLUGIN • Load VinylScratch as an instrument in GarageBand, AUM, Audiobus, or any AUv3 host • Full UI inside the host — scratch and effects included APPEARANCE • 15 color themes • Dark interface optimized for stage and studio PRO UNLOCK One-time purchase. No subscription. Unlocks: sample loading, recording, all FX effects, FX Hold, REV CUT, crossfader, themes, and AUv3. Free version includes playback, CUT, and filter with the built-in track.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: VinylScratch at 4.0 against ULTIMIDI's 2.0. VinylScratch also leads on ratings volume (4 vs 1). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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
Both are free to download. ULTIMIDI sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and VinylScratch sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
VinylScratch holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 2.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 4 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 0% and 0% positive.
ULTIMIDI ships an update every 5 weeks, VinylScratch monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ULTIMIDI | VinylScratch |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.0 (1 ratings) | 4.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 4 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 38 MB | 15 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | Nicholas Hogan | Ivan Korablin |
Customer experience
ULTIMIDI
VinylScratch
In-app purchases
ULTIMIDI
- Performance Pack$25.00
- Stepped Controls Pack$25.00
- Automation Pack$25.00
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- Standard Upgrade$50.00
VinylScratch
- VinylScratch Pro$7.99









