Comparison

PatchLens vs J.J.Midnight AUv3 Plugin

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

Head to head
About

PatchLens

Features
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Save synth and pedal settings from a photo, then add editable hotspots and recall notes. The demo and 3 patch records stay free; Pro Lifetime is a one-time unlock. PatchLens helps musicians capture hardware synth, pedal, and semi-modular settings as private local patch records. Take or import a photo, mark the knobs and jacks that matter, add values and notes, then search your local patch library later. Optional on-device text recognition can suggest visible panel labels, but you stay in control of every saved value. PatchLens does not require an account, does not upload your photos, and does not promise automatic universal knob or cable detection. Pro Lifetime is a one-time in-app purchase that unlocks the full local patch library, on-device OCR label assist, and recall-sheet sharing. The bundled demo and 3 patch records stay free. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://bonega.ai/patchlens/privacy

About

J.J.Midnight AUv3 Plugin

Features
Read full description

An electric guitar effect for the laid-back sound: squashed until nothing jumps out. Just past clean. Wobbling a little. One repeat behind. That sound is not one pedal โ€” it is a whole vintage clean chain, and jj-midnight is all of it in a single AUv3 insert. Four blocks in signal order, each with its own on/off switch, plus a master strip. COMP โ€” An optical compressor with program-dependent release, the way a real opto box behaves: one knob for threshold, ratio and make-up together, so it squashes without asking you to think about it. A gain-reduction meter reads out what it is doing. This is the block the whole plug-in is built around. DRIVE โ€” Asymmetric soft clipping voiced for second harmonic rather than fizz, a tone rolloff, and a 1x12 cabinet with a movable mic position. Low gain on purpose. It goes from clean with weight to the edge of breakup and stops there. WOBBLE โ€” Amp-style amplitude tremolo with an LFO that morphs from a sine sway to a hard chop, free-running or synced to your host's tempo. SPACE โ€” One slapback repeat with no feedback, into a spring tank with dispersion allpasses for the chirp a real tank makes. THIRTEEN FACTORY PRESETS Default, Laid Back, Escondido, Porch Light, Whisper Trem, Magnolia, Breeze, Midnight, Sensitive Kind, Faded, Cassette, Night Drive, Flat & Even. Save your own from the preset window; swipe left to rename or delete. WORKS WHERE YOU WORK An Audio Unit v3 effect: GarageBand, Logic for iPad, AUM, Cubasis, BeatMaker, and any other AUv3 host. The included app is a working player, so you can hear the plug-in on a real guitar part before you open a DAW at all โ€” two dry recordings are bundled, or run your own playing in through the microphone. The panel is drawn procedurally rather than assembled from bitmaps, so it stays sharp at whatever size your host gives it, on a phone or a 13-inch iPad. FREE TO TRY Seven days free from first launch. No account, no signup, no subscription. After that, one purchase unlocks it permanently on all your devices. If you do not buy it, the editor keeps working and audio passes through dry โ€” nothing you built disappears. jj-midnight is an original effect. Preset names point at a feel or a place. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with any artist, label, or other plug-in maker, and does not recreate any particular recording.

Screenshots

PatchLens4 screens
J.J.Midnight AUv3 Plugin4 screens

Verdict

The call

PatchLens and J.J.Midnight AUv3 Plugin are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters โ€” price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them โ€” neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. PatchLens sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and J.J.Midnight AUv3 Plugin sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
PatchLens versus J.J.Midnight AUv3 Plugin: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPatchLensJ.J.Midnight AUv3 Plugin
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size7 MB6 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperClashware Sร rlPetar Gerov

In-app purchases

1 purchases

PatchLens

One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$4.99
1 purchases

J.J.Midnight AUv3 Plugin

One-time1
  • jj-midnight Unlock$2.99

Questions

Is PatchLens free?
PatchLens is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is J.J.Midnight AUv3 Plugin free?
J.J.Midnight AUv3 Plugin is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PatchLens or J.J.Midnight AUv3 Plugin have ads?
Neither PatchLens nor J.J.Midnight AUv3 Plugin shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PatchLens or J.J.Midnight AUv3 Plugin?
PatchLens ships an update weekly, and J.J.Midnight AUv3 Plugin weekly. Most recently, PatchLens was updated on October 31, 2026 and J.J.Midnight AUv3 Plugin on October 25, 2026.

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