Comparison

Midiboard vs Naad Box

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

Head to head
About

Midiboard

Features
Read full description

Your phone, as the controller you actually wanted. Midiboard turns an iPhone into a Bluetooth MIDI controller you lay out yourself. Drop a widget on the grid, drag it where your hand goes, size it to the reach you actually have. Save the screen, build the next one, and flip between them with one tap while the song is running. Every other phone controller hands you someone else's idea of a surface. This one hands you the grid. BUILD THE SURFACE • Pad grids of any size, tuned chromatically or in fourths, fifths, thirds or octaves — a grid in fourths keeps every chord shape the same wherever you move it • Keyboards of any span, starting on any note, with glissando between keys • Chord buttons you write note by note. C, E, G#, D is as valid as a minor triad • Pitch and mod wheels shaped like the ones beside your keyboard, plus 270° arcs and endless rotaries • Faders and two-axis XY pads, with relative pickup so grabbing one mid-song does not throw the sound • Step sequencers where every step names the note it plays, each with its own run button • Footswitch banks where exactly one lamp is lit — press a switch and the last one goes out, so a glance tells you which preset you are actually on • Transpose controls that move a group of widgets, so a bass bank and a lead move independently on the same page PLAY IT • Set a key per widget: notes outside it either step back but stay playable, or snap into the key • Poly, mono, legato and glide, per widget • A clock with tap tempo, MIDI clock out, note repeat and an arpeggiator — or follow your computer's tempo instead • Set the travel of any control, so a fader only ever moves between two settings that are useful on the other end • Panic always within reach, and haptics you can tune per control KEEP IT • As many saved layouts as you like. Export one to a file, send it to someone, import theirs • Two colour palettes, and note names that match whatever your software calls them CONNECTS TO WHATEVER YOU PLAY Two routes, and you pick the one your rig has. Over Bluetooth LE MIDI, Mac, iPad and iPhone connect directly and Windows pairs through a Bluetooth MIDI bridge. Over Wi-Fi it is an RTP-MIDI session — built into macOS, and on Windows through rtpMIDI — which is the one to reach for when Bluetooth is crowded or the computer has none. It can also open a MIDI port for other apps on this same phone or iPad. No cable, no dongle, no account, and nothing to sign into. Midiboard collects nothing: no analytics, no crash reporting, no accounts, no tracking. Over Wi-Fi it uses your local network to reach the computer you chose, and the only thing it ever puts on it is MIDI. PRO Midiboard is free, with pad grids, keyboards, faders and labels. Pro adds every other widget, and starts with a free trial; after it, a monthly subscription or a one-time purchase keeps it. The subscription renews monthly unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy: https://safabulat.github.io/midiboard-site/privacy.html

About

Naad Box

Features
Read full description

Naad Box is a multi-instrument music studio for your phone — play authentic Indian and Western instruments, drive a full beat sequencer, layer tanpura drones, and build loop arrangements, all in one app. INSTRUMENTS Play 10 richly-sampled instruments on an on-screen keyboard or your own MIDI controller: Harmonium, Piano, Flute, Trumpet, Violin, Tumbi, Sarangi, Sitar, Banjo, and Organ. Shape the sound with reed stacking, octave and transpose controls, and real-time reverb. TANPURA DRONE Set your sruthi (pitch) and let a continuous tanpura drone play behind you — the traditional backdrop for practice and performance. BEATS An 11-pad drum kit plus a 16-step sequencer with adjustable tempo. Trigger pads live or program a full pattern, save it, and reload it any time. LOOPS A library of dholak and percussion loops ready to play, with an arrangement builder to chain loops into a sequence with custom repeat counts. Import your own audio files, or download more loops from our growing online catalog — no app update required. MIDI SUPPORT Plug in a class-compliant USB MIDI keyboard or pad controller and it's detected automatically. Use MIDI Learn to map your controller's pads to drum sounds or loops, and your mappings are saved automatically. Pitch bend and mod wheel are both live — bend notes in real time and dial in reverb depth on the fly. Whether you're practicing, composing, or just exploring the sound of these instruments, Naad Box brings a full studio into your pocket.

Screenshots

Midiboard4 screens
Naad Box4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Naad Box at none against Midiboard's 1. On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

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

Both are free to download. Midiboard sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Naad Box asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 5 level
Midiboard versus Naad Box: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMidiboardNaad Box
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB45 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMAHMUT SAFA BULATSukhpal GiLL

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Midiboard

One-time1
  • Midiboard Editor$9.99
None

Naad Box

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Midiboard free?
Midiboard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Naad Box free?
Naad Box is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Midiboard or Naad Box have ads?
Neither Midiboard nor Naad Box shows ads.

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