Comparison

Midiboard vs DAW Shortcuts

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

DAW Shortcuts

Access and learn keyboard shortcuts for six major digital audio workstations. Search by action or key, translate shortcuts between DAWs, and train your muscle memory with spaced-repetition drills. Offers both free and a one-time purchase Pro version.

Highlights
  • Searchable shortcut database
  • Cross-DAW shortcut translation
  • Spaced-repetition training drills
  • Offline functionality
  • Multi-language search support
  • Browse by category or DAW
Features
Read full description

Stop hunting through PDF cheat sheets. KeyMap puts every keyboard shortcut for six major DAWs in one fast, searchable place — Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Ableton Live, FL Studio, Studio One, and Cubase. SEARCH • Thousands of shortcuts, indexed by name, action, and key. Type "split", "bounce", or a term in your own language and get the answer instantly — search works in English, Korean, Japanese, German, Portuguese, Spanish, French, and Chinese. • Every keystroke bound to a command, not just the main one. Record in Pro Tools shows ⌘Space, F12, and numpad 3. • Browse by category, or by DAW. TRANSLATE ACROSS DAWS • Know a shortcut in one DAW and need it in another? KeyMap maps the same action across all six. Moving from Logic to Pro Tools, or just curious how Ableton does it — the equivalent is one tap away. TRAIN YOUR MUSCLE MEMORY • Spaced-repetition drills built for shortcuts. Flashcard mode asks you to recall first, then self-check; multiple-choice mode tests you against real, plausible wrong keys. • Practice sets by category, a daily streak, and a scheduler that brings back what you keep missing. FIND BY KEY • Press a key combination — or tap the on-screen keypad — and see every shortcut in your DAW that uses it. • On Mac, a small window sits beside your DAW and opens with a global hotkey (default ⌃⌥Space). Works with any input language. FREE & PRO • Free: full access to one DAW of your choice, plus daily training. • Pro: all six DAWs, cross-DAW translation, and unlimited training — one purchase, yours forever. No subscription. Works fully offline. No account required.

Screenshots

Midiboard4 screens
DAW Shortcuts4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Midiboard at every 2 days against DAW Shortcuts's fortnightly. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Midiboard sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and DAW Shortcuts sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Midiboard ships an update every 2 days, DAW Shortcuts fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Midiboard versus DAW Shortcuts: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMidiboardDAW Shortcuts
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMAHMUT SAFA BULATHYO SEOP LEE

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Midiboard

One-time1
  • Midiboard Editor$9.99
1 purchases

DAW Shortcuts

One-time1
  • Pro — all 6 DAWs, forever$0.49

Questions

Is Midiboard free?
Midiboard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DAW Shortcuts free?
DAW Shortcuts is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Midiboard or DAW Shortcuts have ads?
Neither Midiboard nor DAW Shortcuts shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Midiboard or DAW Shortcuts?
Midiboard ships an update every 2 days, and DAW Shortcuts fortnightly. Most recently, Midiboard was updated on October 25, 2026 and DAW Shortcuts on October 29, 2026.

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