Yes — the free build is a real, untimed MIDI controller, not a trial. There is no 30 day countdown, no watermark on your output, and no nag screen blocking the window. You can download it, point a DualSense at your DAW, and never pay anything. What you cannot do on free is rebind inputs, save more than three presets, or download community presets. This page is the honest version of where the line sits, so you can decide whether a free PlayStation MIDI controller setup is genuinely enough for what you are doing — and when it is not.
- Free gets you: the virtual MIDI port, the default mappings, USB and Bluetooth, every supported controller, CLI mode, three saved presets.
- Free does not get you: the mapping editor, curves and conditions, OSC, MPE, multi-controller, haptics, SysEx, multi-host fan-out, marketplace downloads.
- Pro costs:
$89AUD once. Two machine seats. Major version updates free forever. No subscription. - The test: five questions below. No to all five means stay on free and spend the money on plugins.
What does the free version of Universal Controller MIDI actually include?
A complete working MIDI controller with the stock mapping, on the same kernel-level virtual port the paid build uses.
The virtual port is the part people assume must be paywalled, and it is not. Free creates a port named Universal Controller through the IAC Driver on macOS, the bundled teVirtualMIDI driver on Windows, or an ALSA sequencer client on Linux — the same integration Pro uses, with the same timing behaviour. Your DAW cannot tell which tier created the port.
On top of that, free includes the default mappings for buttons, sticks and triggers, both USB and Bluetooth connection paths, every supported controller family — DualSense, DualSense Edge, DualShock 4, Switch Pro, Xbox, 8BitDo and friends — local preset save and load up to three presets, browse access to the community preset marketplace, and the CLI for headless rigs. The headless CLI being free is deliberate: it means a Raspberry Pi running a fixed mapping costs nothing.
There is no artificial degradation anywhere in that list. The free build is not a slower, noisier, or less reliable version of the paid one. It is the same engine with fewer features exposed.
What are the three limits people actually hit?
You cannot rebind anything, you can only save three presets, and the marketplace is browse-only.
One: the defaults are the defaults. This is the big one and it deserves to be stated plainly rather than buried. The mapping editor — the panel where you choose that L2 should send CC 74 instead of CC 1, or that Triangle should send note 48 instead of note 65 — is a Pro feature. On free, every input sends what it ships sending. Face buttons send notes 60, 62, 64 and 65. L1 and R1 send notes 67 and 69. The d-pad sends notes 78 to 81. L2 sends CC 1 and R2 sends CC 2. The sticks send CC 3 through CC 6. The touchpad sends CC 16 and CC 17.
There is a real workaround worth knowing, and it is why free is more useful than the feature list makes it look: your DAW's MIDI Learn does not care which CC number arrives. If free sends CC 3 and you want that driving a filter cutoff, you MIDI-learn CC 3 onto the cutoff in your host. The assignment lives in the DAW rather than in the bridge. That covers an enormous amount of day-to-day work. Where it stops working is anything that has a fixed, non-negotiable CC expectation on the receiving end — a hardware synth with a published CC chart, or a plugin whose mapping you cannot edit.
Two: three saved presets. Free saves and loads presets locally, capped at three. For one room with one setup, three is usually plenty. It stops being plenty the moment you want a studio preset, a live preset, and a VJ preset, plus one more you are experimenting with. Pro lifts the cap and adds cloud sync across your machines.
Three: browse-only marketplace. You can look through the community preset library on free and see exactly what people have built. You cannot download those presets into the app or submit your own. Downloading and submitting are Pro. The mapping templates library shows what is in there before you decide whether that limit matters to you.
If you are still deciding between tools rather than tiers, the cross-tool view is in the gamepad-to-MIDI software comparison, which covers the free and paid options from other vendors alongside this one.
Free vs Pro — the full comparison
Everything in one table, with no asterisks hiding anywhere.
| Feature | Free | Pro ($89 AUD) |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual MIDI port | Yes — same kernel integration | Yes |
| Default mapping (buttons, sticks, triggers) | Yes | Yes |
| USB + Bluetooth connection | Yes | Yes |
| All supported controller families | Yes | Yes |
| CLI / headless mode | Yes | Yes |
| Major version updates | Free | Free |
| Preset save / load | Local only, 3 max | Unlimited, cloud sync |
| Mapping editor (custom bindings) | No | Yes |
| Curves, ranges, conditions | No | Yes |
| Marketplace | Browse only | Download + submit |
| OSC mode | No | Yes |
| Multi-controller (2+ pads) | No | Yes |
| Adaptive trigger effects | No | Yes |
| MPE mode | No | Yes |
| Haptic feedback (DAW → rumble) | No | Yes |
| SysEx authoring | No | Yes |
| Multi-port / multi-DAW fan-out | No | Yes |
| Custom keyboard shortcuts | No | Yes |
Which five questions tell me whether I need Pro?
A yes to any single one of these is the case for upgrading; a no to all five means stay on free.
- Do you need an input bound to a specific CC number you choose? If something downstream expects CC 74 for cutoff and CC 71 for resonance and you cannot change the receiving end, you need the mapping editor. Yes → Pro.
- Do you want the controller for VJ or visual work? Resolume, TouchDesigner, MadMapper and similar hosts are far better driven over OSC than MIDI, and OSC output is Pro. Yes → Pro.
- Do you want to feel what the DAW is doing? Adaptive trigger effects and rumble feedback run the signal the other way — incoming MIDI drives the controller's actuators, which is how you feel a sidechain duck in the trigger. The bridge writes those effects at 100 Hz. Both are Pro. Yes → Pro.
- Do you play MPE-aware synths? MPE needs per-note channels and per-note bend, which is a different output mode rather than a mapping tweak. Yes → Pro.
- Do you drive two hosts at once? Running a DAW and a VJ app from one controller simultaneously needs multi-port fan-out. Yes → Pro.
If all five are no — you use one DAW, you are happy MIDI-learning whatever CC arrives, and three presets covers your life — then stay on free. That is not a soft sell. Paying $89 for features you will never open is a worse outcome than not paying, and the free build does not get worse if you never upgrade.
What exactly do I get for the $89?
A permanent licence for two machines, with free major version updates, bought once.
It is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. There is no monthly charge, no renewal date, and no feature that turns itself off later. Major version updates stay free for existing owners, so a v2 does not become a second purchase.
One licence activates on two machines, which exists because the realistic pattern is a studio desktop plus a laptop that goes to gigs. If you replace a machine, release the old seat from the License settings before activating the new one.
Activation happens in the app under the License tab, or from a terminal if you are setting up a headless rig:
# Activate a licence from the CLI
ucm --activate-license <your-key-here>
# Check which tier is active and how many seats are used
ucm --license-infoIs free enough to decide whether the whole idea works for me?
Yes, and that is the point of it having no time limit.
The question most people are really asking is not "free or paid" — it is "is a gamepad actually a usable MIDI controller, or is this a novelty." The free build answers that properly, because the thing being tested is the ergonomics: whether your thumbs find the right pad without looking, whether a spring-centred stick is a sensible filter control, whether you reach for it or ignore it after three days. None of that depends on the mapping editor.
Run the default Drum Pads template for a week of real sessions. If you find yourself reaching for the controller, the hardware works for you and the only remaining question is whether you have hit one of the three ceilings. If you do not reach for it, you have learned something valuable for nothing. Either way, the per-input breakdown is worth reading first so you know which controls are worth assigning to what.
What do I need to install to try it?
One desktop app, and nothing else — no drivers to hunt down, no loopback utility, no console involved.
People reasonably assume this sort of thing needs a stack of supporting software. It does not. The virtual MIDI capability ships inside the app on every platform, which is why there is no loopMIDI step on Windows and no third-party IAC helper on macOS. We answered that question in full, including what is and is not required per operating system, in do I need to download anything to use a PS5 controller for MIDI. The complete walkthrough from zero to a controller sending notes is in how to use a PS5 controller as a MIDI controller.
Start free — install the build for your platform, run the 90 second wizard, and find out whether you ever need the paid tier. If you do, it will be obvious, and it will be $89 once.
FAQ
Is using a PlayStation controller as a MIDI controller free?
Yes. The free build of Universal Controller MIDI is a real, untimed MIDI controller rather than a trial. It gives you the virtual MIDI port, the default button, stick and trigger mappings, USB and Bluetooth support, and local preset saving capped at three presets.
What is the catch with the free version?
Three things. You cannot rebind any input because the mapping editor is a Pro feature, you can only save three presets locally, and the community preset marketplace is browse-only so you cannot download or submit presets.
How much does Pro cost and is it a subscription?
Pro is AUD $89 one time. It is not a subscription. Major version updates stay free for existing owners, and one licence activates on two machines such as a studio desktop and a tour laptop.
Can I change which CC a trigger sends on the free version?
No. The mapping editor is the headline Pro feature, so on free you get the defaults exactly as they ship — L2 on CC 1, R2 on CC 2, sticks on CC 3 to CC 6, touchpad on CC 16 and CC 17. You can still reassign what those CCs do inside your DAW using MIDI Learn.
Does the free version have a time limit or a watermark?
No. There is no 30 day timer, no nag screen, and no watermark. Spend a week or a year on it; the free build does not degrade or expire.
When is it not worth upgrading to Pro?
If you only ever use the controller with its default mapping in one DAW, never need OSC, never need haptic feedback, and are happy with three saved presets, then stay on free. Do not pay for surface area you will not use.