Comparison

Troublemaker vs RK

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

Head to head
About

Troublemaker

This app emulates the iconic TB-303 bassline synthesizer, offering its distinctive sound with a diode filter, sawtooth, and square wave oscillators. It provides extensive MIDI and sequencer features, allowing for creative sound design and integration with DAWs.

Highlights
  • Diode filter emulation
  • Sawtooth and square wave oscillators
  • Realtime Mutation Probability Engine
  • Standalone sequencer (1-64 steps)
  • Audio Unit (AUv3) compatibility
  • MIDI CC controllers
  • MIDI Clock Sync
Features
Read full description

Featured in the US Appstore! Here's what the reviews say: "Perfect for on the move acid sessions, the Trouble Maker app faithfully recreates the sound of the original TB-303" - DJ Mag "Troublemaker is absolutely no trouble at all to heartily recommend" - SoundOnSound "If you want to make the bassline from Josh Wink’s ‘Higher State of Consciousness’ on the bus, this is the app for the job" - Factmag.com "Top-notch stuff from a developer that just keeps getting better" - Musicappblog.com "This app has been consuming all of my time this week! Love it!" - Discchord.com Introducing Troublemaker: this is not a 303 The legendary TB-303 has magical properties; it is filled to the brim with analog shimmer. Its output jack is a gateway to a parallel universe and when you twiddle the filter knobs an army of highly trained pixies chisel the square waves from freshly harvested unicorn souls. So if you want a TB-303, you should buy a TB-303. But if you're after *that sound* Troublemaker will give you everything you need in spades. Troublemaker sports a carefully crafted diode filter emulation and among the available oscillators are the typical raspy, nasal sawtooth and rubbery square wave with its oddball shape and shifting pulse width. It also has the wow. Troublemaker is fully Audio Unit (AUv3) compatible, so you can go wild running multiple instances in your favorite DAWs. It also has: - MIDI CC controllers for all knobs (predefined), - Core Midi, Virtual Midi, Bluetooth Midi input, - MIDI Clock Sync, MIDI Start / Stop support - Realtime Mutation Probability Engine - Standalone sequencer supports 1-64 steps - Audiobus 3 support (audio + MIDI) - Exports MID and WAV files from the standalone sequencer - User manual and MIDI charts on ruismaker.com - Comes with an extra AUv3 plugin version of a modded Troublemaker unit And unlike the TB-303, it can actually sound like a bass guitar ;-)

About

RK

Manage your RK006 Master Hub with this app. Design and save configurations, set up presets for event filtering, clock processing, and output modes. Connect your iOS device to MIDI, CV/Gate, and control it from your DAW.

Highlights
  • RK006 Master Hub management
  • MIDI, CV/Gate control
  • Preset design and saving
  • Event filtering
  • Clock processing
  • Output mode configuration
Features
Read full description

This is the manager-app for the RK006 Master Hub. The RK006 features a 12 bus(yes, 12x16 channel MIDI Handling) MIDI Interface and and ultra stable MIDI clock generator. It can MIDI merge from it's two TRS-A MIDI Inputs and even add four self-hosted USBMIDI devices to the stream. It is able to connect your iOS device not only to MIDI but also act as a CV/Gate source with control straight from your DAW. Add extensive MIDI filters and even built-in polychaining to make this the go-to tool for any setup. This app is an iOS port from the online webMIDI portal. It allows you to design and save configurations in the RK006. Via this app you can setup presets which can handle event filtering, clock processing and RK006 port output modes (MIDI/Gate/CV) Some review snippets: "The RK006 is a game changer, making sync, MIDI and signal processing easy, even without a DAW." (juno.co.uk) "Retrokits prove themselves invaluable once again to our increasingly complex and confusing desktop hardware setups." (gearnews.com) "Incredibly versatile hub for MIDI, USB and modular, and probably the only MIDI interface you’ll ever need in or out of the studio." (Sound on Sound)

Screenshots

Troublemaker2 screens
RK4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: RK at Free against Troublemaker's $8.99. RK also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Troublemaker's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 months) and review sentiment (78% vs 67%). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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

RK is free to download; Troublemaker costs $8.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

RK holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Troublemaker has 64 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 78% of Troublemaker's written reviews are positive against 67% of RK's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Troublemaker ships an update every 2 weeks, RK every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Troublemaker versus RK: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTroublemakerRK
Price$8.99Free — better
Rating4.6 (64 ratings)5.0 (9 ratings) — better
Positive reviews77.9% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings64 — better9
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBram BosGerrit Dijkstra

Customer experience

Troublemaker

All ratings64 ratings
Positive90.6%
Neutral3.1%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews95 reviews
Positive77.9%
Neutral10.5%
Negative11.6%

RK

All ratings9 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Troublemaker

No in-app purchases

None

RK

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Troublemaker free?
Troublemaker costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is RK free?
RK is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Troublemaker or RK?
RK is rated higher. Troublemaker averages 4.6 out of 5 from 64 ratings, while RK averages 5.0 from 9 ratings.
Do Troublemaker or RK have ads?
Neither Troublemaker nor RK shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Troublemaker or RK?
Troublemaker ships an update every 2 weeks, and RK every 5 months. Most recently, Troublemaker was updated on October 17, 2026 and RK on October 2, 2026.

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