Comparison

touchAble Pro vs ButterSynth

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

Head to head
About

touchAble Pro

This app provides deep, customizable control over music production software, allowing users to perform and edit without a mouse. It offers waveform views, piano roll editing, and full access to device parameters, all from a mobile device.

Highlights
  • Audio clip view with waveforms
  • Piano roll view for pattern editing
  • Draw and edit clip automations
  • Customizable device templates
  • Access track I/O
  • Control transport, clips, and scenes
  • Play instruments with grid/piano layouts
Features
Read full description

touchAble Pro makes it easy to produce and perform music in Ableton Live by putting everything you need directly at your fingertips. Eight years ago touchAble defined what a touch controller app for Live could do. touchAble Pro has been reimagined and recoded from the ground up, incorporating years of feedback from musicians at every level. touchAble Pro provides a cleaner interface, allows much more powerful customisation and gives you the deepest access possible to Ableton Live. From waveform views to editors to automations - with touchAble Pro, you now have the complete Ableton Live experience literally at your fingertips. You can perform and edit without ever touching a mouse, you can customize your experience to access exactly the controls you need to edit or play. You’ll gain complete control that’s as portable as the smartphone, tablet or laptop you’re carrying with you. - Audio clip view with waveforms, including side-by-side waveform view - Edit patterns easier and faster than ever with the new piano roll view - Draw and edit Clip-Automations - Templates for Live devices are now included at no added cost - Create your own custom Device Templates for M4L or Live Devices, VSTs & AUs - Access a tracks I/O right from the app. - Make your own Device templates, with complete support for third-party plug-ins and Max for Live (IAP - soon to come) - Build your own complete custom layouts with the overhauled Template Editor - Make performance-friendly templates that include focus on individual clips and scenes, custom controls and even full modules. - New layout options: view modules fullscreen or duplicate them side by side - For iPhone & iPad (Universal) touchAble lets you access all of Ableton Live via simple, robust connections, either wired or wireless, and provides access to nearly every aspect of the software. touchAble Pro builds on that support with an updated interface for all of the features that made touchAble popular: - Control the transport, metronome, cues, and quantization - Trigger clips and scenes and control looping - Arm, mute, and solo tracks - Adjust monitoring - Mix, pan, crossfade, and control sends and returns - Play instruments with grid or piano-style layouts, with scales, note repeat, aftertouch, and velocity (based on finger position) - Control device parameters, using faders or assignable X/Y pad modules - X/Y Pad: assign physics, make and morph snapshots or even record full gestures - Navigate Live’s Browser, and drag and drop Devices and samples Please find the Server and installation instructions on https://zerodebug.com/#/touchable Requires iOS 9.3 Requires the latest version of Ableton Live 9 or 10 Introduction: https://youtu.be/H6EnpjfztNw (Youtube) Features: https://youtu.be/R4_GRVPbDn8 (Youtube) Multiplatform demo: https://youtu.be/-NPXlJcyELY (Youtube)

About

ButterSynth

This powerful synthesizer app offers a hybrid approach, combining wavetable, FM, and sample-based synthesis. Create unique sounds with a vast sonic range, advanced modulation, and a built-in effects rack. It caters to both experienced sound designers and beginners with extensive presets.

Highlights
  • Hybrid 6-oscillator synthesis (wavetable, FM, sample)
  • Built-in wavetable editor
  • FM engine with 4 operators
  • Sample and Granulator engines
  • 32-slot modulation matrix
  • Internal FX rack with 16 modules
  • Extensive preset library
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

ButterSynth is a hybrid 6-oscillator wavetable/FM/sample-based AUV3 and standalone synthesizer with a vast sonic range, from gentle pads to screaming leads and basslines. Mix any combination of wavetable, FM, sample and other synthesis engines for one truly massive sound. For the more advanced users, you'll love using ButterSynth's thoughtfully designed interface, incredibly powerful modulation matrix, fully-featured internal FX rack, factory waveform and sample libraries, and almost limitless scope for fun, experimentation and sound design. For less experienced synth programmers, ButterSynth includes a library of hundreds of ready-to-use presets, sparking your creativity to start making music right away. Headline features include - Mix and match any combination of 6 synthesis engines to either emulate your favourite synths of yester-year or build a synth ready for the future. - Dual-wavetable engines also feature 9 phase modes, wave folding, and deep unison controls modelled on vintage hardware synths. - Built-in wavetable editor gives you the ability to tweak, morph, and hand-draw your own custom wavetables, with each wavetable supporting up to 256 frames. - FM engine offers 4 operators with a selection of 12 modulation paths. Each operator can be loaded with any waveform from the factory or user library, and can also self-modulate via the feedback dial. - Sample and Granulator engines both let you load samples (either imported or from the factory library) and control precisely how they are chopped, triggered and layered. Both also feature the same powerful unison modes available in the WT engine. - Highly configurable 32-slot modulation matrix featuring precise mix/max ranges, self-modulation (via the amount target), plus configurable response curves and layer modes. Simply long-tap any parameter to set it as a Mod destination! - Full suite of versatile control sources which includes: 4x MSEG-style looping curve envelopes, 4x LFOs, 4x step sequencers, X/Y pad with motion recording, 8x Macro dials and a powerful arpeggiator inspired by Kirnu Interactive’s Cream. - The EFX rack lets you build your own insert effects chain using any combination of the 16 built-in FX modules. Modules available at launch include delay, reverb, distortion, chorus, OTT compression etc. Note - FX parameters can also be targeted by the mod matrix, unlocking the possibility to program ‘per voice’ modulated effects. - All presets, wavetables, samples and other settings are stored in the Files app, making bulk import/export, backup and community sharing quick and easy. - All of this is housed in an irresistibly designed 4-tab UI that makes synth programming quick and fun.

Screenshots

touchAble Pro4 screens
ButterSynth4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ButterSynth at $19.99 against touchAble Pro's $29.99. ButterSynth also leads on rating (4.0 vs 2.9) and review sentiment (60% vs 41%). touchAble Pro's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (9.3 vs 14.0). On ratings volume, 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

touchAble Pro costs $29.99 and ButterSynth $19.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ButterSynth holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 2.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 54 and 62 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 41% of touchAble Pro's written reviews are positive against 60% of ButterSynth's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

touchAble Pro ships an update weekly, ButterSynth every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on August 30, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
touchAble Pro versus ButterSynth: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametertouchAble ProButterSynth
Price$29.99$19.99 — better
Rating2.9 (54 ratings)4.0 (62 ratings) — better
Positive reviews41.3% of reviews59.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5462 — better
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#190 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.3 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size48 MB468 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAppBCArto Vaarala

Customer experience

touchAble Pro

All ratings54 ratings
Positive42.6%
Neutral9.3%
Negative48.1%
Written reviews126 reviews
Positive41.3%
Neutral7.1%
Negative51.6%

ButterSynth

All ratings62 ratings
Positive72.6%
Neutral8.1%
Negative19.4%
Written reviews57 reviews
Positive59.6%
Neutral10.5%
Negative29.8%

User reviews

touchAble Pro

From 54 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎛️ Comprehensive Ableton Live control surface with multitouch capabilities
  • 🚀 Superior to Push 2 in many ways with unlimited grid control
  • 👍 Intuitive interface design and clean layout
  • 🎹 Powerful isomorphic keyboard with scale highlighting
  • 🎚️ Excellent device control and custom MIDI CC control panels

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and instability issues
  • ❌ No longer maintained or supported by developer
  • 🔌 Connection problems (both USB and WiFi)
  • ⚠️ Incompatible with Ableton Live 11 and 12
  • 🚫 Broken download links for required server software

ButterSynth

From 62 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✨ Deep sound design capabilities
  • 🎛️ Versatile modulation matrix
  • 🔊 Great sound quality
  • 💡 Innovative wavetable generator
  • 🌟 Serum-like experience

Room to improve

  • 📱 Fiddly on small screens
  • 🐛 Crashes frequently
  • 🐛 Disappears in Cubasis
  • 🐛 Spikes CPU usage
  • 🐛 Crashes on patch change

Bugs and requests

touchAble Pro

Reported bugs

16 issues
  • App crashes on startup or during use
  • Connection drops after wake-up requiring force quit
  • Server software download links return 404 errors
  • Version mismatch between iPad app and Mac/Windows server
  • Clip recording glitches (records only one bar, records indefinitely)
Show 11 more
  • Clip triggering delays and quantization issues
  • Undo history pollution from slider interactions
  • Waveform not loading in Simpler plugin
  • Repeat/hold function glitches causing endless playback
  • Freezing when using sliders
  • App crashes when enabling arm button in keyboard section
  • Detached track headers in clip view when scrolling
  • Incompatibility with Ableton Live 11.3+ and Live 12
  • Server executable flagged as malicious by Windows security
  • MIDI not registering from iPad to Ableton
  • Laggy piano roll and automation recording

Requested features

8 requests
  • Larger Scenes Launch button with adjustable size
  • Arrangement view option
  • Customizable UI color scheme for outdoor/bright environments
  • Light mode theme option
  • Chord mode functionality
Show 3 more
  • Automatic version synchronization between app and server
  • Better font size and label visibility for device controls
  • Improved X/Y pad mirroring in split-screen mode

ButterSynth

Reported bugs

39 issues
  • App crashing with AUM
  • Disappears in Cubasis randomly
  • Crashes all the time inside Logic
  • Changing a patch spikes CPU to 99%
  • Crashes on every patch change
Show 34 more
  • No audio when rendering or freezing track
  • Keyboard doesn't load on iPhone
  • iOS18 broke ButterSynth (audio recording issues)
  • Failed to load as Auv3
  • Crashes as soon as a preset is selected
  • Some patches hanging/sounding without input
  • CPU spikes to 100% on preset switching
  • Audio crackles on preset switching
  • Sample module has consistent buzz
  • LFOs are extremely simple (no phase offset)
  • Square wave LFO is not square (has slew)
  • Step sequencer always has glide/slew
  • Cannot save custom presets
  • No undo function in wave table editor
  • AUv3 plugin resets when ButterSynth crashes
  • Does not show up as auv3 in Cubasis, AUM, or Audio Evolution
  • Crashes regularly even on newest iPad
  • Preset changes every time play is pressed
  • Not resizing appropriately on smaller screens
  • Crashes with unison function in AUM
  • White noise on crash with unison
  • Sound continues after song stops in GarageBand
  • Preset changes on stop, rewind, or play in GarageBand
  • Keeps crashing in GarageBand (AUv3)
  • Patches in standalone sound different as AUv3
  • Crashes when hitting play with arpeggiator/sequencer on iPhone
  • No keyboard appears in iPhone standalone mode
  • Audio Unit Extension quit error on export
  • Lots of crashes in standalone and hosted in AUM
  • MIDI not working
  • Automation still doesn’t work in Logic Pro
  • Random LFO is great for recording sequences
  • Preset browser closes each time a new preset is selected
  • Works as AUv3 after starting in standalone mode

Requested features

20 requests
  • MPE popup possible on top of the auv3
  • Button to hide built-in keyboard
  • Buffer size option
  • Additional MIDI mappings (e.g., arpeggiator toggle)
  • Sustain pedal support
Show 15 more
  • Longer LFO speed for evolving soundscapes
  • Alternative skins/color themes
  • Pinable preset browser
  • Virtual keyboard to remain active while browser is pinned
  • Make app take up whole screen (no black borders)
  • Master detune
  • Parameter lock
  • More presets
  • Fix square wave LFO to be truly square
  • Fix step sequencer glide/slew for discrete steps
  • Undo function in wave table editor
  • Filter key follow button
  • Adjust envelope curves (especially release)
  • Easier way to adjust modulation matrix amount
  • Phase distortion inclusion

In-app purchases

None

touchAble Pro

No in-app purchases

None

ButterSynth

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is touchAble Pro free?
touchAble Pro costs $29.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ButterSynth free?
ButterSynth costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, touchAble Pro or ButterSynth?
ButterSynth is rated higher. touchAble Pro averages 2.9 out of 5 from 54 ratings, while ButterSynth averages 4.0 from 62 ratings.
Do touchAble Pro or ButterSynth have ads?
Neither touchAble Pro nor ButterSynth shows ads.
Which is updated more often, touchAble Pro or ButterSynth?
touchAble Pro ships an update weekly, and ButterSynth every 2 months. Most recently, touchAble Pro was updated on August 30, 2026 and ButterSynth on September 16, 2026.

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