touchAble Pro vs Knobbler
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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)
Knobbler
Transform your iPhone or iPad into a powerful, auto-labeling control surface for Ableton Live. Seamlessly navigate tracks, control parameters, and build custom interfaces that save with your Live sets. Keep your focus on creativity without leaving the music-making flow.
- Auto-labeling and auto-coloring control surface
- Multitouch parameter control
- Customizable interface saved with Live sets
- Real-time parameter updates with units
- Fast track, group, and device navigation
- Channel strip mixer controls
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Knobbler turns your iPhone or iPad into an auto-labeling, auto-coloring, multitouch parameter control and navigation surface for Ableton Live. 30 day fully-functioning trial of all features. The Mixer, Clips, Session, and Nav pages are available during the trial and after a one-time purchase of Knobbler or a subscription. Ableton Live 12 Suite or Ableton Live 12 Standard with the Max for Live add-on is required. Simply add the free Knobbler4 device to your Live Set and use the Knobbler app to use your iPhone or iPad to control devices and parameters. ** Control every parameter and build a customized interface, including sliders and X-Y pads that is saved with your Live sets. ** Navigate your tracks, groups, racks and devices faster and easier than ever. ** Full screen Cilps and Mixer views keep you connected to your music. ** Session View gives you a combined clips and mixer view for full control. ** Full access to capture and recall rack variations. ** Navigate cue points and locators in your set. ** Engage Spring mode for momentary effects. Visit https://plugins.steinkamp.us/m4l-Knobbler4 to download the Ableton Live device to use with this app. Map parameters in your Ableton Live set to unmapped sliders on the tablet with a single touch. No need to enter and exit a mapping mode. Access every parameter in the currently selected device, directly on the phone or tablet. Parameter mapping configuration is saved with your Live Set, so you can switch between songs with minimal friction. Track, device, and parameter names are kept synchronized with your Live Set as you change them, even track colors! Parameter sliders and values are updated in real time, with the same units (e.g. dB, ms, %) displayed as what you see in Live. Double tap a slider on the tablet to reset the parameter to its default value. Swipe in the Navigation controls on the right side to dive into your tracks, groups, racks, and devices faster than ever before. Swipe in from the left to show a channel strip with familiar mixer controls, including color-coded sends. Works on phones and tablets, even in multi-window view on the latest IOS 26. Knobbler is there to keep you out of the computer and in the creative moment, unlocking more of your music making potential. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Knobbler at 88% against touchAble Pro's 41%. Knobbler also leads on price (Free vs $29.99) and rating (4.8 vs 2.9). touchAble Pro's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ratings volume (54 vs 16). On update cadence, ads, monetization model 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
Knobbler is free to download; touchAble Pro costs $29.99 up front. Knobbler sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. touchAble Pro asks for nothing beyond the download.
Knobbler holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 54 and 16 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 41% of touchAble Pro's written reviews are positive against 88% of Knobbler's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on August 30, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | touchAble Pro | Knobbler |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $29.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 2.9 (54 ratings) | 4.8 (16 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 41.3% of reviews | 87.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 54 — better | 16 |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.3 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 48 MB | 38 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | AppBC | ZACHARY STEINKAMP |
Customer experience
touchAble Pro
Knobbler
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)
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- 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
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- 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
Knobbler
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
touchAble Pro
No in-app purchases
Knobbler
- Knobbler Monthly$0.991 Month
- Knobbler Annual$9.991 Year
- Knobbler Lifetime$19.99









