Ribn vs mLFO
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Ribn
This app provides a unique MIDI controller experience with 8 assignable ribbons. It allows you to record and loop finger movements, adding organic modulation to synthesizers and effects. Control various MIDI-responsive gear, from hardware synths to software instruments.
- 8 MIDI CC ribbon pads
- Record and loop finger movement
- Configurable MIDI channel and CC# per ribbon
- Turn off looping for regular slider functionality
- Switch between 3 sets of configurations with presets
- MIDI sending in background
- iPad landscape mode
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Ribn is a MIDI controller with 8 assignable ribbons. What makes Ribn unique is its ability to record and loop your finger movement. This allows you to add organic repeating modulation to your synths and effects, kind of like complex LFOs. You can assign a unique MIDI channel and CC# to each ribbon. As long as your gear responds to MIDI CC messages you will be able to control it with Ribn. ** FEATURES ** • 8 MIDI CC ribbon pads • Add modulation to your MIDI hardware synths, effects, eurorack modulars, drum machines, etc. • Configurable MIDI channel and CC# per ribbon • You can name each ribbon to help you identify what parameter it's controlling • Turn off looping on individual ribbons to turn them into regular sliders • Choose any number of ribbons between 1 and 8 • Full screen mode (removes navigation bar to help you focus) • Switch between 3 sets of configurations using presets • MIDI sending works while the app is in the background • iPad landscape mode • Select multiple MIDI outputs • Ribbons record and loop your finger movement • Use a wired MIDI interface, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi • All settings are saved automatically • Works with external hardware as well as other iOS synths • Works on iPhone (including iPhone X) and iPad starting with iOS 10 ** EXAMPLE USES ** • Control hardware MIDI synths parameters like the filter cutoff frequency, resonance, oscillator octave, etc. • Control any soft synth in Ableton Live (or your favorite DAW) by connecting your iOS device to your Mac via Wi-Fi and choosing "Session 1" as the MIDI output in Ribn. • Control your Eurorack modules by running Ribn through a MIDI to CV converter. • Control other iOS synths like the Moog Model 15 or Arturia iSEM. • Control drum machines and effects. For example, try controlling the room size of a reverb effect unit with a looping ribbon or the snappiness of a snare drum on a drum machine. The possibilities are endless. • Daisy chain your MIDI hardware using MIDI Thru ports and assign each ribbon to a different MIDI channel. This way you can control more than one piece of hardware at a time. For example, you can assign the first 4 ribbons to a synth and the last 4 to an effect unit. ** HOW IT WORKS ** • Connect your MIDI gear (like a synth) to your iOS device using a MIDI interface (wired or bluetooth) • Launch Ribn and select your MIDI interface in the settings page. • Find out which CC# and MIDI channel your gear responds to (usually at the end of the manual) and enter this information in RIbn's edit view. • Slide your finger on a ribbon to send CC values and control the parameters on your MIDI gear. ** WHAT IS MIDI AND CC? ** • MIDI is just the way electronic musical instruments talk to each other. • CC (Continuous Controller) is just a way to control various parameters using MIDI. For example, a synth's filter cutoff frequency can be controlled using a MIDI CC signal. ** NOTE ** • Ribn is a MIDI controller and doesn't produce any sounds. To use Ribn you must connect it to a device that responds to MIDI CC signals (check your gear's manual to be sure). • Ribn doesn't send note data, it only sends CC signals (you can't play melodies with it, but you can control various parameters like synthesizer filters, or effects settings). • To connect your iOS device to MIDI gear you will need to buy a MIDI interface. A MIDI interface typically connects to your iOS lightning port and provides standard MIDI DIN ports to connect to your hardware. There are also bluetooth MIDI interfaces that connect wirelessly. Alternatively, you can connect to your Mac over Wi-Fi and control software synths that way. This setup is a little more complex but totally doable (I've tested controlling Ableton Live plugins over Wi-Fi with Ribn and it worked perfectly). • Audiobus and AUv3 are not supported at this time. However, you can still control other iOS synths by routing the internal MIDI ports and having Ribn run in the background.
mLFO
This app provides 16 programmable MIDI LFOs with extensive features for music production. It offers multiple parameters per LFO, independent output, and a wide rate range. It can be used as a standalone app or as an AUv3 plugin within compatible host applications.
- 16 programmable MIDI LFOs
- Multiple parameters per LFO
- Independent output and MIDI channel
- Wide rate range
- Custom shape creation (free and ADSR)
- 4 trigger modes including random retrigger
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*** Note *** Although mLFO can run as a stand-alone app, the recommended way to use it is as an AUv3 plugin from inside a suitable AU Host app, such as AUM, AudioBus, Cubasis etc. mLFO AUv3 is a set of 16 programmable MIDI LFOs with a extensive set of features: - Multiple parameters per LFO, including variability. - Independent output and MIDI channel per LFO. - Wide rate range, from 1/128 to 130442 beats. - 9 factory and 16 user shapes. - Custom shapes: free and ADSR. - 4 trigger modes, including random retrigger (every incoming note triggers a random LFO). - MIDI Thru. mLFO uses parts of the following copyrighted material, the use of which is hereby acknowledged. LICENCES AudioKit The MIT License (MIT) Copyright (c) 2016 Aurelius Prochazka Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions: The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software. THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Ribn at every 3 days against mLFO's every 2 months. Ribn also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and review sentiment (91% vs 80%). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Ribn costs $3.99 and mLFO $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Ribn holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 30 and 19 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of Ribn's written reviews are positive against 80% of mLFO's.
Ribn ships an update every 3 days, mLFO every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Ribn | mLFO |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 — better | $5.99 |
| Rating | 4.8 (30 ratings) — better | 4.5 (19 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 90.9% of reviews — better | 80.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 30 — better | 19 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 28 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nebojsa Petrovic | Axart Labs OU |
Customer experience
Ribn
mLFO
In-app purchases
Ribn
No in-app purchases
mLFO
No in-app purchases









