Comparison

Ribn vs MolliLooper

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

MolliLooper

This real-time stereo effect app allows for instant looping and filtering of audio. Designed for live performance, it continuously records input for immediate playback and offers adjustable loop timing synced to a host clock. It also features a resonant filter and stutter/freeze capabilities.

Highlights
  • Real-time stereo looping
  • Instant recording/looping
  • Host clock sync
  • Adjustable loop timing
  • Lowpass/highpass resonant filter
  • Stutter/freeze effect
  • AUv3 plugin support
Features
Read full description

Molli Looper is a realtime stereo effect for looping and filtering. Intended mainly as a live performance tool, no preparation is needed to trigger loop recording - input is constantly recorded in the background to be triggered whenever it is needed.   Loop timing is synced to host clock, and can be adjusted from multi-bar loops right down to 16th note drills.   The looped or unlooped audio is then passed though a lowpass -> neutral -> highpass resonant filter, based on a 4 pole ladder design for lush analogue style sound.   You can use Molli Looper either as iOS Standalone app or as AUv3 plugin. FEATURES: - Combination of looper and stutter/freeze - Continuous recording: instant recording/looping - Runs in sync with host clock - Jumps to meaningful places in the recording: "Snap to grid" - Grid: 1/16, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 beats - Ability to scroll through the recording - Lowpass/highpass resonant filter - Long Tap XY keeps filter position - Limiter/booster effect - Momentary Mode - Tap on Molli Looper icon for basic information

Screenshots

Ribn4 screens
MolliLooper2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Ribn at every 3 days against MolliLooper's every 2 months. Ribn also leads on price ($3.99 vs $8.99) and review sentiment (91% vs 82%). MolliLooper's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.8). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Ribn costs $3.99 and MolliLooper $8.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

MolliLooper holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 30 and 13 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 91% of Ribn's written reviews are positive against 82% of MolliLooper's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ribn ships an update every 3 days, MolliLooper every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Ribn versus MolliLooper: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRibnMolliLooper
Price$3.99 — better$8.99
Rating4.8 (30 ratings)5.0 (13 ratings) — better
Positive reviews90.9% of reviews — better81.8% of reviews
Number of ratings30 — better13
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS10.0 — better11
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNebojsa PetrovicOliver Greschke (DE)

Customer experience

Ribn

All ratings30 ratings
Positive96.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews33 reviews
Positive90.9%
Neutral3.0%
Negative6.1%

MolliLooper

All ratings13 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive81.8%
Neutral9.1%
Negative9.1%

In-app purchases

None

Ribn

No in-app purchases

None

MolliLooper

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ribn free?
Ribn costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is MolliLooper free?
MolliLooper costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Ribn or MolliLooper?
MolliLooper is rated higher. Ribn averages 4.8 out of 5 from 30 ratings, while MolliLooper averages 5.0 from 13 ratings.
Do Ribn or MolliLooper have ads?
Neither Ribn nor MolliLooper shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ribn or MolliLooper?
Ribn ships an update every 3 days, and MolliLooper every 2 months. Most recently, Ribn was updated on November 2, 2026 and MolliLooper on November 3, 2026.

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