Comparison

SOUNDBOKS vs Ableton Note

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

Head to head
About

SOUNDBOKS

Control your speaker's sound with customizable profiles and EQ settings. Link multiple speakers for a powerful audio experience and fine-tune inputs for professional use. Manage speaker energy levels, colors, and security with this comprehensive app.

Highlights
  • Customizable sound profiles
  • Adjustable EQ settings
  • Link multiple speakers (TeamUp)
  • ProPanel for input fine-tuning
  • Energy level and color control
  • Speaker PIN-code protection
  • Firmware upgrades
Features
Read full description

Sound Profiles & Stereo Roles Pick between different sound profiles to find the right sound for your vibe. Change stereos roles for surround sound setups. Custom EQs Want more bass? Need to tweak the treble? The power is at your fingertips. There’s no limit on how many you can create. TeamUp & SKAA Pro Mode Link up to five Soundboks to create DIY sound systems and unlimited Lightboks* for immersive atmospheres. You can rely on SKAA Pro’s audio quality and latency to come in clutch. Pro Panel & Performance Modes Does your mic need more volume? Mixer sounding thin? Use the ProPanel’s performance modes to fine-tune your inputs. Energy Levels & Mirroring Choose between four energy levels to fit your mood and control the effects. Mirror multiple Lightboks to create more immersive lightshows. FXPad & Uplight FXPad’s four real time effects add extra energy to the lights. Uplight’s constant glow fills your space with ambient light. Color Palettes Either choose between 10 curated color palettes or create your own for ultimate atmosphere control. PIN-Code & Session Lock Set your pin to protect your Soundboks or Lightboks from gate crashers. Session lock the physical control panel to freeze volume, connection, and more. Firmware Upgrades Get firmware upgrades direct to your app and keep your product tip top. In-App Feedback Form Something playing up? Take a screenshot to trigger the feedback from and tell us how we can help. *subject to environment

About

Ableton Note

Create musical ideas with curated sounds and effects. Build beats, melodies, and sample your surroundings. Seamlessly transfer your projects to Ableton Live for further development.

Highlights
  • Create beats and melodies
  • Sample sounds with phone microphone
  • MIDI Editor for sequencing
  • Transfer projects to Ableton Live
  • 76 Drum Sampler kits
  • 317 synth sounds
Read full description

Start new musical ideas with a curated selection of sounds and effects. Create beats and melodic parts, sample your world, and continue your tracks in Ableton Live. Note is a place to form ideas, explore new sounds and find direction. Get your ideas out or just experiment until inspiration hits, using a selection of Ableton Live’s drum kits, synths and melodic instruments. Create your own sound palette by sampling with your phone’s built-in microphone. And use Note’s built-in MIDI Editor to sequence notes, beats and chords or make tweaks as you listen back Follow your ideas wherever they lead by sending your projects to Live without leaving the app with the help of Ableton Cloud. Open projects from Live’s browser and keep working – you can edit all your MIDI notes, and all your samples and sounds from Note are exactly the same. Ableton Note users get a free license for Ableton Live Lite – simple, intuitive software used by musicians, producers and DJs around the world to write, record, and perform. For Ableton Move users, Note also offers the chance to keep working on a Set from your phone. Begin with a beat: • Choose from 76 Drum Sampler kits • Tap out a beat using the 16-pad grid, or sequence one with the MIDI Editor • Play each drum hit melodically using 16 Pitches mode • Quantize your beat or nudge notes to fix loose timing or mistakes • Add more layers of rhythm • Create beat repetitions with Note Repeat • Change parameters to shape your sound • Experiment with effects or apply swing for variations Start with a melody: • Choose from 317 synth sounds and 60 Melodic Sampler instruments • Play or program your melody or chord progression with the 25-pad grid, piano roll or MIDI Editor • Set a key and scale to get instantly harmonic results • Add more layers of harmony • Change parameters to shape your sound • Add effects to experiment with sound design Sample your environment: • Create your own kits by recording percussive sounds into Note’s Drum Sampler • Record tonal sounds to create your own Melodic Sampler instruments • Manipulate your samples by cutting, filtering or repitching them • Sequence samples into beats, melodies and chords using the MIDI Editor • Shape or transform your sounds with effects • Import your own samples or audio directly from videos Work with Audio • Add audio clips from the library • Warp tempo or adjust pitch of your clips • Record audio directly using your phone’s built-in microphone • Connect an audio interface to record external sources • Combine recorded and imported audio with your beats and melodies Capture improvisations: • Play something, then tap the Capture button to keep it • Play at a tempo that feels comfortable and Note will detect it • Note will recognize the length of the phrase and create a loop • Quantize it, add to it, or change the sound • Connect MIDI hardware to play keys and change the sound of your instruments Create variations: • Note features a grid-based Session View layout • Double your loops to create variation within clips • Duplicate your clips and create different versions of your ideas • Add, delete or adjust multiple notes at once with the MIDI Editor • Create eight tracks with up to eight clips on eight scenes • Try different clip combinations and song structures • Export your work as an audio file to listen and share

Screenshots

SOUNDBOKS4 screens
Ableton Note4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: SOUNDBOKS at Free against Ableton Note's $6.99. SOUNDBOKS also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). Ableton Note's advantage is chart position (#7 vs unranked) and review sentiment (73% vs 61%). On ratings volume, ads, 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

SOUNDBOKS is free to download; Ableton Note costs $6.99 up front. Ableton Note sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. SOUNDBOKS asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SOUNDBOKS holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 352 and 676 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 61% of SOUNDBOKS's written reviews are positive against 73% of Ableton Note's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SOUNDBOKS ships an update every 2 weeks, Ableton Note monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
SOUNDBOKS versus Ableton Note: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSOUNDBOKSAbleton Note
PriceFree — better$6.99
Rating4.4 (352 ratings) — better4.2 (676 ratings)
Positive reviews60.9% of reviews72.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings352676 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#7 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.415.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size94 MB1007 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSOUNDBOKSAbleton AG

Customer experience

SOUNDBOKS

All ratings352 ratings
Positive84.1%
Neutral2.6%
Negative13.4%
Written reviews115 reviews
Positive60.9%
Neutral15.7%
Negative23.5%

Ableton Note

All ratings676 ratings
Positive78.4%
Neutral10.8%
Negative10.8%
Written reviews473 reviews
Positive72.5%
Neutral13.7%
Negative13.7%

Bugs and requests

SOUNDBOKS

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Ableton Note

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Occasional loss of unsaved work
  • Freezing issues when editing clips

Requested features

6 requests
  • Audio track support
  • Expanded note editing tools
  • Midi controller support
  • More effects and synth options
  • Time signature flexibility
Show 1 more
  • Ability to import samples from Ableton Live

In-app purchases

None

SOUNDBOKS

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Ableton Note

One-time1
  • Drift In-App Purchase$3.99

Questions

Is SOUNDBOKS free?
SOUNDBOKS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ableton Note free?
Ableton Note costs $6.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SOUNDBOKS or Ableton Note?
SOUNDBOKS is rated higher. SOUNDBOKS averages 4.4 out of 5 from 352 ratings, while Ableton Note averages 4.2 from 676 ratings.
Do SOUNDBOKS or Ableton Note have ads?
Neither SOUNDBOKS nor Ableton Note shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SOUNDBOKS or Ableton Note?
SOUNDBOKS ships an update every 2 weeks, and Ableton Note monthly. Most recently, SOUNDBOKS was updated on September 25, 2026 and Ableton Note on September 22, 2026.

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