Cortex Cloud vs Fractal Remote
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Cortex Cloud
Manage your Nano Cortex and access cloud-based content with an elegant interface. Browse and download presets, neural captures, and more. Control your device's profile and privacy settings.
- Control Nano Cortex
- Access Cortex Cloud
- Browse users and presets
- Download content
- Manage profile and privacy
- Share content
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Control your Nano Cortex and access Cortex Cloud through an intuitive and elegant interface. Browse users, Presets, Neural Captures, and more. Download items to have them display instantly on your device. You can also manage your profile and change the privacy settings for any files you have uploaded to Cortex Cloud. Benefits: Access deeper customization options for your Nano Cortex. Seamlessly download Presets, Neural Captures, and other items to your Quad Cortex or Nano Cortex. Manage your profile and the items you have uploaded to Cortex Cloud. Discover and follow users. Share Presets and Neural Captures with your friends. Cortex Cloud requires a free Neural DSP account and a registered Quad Cortex or Nano Cortex. Cortex Cloud is not required to use the Quad Cortex or Nano Cortex but provides deeper customization options for the Nano Cortex.
Fractal Remote
Transform your phone into a remote for compatible audio devices. Control presets, scenes, blocks, and parameters from a distance. Features a tuner, tap tempo, and customizable colors matching your hardware.
- Remote control for Fractal audio devices
- Switch presets and scenes
- Control block parameters
- Built-in tuner
- Tap tempo functionality
- Setlists and starred presets
- Customizable matching colors
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REQUIRES A COMPUTER, RASPBERRY PI, OR BLUETOOTH ADAPTER. Your Fractal unit plugs into a Mac, Windows or Linux computer with a USB cable, and that computer runs the Fractal Remote desktop app (get it at fractal.newbold.cloud/downloads). Alternatively, you can use a Bluetooth adapter with limited features. Editing and saving do not currently work with Bluetooth. Fractal Remote is independently developed and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or supported by Fractal Audio Systems, LLC. “Fractal Audio”, “Axe-Fx”, “FM3”, “FM9”, “AM4” and “VP4” are trademarks of Fractal Audio Systems, LLC, used here only to say which hardware this app works with. Fractal Remote turns your phone into a remote control for your Fractal Audio rig. Switch presets and scenes, turn blocks on and off, change channels, tune up and tap tempo, without walking back to your unit. Build a setlist and step through it with two big buttons you can hit in the dark. SUPPORTED UNITS FM3, FM9, Axe-Fx III and AM4, and the VP4. TRY THE DEMO FOR FREE. The demo is the whole app running against a simulated unit. The demo needs no hardware and no computer. Controlling your real unit needs the computer described at the top (or Bluetooth). WHAT IT DOES • Switch any of your presets, by name, in slot order or from a setlist • Scenes, with the names your unit already uses • Turn blocks on and off, and pick channels A to D • Open a block and change its real parameters on real knobs (computer only) • Tuner, with the note and how far off you are • Tap tempo, with the tempo on the button • Setlists and starred presets, kept with your account across devices • Colors that can match your Fractal unit (Settings → Colors), so you find things by looking HOW IT WORKS A phone needs something between it and your Fractal unit, and the best one is the desktop app. It runs on your Mac, Windows PC or Linux computer, holds the USB cable, and your phone talks to it. Get it at fractal.newbold.cloud/downloads. COMPUTER Once the two are paired, the phone works from anywhere: the same room, the far side of the stage, or a different building. BLUETOOTH There are two ways to connect. The computer is the best one. Bluetooth needs no computer, but it has more lag and fewer features. It is offered on the AM4, FM3, FM9, Axe-Fx III and VP4: with a Bluetooth MIDI adapter on the unit's MIDI jacks, your phone controls it directly, with presets, scenes, effects on and off, channels, tempo and the tuner, within about 30 feet. No editing or saving, and no looper. So far it has been tried on the AM4 and the FM3: on the AM4 with a CME WIDI Master, or a CME WIDI Uhost and C2MIDI Pro cable (each with two Type-A MIDI to 3.5 mm adapters), and on the FM3 with a CME WIDI Uhost and a CME U2MIDI Pro cable. The parts are sold separately, by other companies (CME, LOOTOOLS, Eldraqth and Anker); Fractal Remote has nothing to do with them or with Amazon, and gets nothing from the app's links to them. Never plug the C2MIDI Pro or a WIDI Master into an FM3: both got very hot. What to buy and how to plug it in: Settings → My rig → Bluetooth. ONE PAYMENT, LIFETIME UNLOCK Controlling real hardware is a single purchase. It unlocks the full app on every device you own, forever, including every future update, on all supported Fractal units.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Fractal Remote at 100% against Cortex Cloud's 29%. Fractal Remote also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.4) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 6 weeks). Cortex Cloud's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (73 vs 1). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Fractal Remote sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Cortex Cloud asks for nothing beyond the download.
Fractal Remote holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cortex Cloud has 73 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 29% of Cortex Cloud's written reviews are positive against 100% of Fractal Remote's.
Cortex Cloud ships an update every 6 weeks, Fractal Remote every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Cortex Cloud | Fractal Remote |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.4 (73 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 28.9% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 73 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 100 MB | 43 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Neural DSP | Justin Newbold |
Customer experience
Cortex Cloud
Fractal Remote
In-app purchases
Cortex Cloud
No in-app purchases
Fractal Remote
- Full Version$9.99
Questions
Is Cortex Cloud free?
Is Fractal Remote free?
Which has better reviews, Cortex Cloud or Fractal Remote?
Do Cortex Cloud or Fractal Remote have ads?
Which is updated more often, Cortex Cloud or Fractal Remote?
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