Comparison

Ableton Note vs Submerge

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

Head to head
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

About

Submerge

Discover a world of underground music with curated radio stations featuring indie, electronic, hip-hop, and experimental genres. Enjoy seamless streaming on the go with Apple CarPlay and AirPlay support, and stay updated with smart notifications for new releases and events.

Highlights
  • Curated underground music stations
  • Apple CarPlay support
  • AirPlay streaming
  • Smart notifications for new tracks
  • Real-time listener interaction
  • Dark mode and minimal UI
Features
Read full description

Submerge – Underground Music Radio Go deeper than the mainstream. Submerge connects you with a world of underground music radio stations, streaming the freshest indie, electronic, hip-hop, and experimental sounds from across the globe. Features: Stream Curated Stations: Handpicked underground stations featuring emerging artists and niche genres. Apple CarPlay Support: Take your listening experience on the road with a seamless CarPlay interface. Now with AirPlay: Stream directly to your favorite speakers, Apple TV, and AirPlay-compatible devices. Smart Notifications: Be the first to know when new tracks drop or special events go live—tailored to your listening tastes. Interact in real time with listeners from around the globe. Dark Mode & Minimal UI: Designed for distraction-free listening, day or night. Whether you're discovering new sounds or following your favorite underground scenes, Submerge puts the culture at your fingertips.

Screenshots

Ableton Note4 screens
Submerge4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Submerge at Free against Ableton Note's $6.99. Submerge also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.2) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). Ableton Note's advantage is ratings volume (695 vs 3) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 5 months). On 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

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Submerge holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ableton Note has 695 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ableton Note ships an update every 5 weeks, Submerge every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Ableton Note versus Submerge: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAbleton NoteSubmerge
Price$6.99Free — better
Rating4.2 (695 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings695 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#6 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size1010 MB29 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperAbleton AGSubmerge, Limited Liability Company

Customer experience

Ableton Note

All ratings695 ratings
Positive78.4%
Neutral10.6%
Negative10.9%
Written reviews481 reviews
Positive72.3%
Neutral13.7%
Negative13.9%

Submerge

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and 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

Submerge

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Ableton Note

One-time1
  • Drift In-App Purchase$3.99
None

Submerge

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ableton Note free?
Ableton Note costs $6.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Submerge free?
Submerge is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Ableton Note or Submerge?
Submerge is rated higher. Ableton Note averages 4.2 out of 5 from 695 ratings, while Submerge averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Ableton Note or Submerge have ads?
Neither Ableton Note nor Submerge shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ableton Note or Submerge?
Ableton Note ships an update every 5 weeks, and Submerge every 5 months. Most recently, Ableton Note was updated on October 11, 2026 and Submerge on September 30, 2026.

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