Comparison

Surface Builder vs Riffler Flow

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

Head to head
About

Surface Builder

Create custom MIDI control surfaces for audio applications. Design interfaces with buttons, knobs, and faders to send and receive MIDI data, control audio clips, and customize appearance. Supports AUv3 plugins and standalone use.

Highlights
  • Customizable MIDI control surfaces
  • AUv3 plugin and standalone modes
  • Send/receive MIDI data (notes, controllers, pitch bend)
  • Audio clip playback control
  • Multi-scene interface design
  • Drag and drop interface customization
Features
Read full description

Surface Builder is a tool for creating control surfaces that send MIDI data to one or more audio components in order to simplify remote control tasks. You start by creating a surface of a given size, adding buttons, knobs, faders, etc. to the surface and configuring them to generate the required MIDI output. Surface Builder allows you to send note on/off, controller change and program change values as well as being able to emulate modulation wheel and pitch bend data. Buttons can also be configured to send bulk MIDI data using a single key press. You can build surfaces that span multiple scenes and link between them for large complex interfaces. Incoming MIDI data can also be used to control or trigger elements of the interface, giving a bi-directional stream of MIDI data. Surface Builder can be added as a pure MIDI plugin which allows processing of MIDI only, or as an instrument plugin, allowing you to process audio passing through it. You can even load it as an intrument and configure a surface to start and stop audio clips either manually or remotely. Surface Builder was designed to be used as an AUv3 plugin within your favourite DAW, but it can also be used in standalone to send MIDI directly to MIDI hardware using direct access to their MIDI ports. Many different object types are supported including buttons, switches, lights, rotary knobs, faders, sliders, XY-Pad, keyboards, as well as text, image and box objects. Each object has many different styles and colours, so no two surfaces look the same. Drag and drop an audio file onto a button and that button becomes a clip player. Attach rotary knobs to control the clips volume and pan. Throw on top of that a LP/HP filter knob and you are cooking on gas. Drop PNG transparent image icons on buttons to customise the look and feel. A button can record and playback bulk MIDI commands, on both button press and release. So pressing a button could send the notes of a chord when pressed, and appropriate note offs on release. A surface can consist of up to 6 scenes for really complex designs. Buttons and switches can be used to switch scenes and also to show and hide other objects to make better use of screen space. Once your surface is complete switch to presentation mode to hide all the toolbars. Each surface can be saved with compressed audio and images all in a single surface file. Features ○ AUv3 and standalone modes. ○ Bluetooth MIDI support. ○ Drag and Drop interface. ○ Send and Receive Note On/Off. ○ Supports all Control Change parameters. ○ Supports Program Change commands with bank support. ○ Multiple Audio Clip playback. ○ Record and playback bulk midi data. ○ Multi-Scene. ○ Multi-level undo/redo. ○ MIDI Monitor ○ Presentation Mode. ○ iPhone and iPad compatible.

About

Riffler Flow

Instantly generate clean, arpeggio-based guitar riffs for various music genres. Explore preset styles or customize your own unique sounds with realistic tones and extensive chord options. Ideal for producers, songwriters, and musicians seeking creative inspiration.

Highlights
  • Instant arpeggio-based riff generation
  • Preset styles for Hip-Hop, Pop, EDM, Rock
  • Customizable settings for personalization
  • AUv3 plugin integration
  • Realistic guitar and synth tones
  • Chord and progression generator
  • Tablature output
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Introducing Riffler Flow – Create instant clean guitar riffs. The original Riffler was perfect for instantly making heavy, distorted, scale based riffs. Riffler Flow is a brand new app that instantly generates softer, clean, arpeggio based riffs at the press of a button. Unleash a torrent of clean guitar arpeggios with Riffler Flow, the go-to app for crafting catchy and copyright-free riffs tailored for modern genres. Simply tap "Create" and let the magic of arpeggios elevate your music production to new heights. PRESETS Dive into the world of Riffler Flow by selecting from a diverse range of preset styles specifically curated for Hip-Hop, Pop, EDM and Rock. Tap "Create" and watch as unique arpeggio-driven riffs come to life. Each riff is presented in intuitive tablature format, allowing you to both listen and save your musical creations. CUSTOMIZATION For those seeking a deeper level of control, Riffler Flow offers an extensive array of customizable settings. Fine-tune and personalize your riffs to you to create your signature sound. WHO WOULD USE RIFFLER FLOW? • Music producers and beatmakers exploring fresh, clean guitar elements for their tracks. • Songwriters looking for a burst of inspiration to infuse their compositions with captivating arpeggios. • Artists and musicians in search of a virtual guitarist to elevate their sound in limitless jam sessions. • Producers aiming to distinguish themselves by building a library of distinctive arpeggio riffs, setting their work apart from the crowd. • Ultimately, Riffler Flow is great fun – ideal for anyone eager to experiment and craft their own musical masterpieces! AUv3 PLUGIN Riffler Flow stands as both a standalone app and an AUv3 plugin, seamlessly integrating into host music applications. Sync it within your preferred host app, sending audio and MIDI to other effects, synths, samplers, and virtual instruments. REALISTIC TONES Riffler Flow's cutting-edge audio engine ensures breathtakingly realistic guitar tones, delivering a clean and vibrant sonic palette for your arpeggio explorations. There are various guitar tones featuring different effects along with an atmospheric reversed guitar sound and various different synth tones. There are additional delay and reverb controls for each sound. CHORDS AND PROGRESSION GENERATOR Riffler Flow features 28 different chord types ranging from basic major and minor chords to advanced jazz voicings. Chords can be entered manually or entire progression can be generated automatically by Riffler Flow. The generated progressions can be fined tuned using the "Character", "Complexity" and "Changes" controls.

Screenshots

Surface Builder4 screens
Riffler Flow4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Surface Builder at 4.7 against Riffler Flow's 4.1. Surface Builder also leads on review sentiment (80% vs 50%). Riffler Flow's advantage is monetization model (free vs paid) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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

Surface Builder costs $14.99 and Riffler Flow $14.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Surface Builder holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 15 and 25 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of Surface Builder's written reviews are positive against 50% of Riffler Flow's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Surface Builder ships an update every 3 weeks, Riffler Flow weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Surface Builder versus Riffler Flow: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSurface BuilderRiffler Flow
Price$14.99$14.99
Rating4.7 (15 ratings) — better4.1 (25 ratings)
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1525 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#185 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS1311.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB780 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer4Pockets.comJonathan Bell

Customer experience

Surface Builder

All ratings15 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral6.7%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral13.3%
Negative6.7%

Riffler Flow

All ratings25 ratings
Positive76.0%
Neutral8.0%
Negative16.0%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral32.1%
Negative17.9%

In-app purchases

None

Surface Builder

No in-app purchases

None

Riffler Flow

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Surface Builder free?
Surface Builder costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Riffler Flow free?
Riffler Flow costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Surface Builder or Riffler Flow?
Surface Builder is rated higher. Surface Builder averages 4.7 out of 5 from 15 ratings, while Riffler Flow averages 4.1 from 25 ratings.
Do Surface Builder or Riffler Flow have ads?
Neither Surface Builder nor Riffler Flow shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Surface Builder or Riffler Flow?
Surface Builder ships an update every 3 weeks, and Riffler Flow weekly. Most recently, Surface Builder was updated on September 22, 2026 and Riffler Flow on September 17, 2026.

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