TONEX Control vs Fractal Remote
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
TONEX Control
This free companion app provides guitarists and bassists with wireless control over their TONEX Plug. It offers real-time editing, extensive preset management, and access to a vast online community of tone models and presets. Practice tools like a tuner and metronome are also included.
- Real-time amp, cab, and effect editing
- Unlimited user preset management
- Access to ToneNET community
- Bluetooth streaming for practice
- Built-in tuner and metronome
- Instant device connectivity
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Play beyond limits. Real amps. Total freedom. Take full control of your tone from your mobile device with TONEX Control, the official free companion app for TONEX ONE+ and TONEX Plug. Edit, manage, and expand your rig in real time with seamless access to ToneNET, deep tone shaping tools, and complete preset control. Whether you're practicing, recording, or building a pedalboard rig, TONEX Control keeps everything connected and within reach. KEY FEATURES Full Real-Time Editing Shape your sound with intuitive control over amps, cabs, effects, IRs, and EQ. Complete Preset Management Access and edit onboard presets or store unlimited presets on your mobile device. Organize, assign, and back up your sounds with ease. ToneNET Access Explore over 60,000 Tone Models and presets from the global TONEX community. Search, demo, and download new tones instantly. Wireless Control for TONEX ONE+ Connect via Bluetooth for real-time editing, tone transfer, and full control of your pedal. Seamless TONEX Plug Integration Manage and organize your tones on the go while keeping your library synced. Advanced Tone Shaping Edit amps, cabs, VIR and IRs, EQ, noise gate, compression, modulation, delay, and reverb. Built-In Practice Tools Stay in tune and in time with a built-in tuner and metronome. Fast, Connected Workflow Instantly connect and sync presets and settings across the TONEX ecosystem. TONEX Control is your mobile command center for tone. Download now and take full control of your rig, anywhere you play.
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 TONEX Control's 18%. Fractal Remote also leads on rating (5.0 vs 1.0) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 6 weeks). TONEX Control's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, ratings volume, ads 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
Both are free to download. Fractal Remote sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. TONEX Control asks for nothing beyond the download.
Fractal Remote holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 18% of TONEX Control's written reviews are positive against 100% of Fractal Remote's.
TONEX Control ships an update every 6 weeks, Fractal Remote every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | TONEX Control | Fractal Remote |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 18.2% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 130 MB | 43 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | IK Multimedia US, LLC | Justin Newbold |
Customer experience
TONEX Control
Fractal Remote
In-app purchases
TONEX Control
No in-app purchases
Fractal Remote
- Full Version$9.99
Questions
Is TONEX Control free?
Is Fractal Remote free?
Which has better reviews, TONEX Control or Fractal Remote?
Do TONEX Control or Fractal Remote have ads?
Which is updated more often, TONEX Control or Fractal Remote?
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