Comparison

Handy Harp II vs DAW Controller

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

Head to head
About

Handy Harp II

Features
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The "world's easiest-to-play" grand harp returns, even better than before. The new version of this audiovisual app assists harpists, composers, arrangers, orchestrators and students in gaining a deeper understanding of the grand harp's pedal functions. This application is an high-performance tool that assists in intuitively configuring harp pedals and creating sheet music. To achieve both a realistic experience and efficient workflow, this application includes the following features. ■ Recreation of Performing a Harp ・Intuitive touch control scheme on realistic pedals and sheet-music-style diagrams ・Faithful simulation of the harp's unique disc rotations ・A harp string section capable of playing beautiful glissandos ■ Strong Support for Music Creation ・Piano keys and music notation displayed with enharmonic notes ・Instant access to 336 pre-registered scales and 540 pre-registered chord names ・The ability to save up to 999 frequently used pedal settings ■ External Software / DAW Integration ・The ability to transmit MIDI data via Bluetooth MIDI, Network MIDI and wired MIDI to your DAW *When using Windows 11, usage of a separate Bluetooth MIDI device such as one from CME (WIDI Bud Pro, WIDI Uhost and WIDI Thru6 BT) is required. *When using a Mac, IDAM (Inter-Device Audio and MIDI) is also supported. ・The ability to transfer pedal diagrams to sheet music software such as Sibelius and Dorico ■ Other Features ・Support for octave notation, a welcome feature for harpists ・Function that clearly indicates pedal changes using circular marks

About

DAW Controller

Read full description

Your sleeping iPhone becomes a wheel and fader controller for your DAW. Digital pianos and synths often have no Pitch Bend or Modulation wheel. Dedicated hardware is hard to find, and small keyboards with wheels tend to feel awkward or fiddly to set up. DAW Controller is a pure MIDI controller built to fill exactly that gap. ■ Six controls Pitch Bend / Modulation / Expression / Main Volume / Breath / Custom CC. Big wheels let you send nuance with a fingertip. ■ Three ways to your DAW Network MIDI, Bluetooth MIDI, and USB. No OSC bridge, no extra conversion — it reaches your Mac DAW (Cubase and others) directly. ■ Haptics you can feel on a desk Solid haptic feedback that comes through even with the phone lying flat. ■ Fits your hands Manual portrait/landscape switch, a left- or right-side control panel in landscape, and fader looks (metal / color / matte). ■ Nothing extra No ads. No subscription. Buy once. Try it first, and if you like it, pay once — for good. DAW Controller — to be your obbligato.

Screenshots

Handy Harp II4 screens
DAW Controller4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: DAW Controller at Free against Handy Harp II's $39.99. Handy Harp II's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and device support (3 vs 1). On update cadence and ads 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

DAW Controller is free to download; Handy Harp II costs $39.99 up front. DAW Controller sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Handy Harp II asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Handy Harp II ships an update every 3 days, DAW Controller every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 2 level
Handy Harp II versus DAW Controller: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHandy Harp IIDAW Controller
Price$39.99Free — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 6 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size123 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPROCYON STUDIO CO., LTD.Yasuhiro Misawa

In-app purchases

None

Handy Harp II

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

DAW Controller

One-time1
  • DAW Controller (Buy Once)$11.99

Questions

Is Handy Harp II free?
Handy Harp II costs $39.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is DAW Controller free?
DAW Controller is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Handy Harp II or DAW Controller have ads?
Neither Handy Harp II nor DAW Controller shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Handy Harp II or DAW Controller?
Handy Harp II ships an update every 3 days, and DAW Controller every 6 days. Most recently, Handy Harp II was updated on October 30, 2026 and DAW Controller on October 25, 2026.

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