The Web Remote is built into REAPER by Cockos. What I say about it comes from section 15.31 of the REAPER user guide, the REAPER changelog and REAPER Blog, plus my own use of it. Checked October 2026.
MixSurface is not affiliated with Cockos. REAPER and its Web Remote are theirs.
The short answer
For musicians’ headphone mixes, use the Web Remote. It’s already in REAPER, nobody installs anything, you send a link.
For your own controller as the engineer, faders, sends, plugins and EQ, that’s what MixSurface is built for. I use both at the same session, so this isn’t really an either-or.
Side by side
| MixSurface | REAPER Web Remote | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Native app plus a REAPER extension | A web server inside REAPER serving pages to a browser |
| Runs on | iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets (App Store, Google Play) | Any browser on the same network |
| Install on the device | The app | Nothing |
| Price | Free mixer, $29.99 one-time unlock | No extra cost, it’s part of REAPER |
| Connect | Open the app, it finds REAPER. USB or IP if discovery fails | Open the Access URL REAPER shows |
| Stock pages | n/a | Basic, graphical, a fancier one, and a headphone mix page (more_me.html) |
What both do
Both put track faders, sends and transport on a phone or tablet, and both work from more than one device at once. Both are still being worked on: REAPER 7.67 added touch support for volume, pan and width on the stock pages, and 7.73 fixed the fancier page.
What the Web Remote has that MixSurface doesn’t
Nothing to install. That’s the big one. A musician coming in for a session opens a link in the phone’s browser and has their mix. Installing an app only for in-ears is a bit overkill for that.
It costs nothing on top of REAPER. The pages are HTML, so you can change them or write your own. And REAPER ships a headphone mix page, more_me.html, which REAPER Blog wrote about when it came in as a mobile headphone mixer.
How I use them together
I have used the Web Remote, and still use it sometimes, for musicians’ in-ear mixes. It works surprisingly well, but it’s a bit clunky UI-wise. I start the server and give the link to the musicians. The tablet with MixSurface stays with me as my master controller. If someone doesn’t have a phone, or doesn’t want the hassle of opening a link, I pass the tablet around.
The page only rides what’s already there. Each musician’s mix still needs real routing in REAPER, sends or a bus going to the hardware output for their headphones. The user guide covers the sends-based headphone mix in section 5.11.
What MixSurface is built around
The stock Web Remote pages are about transport, track faders, sends and mixes, not plugin editing. MixSurface is where I do the mixing itself, and most of my time went into how the fader feels and into plugin control:
- Faders and pan are tuned for touch: slow moves are fine, fast throws cover the range, and there’s a Fine mode for small moves.
- Grab a fader in Touch or Latch and it writes automation, and the fader follows the automation back on playback.
- Layers: pick the tracks you need into a named layer and switch between layers. Pin master or a bus so it stays in view.
- Sends on Fader: flip the big faders to a send and ride it.
- Channel Detail shows the whole FX chain, every plugin as a layout of controls, and you can build your own layout by touching the parameter in the plugin.
- A multi-touch EQ surface for a growing set of EQ plugins: grab a band, drag it, pinch for Q. The list is in the EQ docs.
- Control View: your own pages of plugin parameters, actions and meters from across the project.
- Arrange (in beta): waveforms, plus trim, split, fades and moving items.
The free part is the mixer, layers and Sends on Fader. The one-time unlock adds Channel Detail, the EQ surface, Control View and Arrange.
Setup
Web Remote: in REAPER go to Options > Preferences > Control/OSC/web, click Add, pick “Web browser interface”, choose a default page and press Apply. REAPER shows an Access URL, open it in any browser on the same network. On Windows you may need to let the port (8080 by default) through the firewall.
MixSurface: install the extension from the setup page, restart REAPER, open the app on the same network. It finds REAPER on its own. If it doesn’t, connect over USB or type the IP.
Both are a couple of minutes, and they run side by side, that’s how I use them.
Which I’d pick
Both. The Web Remote for the musicians, MixSurface for me. If you only need headphone mixes and nothing else, the Web Remote is enough and it’s already in REAPER. If you mix from the tablet, you want a real controller, and that’s MixSurface. The mixer is free, so try it and judge yourself.
The bigger list of REAPER remotes is in REAPER remote apps in 2026.
FAQ
Does REAPER have a built-in web remote? Yes. Options > Preferences > Control/OSC/web, add a “Web browser interface”, and open the Access URL REAPER shows on any device on the same network.
Can musicians use the REAPER web remote for their headphone mix? Yes, that’s what I use it for. REAPER ships a headphone mix page. Each mix still needs sends or a bus routed to a hardware output in REAPER.
Can the REAPER web remote control plugins? The stock pages are about transport, track faders, sends and mixes, not plugin editing. In MixSurface, Channel Detail and the EQ surface are for that, in the one-time unlock.
Does the web remote cost extra? No, it’s part of REAPER. MixSurface’s mixer, layers and Sends on Fader are free, and the rest is a one-time $29.99 unlock, no subscription.
If I got something wrong about the Web Remote, tell me at support@mixsurface.app and I’ll fix it.
Toms