MixSurface vs TouchOSC for REAPER: a REAPER app or a controller you build yourself

TouchOSC is made by Hexler. What I say about it comes from Hexler’s TouchOSC page, its OSC connections manual, and the App Store and Google Play listings, plus my own time with it. Checked October 2026.

MixSurface is not affiliated with Cockos or with Hexler. REAPER is a trademark of Cockos, TouchOSC belongs to Hexler.

The short answer

If you want pads, MIDI instruments, or one controller for REAPER, synths and other software on the same computer, get TouchOSC. It talks MIDI and OSC to anything, and you build exactly the layout you want.

If you want to mix REAPER on the tablet, ride faders and sends, work on plugins and EQ, and not touch OSC addresses at all, that’s what MixSurface is built for. It only does REAPER, and that’s why there’s nothing to set up. The mixer part is free, and TouchOSC can be tried before you buy, so you can try both.

Side by side

What both do

Both run on phones and tablets, both are one-time purchases with no subscription, and both are two-way with REAPER: TouchOSC sends and receives OSC, so faders can follow REAPER, and MixSurface follows REAPER out of the box. With the right layout TouchOSC can be a REAPER mixer, and REAPER ships LogicTouch and LogicPad pattern files and there are community layouts, so you don’t start from nothing.

What TouchOSC has that MixSurface doesn’t

It controls anything. Pads, MIDI instruments, synths, other software on the same computer, not only REAPER. You build the layout yourself, so it can look and work exactly how you want. The editor is inside the app on every platform, so you don’t need a desktop licence to build layouts, and there are desktop versions for Windows, macOS and Linux. It does OSC over UDP and TCP with up to ten connections at once. And Hexler lets you download it and try it with no restrictions before you buy.

I don’t have MIDI instruments or pads. Maybe later.

What I ran into with TouchOSC

I used TouchOSC, the first version and the second, and in reality I didn’t get too far. I downloaded some templates and got one mixer template working. To build one that worked for me I had to jump back and forth between the OSC address and how the control looks. I couldn’t get track colours to work. And in my setup, every time my network changed I had to go and find the connection again. That was the most annoying part.

That’s my experience using it as a REAPER mixer, and it’s the reason I built MixSurface. The longer story is in how I ended up building my own REAPER remote.

What MixSurface is built around

Most of my time went into how the fader feels and into plugin control. In MixSurface:

• 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.
• Track names and colours come from REAPER. You don’t build a layout per project.
• 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.

So the difference in one line: in TouchOSC you build the controller, in MixSurface the controller is already built for REAPER and you only build the plugin layouts you want.

Setup

TouchOSC: add an OSC control surface in REAPER, exchange IPs and ports between REAPER and the device, then load or build a layout. Hexler’s REAPER setup page is written for the first-generation TouchOSC, so for the current one you go by the OSC connections manual and REAPER’s own OSC settings.

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.

Which I’d pick

For mixing REAPER, plugins and live shows, MixSurface. The mixer is free, so try it against TouchOSC yourself. For pads, MIDI instruments or controlling other software too, TouchOSC, no question. If you like building your own controllers, you’ll probably enjoy TouchOSC more than I did.

The bigger list, with the Web Remote, CSI, Lemur and others, is in REAPER remote apps in 2026.

FAQ

Does TouchOSC work with REAPER? Yes. You add an OSC control surface in REAPER, match IPs and ports, and load or build a layout. REAPER ships LogicTouch and LogicPad pattern files, and there are community layouts.

Is TouchOSC a one-time purchase? Yes. Hexler says licences are one-time, no subscriptions. It’s $19.99 on the App Store and Google Play, checked October 2026.

Do I need to set up OSC for MixSurface? No. Install the extension, open the app on the same network, and it connects. That’s because it only does REAPER. TouchOSC can control anything.

Can MixSurface do MIDI pads or instruments? Not yet. If that’s what you need, TouchOSC is the better pick.

If I got something wrong about TouchOSC, tell me at support@mixsurface.app and I’ll fix it.

Toms