Your first iPad controller
Reloop Buddy
A 1 kg djay controller with Neural Mix controls and a tablet slot; the two-band EQ and tight layout are the cost.
Photos: Reloop
of 8 reviews recommend itand 7 owner reviews
Choose it over the FLX4 if the iPad is the only thing you will DJ from. It was the first controller built for djay's Neural Mix stems, and plugging it in unlocks the djay Pro features it has controls for without a subscription. The iPad sits in the slot at the back on its own charging cable, and the Buddy needs a USB charger or power bank to run. If you expect to move to a laptop or a club booth, the FLX4 carries over better.
- Best for
- djay users who want portable stem mixing from an iPad or phone.
- Skip it if
- You need three-band EQ, a mic input or full-size controls.
What people praise
- Dedicated Neural Mix controls for drums, instruments and vocals, the first controller built for them
- Small and light enough to travel, at about 1 kg
What to know first
- Only two-band EQ, with no mid control
- Cramped controls, with the EQ knobs close to a docked tablet
Video reviews
- justin spiegelOct 2025Recommends
One cable from a USB-C iPad
AlphaTheta DDJ-FLX2
A small two-deck controller for rekordbox, Serato and djay with its own outputs; most DJs will outgrow it.
Photos: AlphaTheta Corporation
of 10 reviews recommend itand 2 owner reviews
Choose it over the Buddy if your iPad has USB-C and you want one cable and the choice of rekordbox as well as djay. The iPad powers it over the supplied cable; an iPad without USB-C connects over Bluetooth, which carries control only, so the FLX2 then needs a USB power supply and the sound comes from the iPad. It has its own master and headphone outputs but no gain controls, meters, browse knob or mic input, and reviewers say most DJs will outgrow it. If stems matter, the Buddy has dedicated controls for them.
- Best for
- First-time DJs mixing from a phone, tablet or laptop on a small budget.
- Skip it if
- You want gain, meters, a mic input or track browsing on the hardware.
What people praise
- Runs rekordbox, Serato DJ Lite and djay on a phone, tablet or computer
- Easy to set up and learn on as a first controller
What to know first
- Most DJs will outgrow it; reviewers point to the DDJ-FLX4 for anyone more serious
- No gain controls or level meters on the unit
Video reviews
- BPM SupremeOct 2024Recommends
- Karl ThomasOct 2025Warns off
An iPad now, a laptop later
Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX4
The default first controller: easy to learn on rekordbox or Serato, with limits you will meet when you start playing out.
Photos: Pioneer DJ / AlphaTheta Corporation
of 10 reviews recommend itand 22 owner reviews
Choose it over the FLX2 if the iPad is a starting point rather than the whole setup; it is the full-size controller FLX2 reviewers point to for anyone more serious. On an iPad it runs rekordbox for iOS free, and djay with a djay Pro subscription; on a computer it adds rekordbox, Serato DJ Lite and Traktor Play. From an iPad it needs a USB power adapter, which a computer otherwise supplies. If stems matter, the Buddy has dedicated controls for them.
- Best for
- Learning to mix on rekordbox or Serato, with skills that carry to club gear.
- Skip it if
- You want four channels, a booth output or balanced outs.
What people praise
- Easy to set up and learn on
- Smart Fader and Smart CFX get beginners mixing quickly
What to know first
- Single RCA master output, no booth or balanced outs
- Two channels and a basic FX section; owners expect to outgrow it
Video reviews
- DJ BlakeyApr 2025Recommends
Travelling light if you play Serato
Reloop Ready
A Serato controller small enough to sit on a 13-inch laptop; a two-band EQ and cramped controls are the trade-off.
Photos: Reloop
of 7 reviews recommend itand 2 owner reviews
Choose it over the Buddy if you already play Serato from a laptop and want one small controller that also runs djay on an iPad. It runs on USB power from a computer, and with an iPad it takes a USB charger or power bank like the Buddy. Reviewers see it as a second controller for experienced DJs rather than a first one, so a beginner gets more from the Buddy.
- Best for
- Serato DJs who want a travel or set-prep controller that fits a backpack.
- Skip it if
- You want one main controller, a three-band EQ or a mic input.
What people praise
- Small and light enough to sit on a 13-inch laptop and travel in a backpack
- Controls most of Serato in a tiny body, including both FX units and the pad modes
What to know first
- Two-band EQ, with no mid control
- Cramped layout: side-mounted headphone and master controls, tiny labels
Video reviews
- DJcityTVAug 2021Recommends
- DJ Nicky HNov 2024Mixed
Four channels and gigs from an iPad
Reloop Mixon 8 Pro
A four-channel Serato and djay Pro controller built around iPad DJing; the mirrored deck layout takes getting used to.
Photos: Reloop
of 13 reviews recommend itand 11 owner reviews
Choose it over the smaller picks if you play out from an iPad. The iPad docks on top and plugs into a USB-C port that charges it, a computer can connect at the same time, and Serato DJ Pro comes unlocked; the full djay Pro needs a subscription. It has the XLR master, booth output and phono inputs that the Ready and Buddy lack. Try the mirrored deck layout before buying if you can.
- Best for
- djay Pro DJs, especially on iPad, who want four channels and full connections.
- Skip it if
- You want a club-style layout, onboard effects or dedicated Serato stems controls.
What people praise
- Solid, weighty build with a metal top panel
- Jog wheels with built-in displays for BPM, time and pitch
What to know first
- Mirrored deck layout takes getting used to
- Many functions sit behind Shift or are poorly labelled, so there is a learning curve
Video reviews
- Passionate DJNov 2024Recommends
- CROSSFADRSep 2023Mixed
Also considered
- Pioneer DJ DDJ-200. The old top pick here, and it connects to an iPad over Bluetooth, but Pioneer DJ no longer makes it. Its successor is the DDJ-FLX2.
- Hercules DJControl Mix Ultra. A battery-powered djay controller that connects to an iPad over Bluetooth, and four of six reviews recommend it for casual mixing. It has no audio outputs, so cueing runs through a mono split cable, and three reviews say the stand in its cover is too narrow for larger iPads.
- Reloop Mixtour Pro. Reloop's current compact djay controller, with a three-band EQ, dedicated Neural Mix controls and a second USB-C port that powers the iPad and the controller from one supply. The site's Mixtour review covers the original model, which Reloop no longer lists among its controllers.
- The Next Beat by Tiësto. Controls djay on an iPhone or iPad over Bluetooth, with the audio running by cable. The evidence is thin: four reviews, two of them mixed, with cheap knobs and awkward pitch faders each raised twice.
- Hercules DJControl Inpulse 300 MK2. Algoriddim lists it for djay on iOS, but Hercules's manual says it is not compatible with iPad or iPhone. Check with the retailer before buying it for an iPad.
How to choose an iPad DJ controller
Start with djay
Almost every controller here runs djay, which is a free download for iPhone and iPad. djay Pro is a subscription that unlocks the full feature set, and Algoriddim says support for its complete controller list needs it. Some controllers, like the Buddy, unlock the djay Pro features they have controls for at no charge; others, like the Mixon 8 Pro and FLX4, need the subscription for the full version. One subscription can be used across iOS, macOS, Android and Windows. Algoriddim's hardware list shows which controllers work on iOS, and the djay Pro review and best DJ apps cover the alternatives, including rekordbox for iOS.
Power and cables
An iPad can't power most controllers. The Buddy and Ready take the iPad on its own charging cable and need a USB charger or power bank, the FLX4 needs a USB power adapter, and the Mixon 8 Pro charges the iPad from its own supply. For a controller without a device port, Algoriddim says to use Apple's USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter or Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter with a power adapter plugged in. A USB-C iPad powers the FLX2 over its one cable. Bluetooth controllers like the Mix Ultra skip the cable altogether, but the sound then comes from the iPad itself.
Headphone cueing
To hear the next track before the crowd does, the controller needs its own audio interface with separate master and headphone outputs. All five picks have one, the FLX2 when it is connected by cable. Without one, as on the DDJ-200 and Mix Ultra, the sound comes from the iPad through a split cable. The audio interface explainer covers what the interface does.
Stems
djay's Neural Mix separates drums, instruments and vocals in real time. The Buddy and Mixtour Pro have dedicated controls for it and the Mix Ultra has a Neural Mix button; on other controllers it sits behind a pad mode or the EQs. See using stems for what stems add to a mix.
Two channels or four
Two channels are enough to learn on and for most mixing from an iPad. Four channels, as on the Mixon 8 Pro, let you run more tracks or plug in turntables, and they cost more and take more space. The guide to two and four channels explains the difference, and the best four-channel controllers compares them. Every controller here also needs speakers and headphones: see the best DJ speakers and best DJ headphones.
How these picks are made
Each pick is the controller with the strongest evidence for its situation among those that work with an iPad. The evidence is what professional reviews conclude and what owners report on retailer sites, compiled for each product, with every source linked on its product page. iPad compatibility comes from Algoriddim's hardware list and the manufacturers' own pages. No controller here was tested in a lab. Prices come from daily tracking across the retailers we link to, and the status beside each one compares today's price with the lowest recorded. The methodology explains the whole process.
