Play Traktor Pro 4 from an iPad: apps, controllers, and how they compare
If you're looking for an iPad Traktor controller, you have a few real options — and they work in very different ways. None of them runs Traktor on the iPad itself — they all send MIDI to Traktor running on your Mac or PC. Some are blank surfaces you design yourself; some are finished layouts you just open; one, Interaktiv Tap, is a multi-touch instrument that plays Traktor Pro 4. Here's how they line up, so you can pick the right one for how you play.
Your options for running Traktor from an iPad
Broadly, there are four routes:
- Design-your-own surfaces — TouchOSC and Lemur. Powerful blank canvases: you build (or import) a layout and wire each control to Traktor yourself.
- Plug-and-play apps — TKFX and Kontrol for Traktor. A finished, generic Traktor layout you open and use, usually over Wi-Fi.
- NI's own iPad app — Traktor DJ 2 is NI's free, standalone iPad DJ app — still on the App Store, though NI no longer actively develops it. Either way, it does not control Traktor Pro 4 on your computer, so it's a different thing entirely.
- Hardware controllers — Native Instruments' Kontrol units and the like: tactile, latency-free, with a built-in audio interface. Another category, and another budget.
Interaktiv Tap sits in its own spot: a finished instrument, like the plug-and-play apps, but one that plays the current Traktor Pro 4, over USB.
Compared at a glance
| App | Developer | Price | Setup | Connection | Two-way feedback | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interaktiv Tap | INTERAKTIV AUDIO | One-time (App Store) | Ready to play | USB MIDI | Yes | A finished Pro 4 stage instrument |
| TKFX | Imaginando | Free + in-app unlock | Plug-and-play | Wi-Fi or USB | Yes | Zero-setup, wireless |
| TouchOSC | Hexler | One-time (+ free Bridge) | Build your own | USB or Wi-Fi | If you build it | Flexible, cross-platform |
| Lemur | MIDI Kinetics | One-time (free trial) | Build your own | USB or network MIDI | If you build it | Deep customization + scripting |
| Kontrol for Traktor | Bassapps | Free + paid upgrade | Finished layout | Wi-Fi only | Some | Free, wireless, Apple Watch |
| Conductr | Patchworks | Discontinued | Modular | Wi-Fi | Some | No longer available |
Compiled from public information, June 2026; apps, prices, and availability change — check current listings. Conductr was removed from sale in mid-2025.
Design-your-own surfaces: TouchOSC & Lemur
If you want total control over the layout, these two are the heavyweights.
TouchOSC (Hexler) is a cross-platform MIDI/OSC surface — iPad, Android, and desktop. You build your own layout or import a community template; Andrew Norris's Jog-On 2, for example, covers Traktor Pro 3 and 4. It connects over USB / Core MIDI, or wirelessly through the free TouchOSC Bridge. It's the most flexible option, with the biggest template library — the trade-off is that you assemble and maintain it yourself, and two-way feedback (Traktor's state lighting back up on the iPad) only works if you wire it in.
Lemur (MIDI Kinetics) is the most powerful touch surface there is: multi-touch widgets, physics, and full scripting. Liine discontinued it in 2022, but MIDI Kinetics revived it — it's back on the App Store as a one-time purchase with a free limited trial, and an Android version is in development. Like TouchOSC it's DAW-agnostic, so you drive Traktor through user-built or imported templates. The ceiling is enormous; the learning curve is the steepest here.
Plug-and-play apps: TKFX & Kontrol for Traktor
If you'd rather skip the building and just play, two apps hand you a finished Traktor layout.
TKFX (Imaginando) is a zero-setup Traktor controller for iOS and Android — two or four decks, looper, mixer, a jog wheel, and X/Y pads for the effect units, with two-way control. It's free with an in-app purchase to unlock, and connects wirelessly or over USB. It isn't built for a specific Traktor version, and the usual trade-offs are a generic layout and Wi-Fi latency when you go wireless.
Kontrol for Traktor (Bassapps) is another finished layout — four decks, hot cues, EQ, filter, FX, loops, and remix controls, plus an Apple Watch companion. It's free with a paid upgrade, and connects over Wi-Fi MIDI. The wireless-only connection is the thing to weigh for a club stage.
What happened to Conductr?
Conductr, by Patchworks, was a well-liked modular iPad controller for both Ableton Live and Traktor. It was removed from the App Store in mid-2025, so it's no longer available — which is why "Conductr alternative" is a common search. If you came here from that, the closest match in spirit is a finished, maintained app rather than another build-it-yourself surface.
Where Interaktiv Tap fits
Interaktiv Tap ships as a finished instrument you play, not a surface you assemble, and it plays the current Traktor Pro 4. You open it, connect the iPad to the computer over USB, and play — full track, stem, remix, and live-input decks, a 4-band EQ with kills, filter, four FX units, loops, hot cues, and a key fader, with Traktor's state lighting back up on the iPad. Touch an FX pad with two fingers and it tracks three axes — X, Y, and the distance between them — so you can record a move and loop it in time. It's a one-time purchase on the App Store. See exactly which Traktor functions it maps, or how it handles stem and remix decks.
It's also the most opinionated of the bunch, so the honest limits matter: it's USB-only, iPad-only, it needs Traktor Pro 4 specifically, and there's no free tier. If you want a blank canvas, a wireless connection, Android, or a free option, one of the others above will suit you better. If you want a finished instrument made for Pro 4 that holds up on stage, that's the gap it fills.
How to choose
- You want to design your own surface — TouchOSC (cheap, cross-platform) or Lemur (deepest, scriptable).
- You want free, wireless, and quick — TKFX or Kontrol for Traktor.
- You want a finished instrument that plays Traktor Pro 4, solid over USB for the stage — Interaktiv Tap. Here's how playing Traktor from an iPad works.
FAQ
Is Lemur still available?
Yes. Liine discontinued Lemur in 2022, but MIDI Kinetics reacquired it and re-released it on the App Store as a one-time purchase, with a free limited trial.
What replaced Conductr?
Nothing one-to-one — Conductr was removed from sale in mid-2025. The closest fit today is a finished, maintained app: TKFX or Kontrol for Traktor for plug-and-play, or Interaktiv Tap for an instrument that plays Traktor Pro 4.
Can you control Traktor Pro 4 from an iPad?
Yes. The iPad sends MIDI to Traktor running on your Mac or PC. Interaktiv Tap does this over USB; TouchOSC, Lemur, TKFX, and Kontrol can do it over Wi-Fi or USB depending on the app.
USB or Wi-Fi for an iPad Traktor controller?
Both exist. Wi-Fi is convenient for practice; a wired USB connection is the more reliable choice on a loud, busy stage. Interaktiv Tap uses USB.
Can you run Traktor Pro 4 on an iPad?
No. Traktor Pro 4 is desktop software for Mac or PC — there's no iPad version. Every option here, including Interaktiv Tap, is a control surface that drives Traktor on your computer over MIDI, not Traktor running on the iPad. NI's Traktor DJ 2 is a separate, free standalone iPad DJ app — still available, though NI no longer actively develops it — and isn't Traktor Pro 4.
Get Interaktiv Tap
It's on the App Store — one-time purchase, no subscription. You'll need an iPad, Traktor Pro 4, and a USB cable.
