Zoia over Organelle for me. Could never really get on w/ Pure Data or other modular softsynths on desktop, kind of do ok on IOS devices.
Cuckoo seems fairly focused on using Zoia as a compact synth, based on his vids. But he seems to have a particular taste in synth tones.
Donāt hate, but I have a 27" iMac on my studio desk, so itās nice and in my face when Iām tinkering with Zoia.
Just my opinion. I think this product has really too many ideas, on a very limiting form factor. Is it a stombox or a tabletop unit? I donāt understand itā¦ so complicated, and the lists, clicky encoder and foot switches annoy me a littleā¦With 550 Rothschildās paper you can express yourself with products that have better interfaces for fluent creations.
Using a computer while working the Zoia?? Blasphemy! 
Since youāre using an āactualā instrument maybe you know the answer to this: if I went to send the zoia signal out to a for example instrument level distortion pedal do I need to reamp the out and DI the in? I canāt imagine I would but I donāt want to presume anything.
The encoder doesnāt seem nearly as clicky to me as I thought it was going to be from the videos (esp cuckooās).
Personally, I think itās as complicated as you want it to be, or it can be straight forward. As the community grows the user-made patches are going to be enough for many people. I will say, this is not for everyone, nor does it have to be.
I thought was the name of a device I hadnāt heard of, 
Out of curiosity: which devices are you thinking of that are ābetterā?
Not in my experience. It behaves like a regular pedal in that regard. In my videos (though they arenāt on for the demo), the Zoia is after my H9 and before my Avalanche Run.
What do you want to do with it? 
That brings up a related question - is the process of setting the input (gain) and output level as straightforward as other patching operations on the Zoia, as depicted in videos by Cuckoo and others?
I think the default input gain is -6dB. I havenāt touched it, but you can adjust it in the settings (shift and bottom right pad). Output, I manage through whatever the connection is before the audio out module, or in between modules if thereās any kind of overload. You can also put a VCA anywhere youād like if you need more control.
Output gain is easy. When youāre creating an audio out module, thereās an option for gain control or not. By default itās off. Iāll have it on pretty much always - if anything, itās the quickest way to a volume knob.
Ha! Right. forgot about that option.
I have an Organelle and a Zoia. Itās hard / unfair to compare something thatās had years to gestate with something thatās still shipping out to early adopters. BUT, I already see myself using the Zoia far more than the Organelle. I came to grips that I just wonāt learn PureData - no time, baby, not instantly gratifying. Orac fixes some of this, but with limited control. Iām not building something from scratch, Iām just connecting a Braids module to a sequencer. Zoia is instant - amazing how quickly I can build something complex - and to my ears, it sounds better than anything else out there - DSP and synth engine sounds better than Nord Modular, which was my criteria before I made the bold statement that it improves on the NM
My first patch was a crazy insect chattering unruly, unstable thing with 3 oscillators and wildly modulated effects. That was before I really knew what I was doing. Not bad for a āhello worldā!
Also, I made a keyboard page for it, with each key triggering something completely different within the patch. With that kind of flexibility, Iām not concerned about Zoia not being synth enough.
Iām curious about the sequencer. Need to see if I can program per-step probability, etc. If so, then the sequencer can be Elektron-ish.
Iām really surprised by the synth examples iām hearing. I have both Nord Modular but im gasing for the Zoia. I think the big difference between the Zoia and something like the Organel is the building block algos. I assume the modules offered by Empress are top quality.
Is there anything Zoia can do different or better than an effects rack in Ableton? I get the desirability of hardware, though trying to figure out if this is a waste of money for me, since all my instruments already run through my DAW (Ableton is essentially my FX box/mixer).
Anything!
Better for chiptune sounds, or better in general 
Sorry, Iām thinking of our man cuckoo and his propensity for video game tones - love ya cuckoo!
Cuckoo is the absolute best at tutorials but his music tastes arenāt my cup of tea all the time! Donāt assume you can only sound like Cuckoo. Nothing Iāve made has been chiptuney yet, just unabashedly experimental. Insect chatter from Mars, turned a tame Mother-32 sequence into blown out harsh noise, etc.