# Beat Station vs Simple Sets

The clearest difference is update cadence: Simple Sets at every 11 days against Beat Station's every 5 weeks. Beat Station's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Beat Station sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Simple Sets sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Beat Station ships an update every 5 weeks, Simple Sets every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Beat Station | Simple Sets |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (496 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beat-station-drum-machine/id1207156644/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **496** | — |
| Positive reviews | 63.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Every 11 days** |
| Monetization | Subscription | — |
| Size | 209 MB | 48 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Sonar Multimedia](https://appshunter.io/developer/992774946) | [Kyle Palmer](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896532476) |

## What reviewers say

### Beat Station

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beat-station-drum-machine/id1207156644)

This app provides a versatile drum machine for musicians, offering realistic drum sets and extensive loop libraries. It allows for real-time control of song sections and hands-free operation via a Bluetooth MIDI pedalboard, enhancing practice, production, and live performance.

**Highlights:** Realistic drum sets, Extensive drum loop library, Multiple control modes (Loop, Pedal, Song), Bluetooth MIDI pedalboard support, Inter-App Audio and background audio, Export songs as audio files, MIDI implementation and DAW integration

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Beat Station Pro (Monthly) | $2.99 | per month |
| Beat Station Pro (Yearly) | $22.99 | per year |
| Beat Station Pro (Lifetime) | $59.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Intuitive interface
- 💡 Versatile beat options
- 🎸 Great for guitarists and musicians
- 🎧 Realistic drum sounds

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Subscription-only model
- 🔒 Lack of one-time purchase option
- 🐛 Bugs and crashes
- 🔋 Battery drain issues
- 💸 Perceived as overpriced

**Reported bugs**

- Subscription issues (unable to restore purchases)
- App freezing or closing unexpectedly
- Blank tutorial screens
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between beats

**Requested features**

- More beat variety (Latin, jazz, waltz, etc.)
- Ability to import custom drum samples
- Tempo and style changes within a song
- Midi export option
- Better tutorial and customer support


### Simple Sets

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-sets/id6768031963)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Simple Sets Premium | $6.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Beat Station free?

Beat Station is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Simple Sets free?

Simple Sets is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Beat Station or Simple Sets have ads?

Neither Beat Station nor Simple Sets shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Beat Station or Simple Sets?

Beat Station ships an update every 5 weeks, and Simple Sets every 11 days. Most recently, Beat Station was updated on October 13, 2026 and Simple Sets on September 29, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*