# Groovebox vs CR

The clearest difference is price: Groovebox at Free against CR's $1.99. Groovebox also leads on update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 8 months) and ratings volume (4.8K vs 10). CR's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10). On rating, review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Groovebox is free to download; CR costs $1.99 up front. Groovebox sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. CR asks for nothing beyond the download.

CR holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Groovebox has 4.8K ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 79% of Groovebox's written reviews are positive against 75% of CR's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Groovebox ships an update every 6 weeks, CR every 8 months. Both last shipped on November 11, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Groovebox | CR |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $1.99 |
| Rating | [4.7 (4.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/groovebox-beat-synth-studio/id1242847278/reviews) | **[4.9 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cr-5000/id1442843535/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **4.8K** | 10 |
| Positive reviews | **79.2% of reviews** | 75.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 weeks** | Every 8 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 44 MB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Focusrite Audio Engineering](https://appshunter.io/developer/321949338) | [David Rochaix](https://appshunter.io/developer/1441966350) |

## What reviewers say

### Groovebox

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/groovebox-beat-synth-studio/id1242847278)

Create electronic music with this mobile studio app. Features inspiring synths, drum machines, and world-class instruments. Easily build beats, melodies, and arrange tracks for production.

**Highlights:** Beat and synth music studio, Touchable instruments for melodies and beats, Five powerful instruments: Drumbox, Horizon, MiniMon, RetroBass, Poly-8, Arrange tracks with sections, Record synth parameters as automation, Ableton Link and Ableton Export for collaboration, Expandable instruments and sound packs

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Trap Bass | Free | one-time |
| Sequential Arps | Free | one-time |
| Ambient Hip Hop | Free | one-time |
| Dirty 909 | Free | one-time |
| Hip Hop Orbit | Free | one-time |
| Hypnotic Bass | Free | one-time |
| Golden Era Bass | $0.99 | one-time |
| Neuro Leads | $0.99 | one-time |
| Composed Melodics | $0.99 | one-time |
| Drum Booster | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Refreshing simplicity
- 🚀 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🚀 Excellent sound quality
- 🚀 Flexible and powerful
- 🚀 Inspiring and creative

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and crashes occasionally
- 🔒 No iCloud sync or cloud backup
- 🔒 Limited export options
- 🔒 Lack of MIDI support
- 🔒 Clunky piano roll and note editing

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when exporting projects
- Playback issues with certain patterns
- Disappearing UI elements when scrolling
- Inconsistent behavior when changing sections

**Requested features**

- Add song mode and ability to chain sections
- Improve piano roll and note editing
- Implement MIDI support and mapping
- Add more export options like MIDI and multi-track
- Implement iCloud sync and cloud backup


### CR

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cr-5000/id1442843535)

This app transforms your device into a pocket beat-making companion, inspired by the simplicity and raw heritage of eighties analog drum machines. It offers a pure interface with high-quality samples, combinable patterns, and various arranger variations for creating rhythms.

**Highlights:** 12 Original high quality double-samples, 24 Combinable preset patterns, 8 Preset fill-ins, 7 Arranger variations, Shuffle mode (3/4 signature), Background audio playback, Audiobus V3 and InterApp audio support

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Groovebox free?

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

### Is CR free?

CR costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Groovebox or CR?

CR is rated higher. Groovebox averages 4.7 out of 5 from 4.8K ratings, while CR averages 4.9 from 10 ratings.

### Do Groovebox or CR have ads?

Neither Groovebox nor CR shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Groovebox or CR?

Groovebox ships an update every 6 weeks, and CR every 8 months. Most recently, Groovebox was updated on November 11, 2026 and CR on November 11, 2026.

---

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