# Groovebox vs Beat Maker

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Groovebox at 79% against Beat Maker's 39%. Groovebox also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.7 vs 4.5). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Groovebox sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Beat Maker sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Groovebox holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4.7K and 1.8K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Groovebox's written reviews are positive against 39% of Beat Maker's.

Groovebox ships an update every 6 weeks, Beat Maker monthly. Both last shipped on October 18, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Groovebox | Beat Maker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (4.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/groovebox-beat-synth-studio/id1242847278/reviews)** | [4.5 (1.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beat-maker-sampler/id1486636843/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **4.7K** | 1.8K |
| Positive reviews | **79.2% of reviews** | 39.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 44 MB | 121 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Focusrite Audio Engineering](https://appshunter.io/developer/321949338) | [Devnex](https://appshunter.io/developer/1486636842) |

## 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


### Beat Maker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beat-maker-sampler/id1486636843)

Create professional-sounding beats on your mobile device with a wide variety of samples, including those inspired by famous songs. Enhance your tracks with effects, use a metronome for perfect timing, and record your creations to share.

**Highlights:** Create beats with samples, Use samples from famous songs, Add effects like delay and reverb, Metronome for timing, Record and share beats, Customizable themes

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Subscription | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Subscription | $2.99 | per month |
| Weekly Subscription | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Subscription | $5.99 | per month |
| Yearly Subscription | $24.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription | $39.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Good beats and sounds
- 💡 Customizable pads
- 🚀 Quick music creation

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Restricted features without subscription
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and loading issues
- 💰 Aggressive monetization with ads and paywall
- 🔍 Limited sound customization options

**Reported bugs**

- Delayed audio playback
- Compatibility issues on older devices

**Requested features**

- Ability to record and save own samples
- Longer loop lengths
- Individual pad volume control
- Import custom sound packs


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Groovebox free?

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

### Is Beat Maker free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Groovebox or Beat Maker?

Groovebox is rated higher. Groovebox averages 4.7 out of 5 from 4.7K ratings, while Beat Maker averages 4.5 from 1.8K ratings.

### Do Groovebox or Beat Maker have ads?

Beat Maker shows ads; Groovebox does not.

### Which is updated more often, Groovebox or Beat Maker?

Groovebox ships an update every 6 weeks, and Beat Maker monthly. Most recently, Groovebox was updated on October 18, 2026 and Beat Maker on October 18, 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.*