# Groovebox vs Ableton Note

The clearest difference is price: Groovebox at Free against Ableton Note's $6.99. Groovebox also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.2) and ratings volume (4.7K vs 676). Ableton Note's advantage is chart position (#7 vs unranked). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Groovebox is free to download; Ableton Note costs $6.99 up front. Groovebox sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Ableton Note sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Groovebox holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Groovebox has 4.7K ratings behind it against 676, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Groovebox's written reviews are positive against 73% of Ableton Note's.

Groovebox ships an update every 6 weeks, Ableton Note monthly. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Groovebox | Ableton Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $6.99 |
| Rating | **[4.7 (4.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/groovebox-beat-synth-studio/id1242847278/reviews)** | [4.2 (676 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ableton-note/id1633243177/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **4.7K** | 676 |
| Positive reviews | **79.2% of reviews** | 72.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#7** |
| Size | 44 MB | 1007 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) | [Ableton AG](https://appshunter.io/developer/1228664884) |

## 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


### Ableton Note

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ableton-note/id1633243177)

**Currently charting:** #7 Top Paid · Music, #113 Top Paid (US App Store)

Create musical ideas with curated sounds and effects. Build beats, melodies, and sample your surroundings. Seamlessly transfer your projects to Ableton Live for further development.

**Highlights:** Create beats and melodies, Sample sounds with phone microphone, MIDI Editor for sequencing, Transfer projects to Ableton Live, 76 Drum Sampler kits, 317 synth sounds

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Drift In-App Purchase | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Intuitive workflow
- 🎨 Great sound quality
- 🤝 Seamless Ableton Live integration
- 💰 Affordable price
- 🔥 Inspiring for creativity

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔇 No audio track support
- 🎹 Limited note editing capabilities
- ⏱️ Bluetooth latency issues
- 🔢 Restricted to 4/4 time signature
- 🔧 Lacking some advanced features

**Reported bugs**

- Occasional loss of unsaved work
- Freezing issues when editing clips

**Requested features**

- Audio track support
- Expanded note editing tools
- Midi controller support
- More effects and synth options
- Time signature flexibility


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Groovebox free?

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

### Is Ableton Note free?

Ableton Note costs $6.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Groovebox or Ableton Note?

Groovebox is rated higher. Groovebox averages 4.7 out of 5 from 4.7K ratings, while Ableton Note averages 4.2 from 676 ratings.

### Do Groovebox or Ableton Note have ads?

Neither Groovebox nor Ableton Note shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Groovebox or Ableton Note?

Groovebox ships an update every 6 weeks, and Ableton Note monthly. Most recently, Groovebox was updated on September 25, 2026 and Ableton Note on September 25, 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.*