BitBeat vs Hexapad
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BitBeat
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BitBeat is a retro-inspired drum loop metronome designed to make music practice more fun. Features: - Animated Pixel Drummer: Watch your 8-bit companion jam on the kit in sync with your chosen BPM and rhythm pattern. - Interactive Drum Fills: Tap the drummer left/right to trigger drum fills! Bring classic Casio-style fill-ins into your practice session. - Classic Drum Loops: Lock into distinct chiptune drum patterns and rhythm variations instead of a plain click. - 8 Time Signatures: Move beyond basic 4/4 time! Easily switch between 8 different time signatures to practice complex meters and unusual grooves. - Full-Screen Color Pulse: The screen changes color on every beat, giving you high-contrast visual timing cues in your peripheral vision while playing. - Precision Tempo Control: Set your BPM from 40 to 240 using quick-adjust buttons (+1, -1, +5, -5, +10, -10). - Smart Tap Tempo: Match the beat of any song or rhythm using responsive tap-tempo detection. - Auto-Save: Automatically saves your last BPM and drum beat settings so you can jump straight back into practice next time. Built for musicians who want more than just a ticking sound to keep time, BitBeat pairs precise audio/visual tempo cues with nostalgic drum machine charm. Set your tempo, play some fills, and bring your practice to life!
Hexapad
Create music with a unique hexagonal pad interface. Explore built-in synths for various genres, record your own sounds, and easily switch between beat, melody, and bass modes. Save, layer, and export your creations.
- Hexagonal honeycomb pad interface
- Built-in synths for multiple genres
- Mic recording kit for custom sounds
- Dedicated modes for beat, melody, and bass
- Kit-specific effects (reverb, echo, flanger)
- Auto-generate beats, melodies, and basslines
- Export to WAV format
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Hexapad is an intuitive beatmaker with hexagonal pads arranged in a honeycomb grid. Tap to play short musical phrases, or slide your fingers across the pads to connect sounds. Build your own music one layer at a time, whether you’re an experienced musician or creating your first track. No extra samples needed. Explore built-in sounds spanning Electronica, Techno, House, Hip-Hop, Ambient, Lo-Fi, Minimal, Alternative, and Contemporary. Phrase pads are organized into BEAT, BASS, CHORDS, MELODY, and ACCENT, making it easy to combine rhythms, basslines, harmonies, and melodies. Each pad displays a waveform so you can see the character of its sound. Capture your performance with REC. Your first pad starts a four-bar recording, which loops as you add more phrases. Undo your latest addition, or use SAVE to name and store the take for use in Song. Shuffle the pads to explore new phrases while keeping the phrases you’ve already recorded. Shape your sound in real time with large FX knobs for reverb, delay, filtering, flanger, and more. Adjust the tempo with BPM, or switch sound kits to hear your recorded phrases with a different palette. Turn your voice and everyday sounds into instruments. Open Sampler from the microphone button, record a sound, and play it from a pad. Trim the waveform, reverse the sample, or adjust its pitch, pan, and volume. In Song, layer saved recordings to build a fuller sound, then carry those layers into the next four-bar section. Use the timeline to see where sounds overlap, and add or remove layers to create changes throughout your track. Preview, rename, and delete your saved recordings from the same screen. Need a starting point? Auto creates a song arrangement from your chosen mood and length. Edit the generated layers and sections to make it your own, add fade-in and fade-out, and export the finished track as a WAV file. Connect a USB or Bluetooth LE MIDI controller to take your performance further. Assign the same phrase pads you see in Play to your controller’s keys or pads, and map knobs or faders to FX controls. The free version includes pad performance, FX, and voice recording. Save up to 10 recording takes and 3 songs, and use Auto Short. Complete a rewarded ad to unlock one WAV export. The monthly Hexapad Pro subscription removes ads and recording/song save limits, unlocks Auto Medium and Long, and lets you export WAV files without watching ads. See the purchase screen for local pricing. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled and can be managed or canceled in your store account settings. Your saved work is kept when Pro ends. Enjoy making music — intuitively, right in the palm of your hand. Privacy Policy https://www.ontrails.jp/app/privacy-policy/hexpad/ Terms of Use https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BitBeat at none against Hexapad's 1. BitBeat also leads on ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Hexapad sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per month. BitBeat asks for nothing beyond the download.
BitBeat ships an update every 8 days, Hexapad every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BitBeat | Hexapad |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 3.7 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 3 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 97 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Vito Biliti | ONTRAILS |
In-app purchases
BitBeat
No in-app purchases
Hexapad
- 1 Month Plan$0.991 Month









