Comparison

iACID8 vs Break Beats

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β€” with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

iACID8

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iACID8 β€” Hardware roots. Pocket acid. Born from the beloved Twisted Electrons Acid8 family, iACID8 brings the Acid8 to your iPhoneβ€”built directly from the uAcid8 Slim Synth’s original firmware, with its distinctive digital grit and hands-on sequencing intact. The filter gets a serious upgrade: a modern, TB-303-inspired algorithm delivers richer resonance, more expressive squelch and extra acid bite. Crunchy oscillators feed a smoother filter and cleaner output stage, keeping the low-fi character while letting every slide and accent shine. Start with 16 factory grooves, twist your sound into shape and build your own basslines. Record notes live, add slides and accents, or chain patterns and key changes into evolving arrangements. Play standalone or load iACID8 as an AUv3 instrument in your favourite host. Each plugin instance keeps its own patterns and sound settings, with optional host transport following and independent Run control. β€’ 12 level-balanced waveform variations with distinctive digital character β€’ Enhanced resonant filter with envelope, decay and accent controls β€’ 16 editable patterns with slides, swing and live recording β€’ Pattern chaining and recorded key changes β€’ Arpeggiator, bit crushing, wobble and performance effects β€’ MIDI input on channel 1 for notes and sound control β€’ Standalone app and AUv3 instrument, designed exclusively for iPhone β€’ Warm tube-style saturation in the upper third of the volume knob β€’ Tactile haptic feedback in standalone mode β€’ Ableton Link for jamming with apps and devices on the same network β€’ Life slider for live rhythmic variations without rewriting your patterns β€’ Illustrated playing guide and printable cheat sheet Your pocket acid machineβ€”reborn for iPhone.

About

Break Beats

This app is a portable loop player designed for DJs and turntablists. It offers 32 loop slots across eight banks, precise boundary-locked switching, and pitch control for practice and performance. Import your own breaks and record your sessions.

Highlights
  • 32 loop slots across 8 banks
  • Boundary-locked loop switching
  • Adjustable pitch control (Β±15% / Β±50%)
  • Resonant low-pass and high-pass filters
  • Reverse playback
  • Built-in session recorder
  • Import custom WAV files
Read full description

Break Beats is a boundary-locked loop player built for portablists and turntablists. Connect your iPhone to a portable deck and you have a practice rig anywhere. Plug into a Numark PT01 Scratch, Reloop Spin or any portable turntable or mixer with an Aux input / Bluetooth and start working your scratch routines over your favourite breaks. THIRTY-TWO LOOP SLOTS Eight banks of four pads give you thirty-two assignable loop slots. Each bank is independent - load different breaks, different styles, different tempos. Swipe between banks and switch instantly without interrupting playback. Clear any pad back to empty whenever you want. BOUNDARY-LOCKED SWITCHING Tap a new pad while a loop is playing and the switch happens at the exact end of the current loop - never mid-bar. The incoming pad blinks while it waits. Keep scratching, the app handles the switch. PITCH CONTROL The pitch fader adjusts playback speed and pitch together, just like a turntable. The standard range is Β±15%, and long-pressing PITCH unlocks ULTRA mode for Β±50%. The BPM counter updates in real time so you can match any record on your deck. Tap to reset to centre. Long-press the BPM to enable Global BPM to lock every loop to one tempo automatically. RESONANT FILTERS Independent low-pass and high-pass filters let you sweep frequencies out and back in for dramatic transitions between combos. Long-press to switch between LPF and HPF; tap to reset. REVERSE & RECORD Flip any loop into boundary-locked reverse playback and capture your sessions with the built-in recorder straight to a WAV in your Files app. IMPORT YOUR OWN BREAKS Import any WAV file from your iPhone, iCloud Drive or Dropbox. Prepare your loops in your favourite DAW, note the BPM and append it to the file name when you export - preferably at 48000Hz 24-bit for the cleanest audio. The app reads the BPM from the filename automatically.

Screenshots

iACID82 screens
Break Beats3 screens

Verdict

The call

iACID8 and Break Beats are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters β€” price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them β€” neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

iACID8 costs $2.99 and Break Beats $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
iACID8 versus Break Beats: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriACID8Break Beats
Price$2.99$2.99
Positive reviewsβ€”0.0% of reviews
Update frequencyβ€”Every 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetizationβ€”Paid
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad β€” better
Requires iOS16.0 β€” better17.6
Further details β€” not scored
Size12 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTwisted-ElectronsCHRISTOPHER PHILIP SMITH

In-app purchases

None

iACID8

No in-app purchases

None

Break Beats

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iACID8 free?
iACID8 costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Break Beats free?
Break Beats costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do iACID8 or Break Beats have ads?
Neither iACID8 nor Break Beats shows ads.

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