polybeat vs WoodTroller
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
polybeat
This advanced music production tool generates complex polyrhythmic and polymetric patterns. It offers extensive control over sequence length, step length, and step modulation for each drum voice. Requires an AUv3-compatible host or external sound source to produce audio.
- Configurable sequence and step length per drum voice
- Modulation of sequencer steps (accent, ratchet, chance, offset)
- Sample-accurate sequencing engine
- Sequence transformation actions (shift, rotate, randomize)
- AUv3 preset and state saving
- Offline functionality
- No ads or in-app purchases
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polybeat is an advanced and extremely flexible drum and percussion sequencer able to generate complex polyrhythmic and polymetric rhythmic patterns. nb: polybeat does not make sound by itself, you will need to load it in an AUv3-compatible host (such as AUM, Audiobus, ApeMatrix, Nanostudio 2, etc.) or connect it to an external drum machine, synthesizer, computer or any other sound generating device. features: - independently configurable sequence length per drum voice (ranging from 1 to 32 steps) - independently configurable step length per drum voice (ranging from double whole notes to 64th notes, including tuplets and dotted notes) - every sequencer step can be modulated by the following attributes: - accent on/off - ratchet (note repeats) - skip (note every *n* loops) - chance - timing offset - sample-accurate sequencing engine - slick and responsive native UI - undo/redo - individual drum voices can be muted or solo'ed - sequences can be instantly transformed by the following actions: - shift left/right - rotate - randomize - mirror - reverse - double - bisect - full AUv3 preset- and state-saving - ability to copy and paste patterns between instances of the plugin - mapping presets for popular AUv3 drum apps and hardware drum machines - includes musical scale presets for polybeat to be used as a melodic sequencer - responds to MIDI input for switching and selecting patterns, as well as performing pattern transformations - works offline - no push notifications - no ads or in-app purchases - no third-party behavioural tracking tools ongoing development and support, many new features on the roadmap
WoodTroller
This app functions as a multi-touch bar MIDI controller for MPE and MIDI V2. It offers customizable rotary controls and buttons to manage various parameters and send MIDI commands, with iCloud syncing for presets.
- MPE touch bar with individual pitch shift, pressure, and CC74 control
- 8 customizable rotary controls for sending multiple CC messages
- 8 programmable buttons for sending various MIDI commands
- User-definable rotary and button names, colors, and ranges
- Preset storage and automatic syncing via iCloud
- Stand-alone app and AUv3 plugin support
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WoodTroller is NOT an app to annoy people. It’s an MPE and midi V2 multi touch bar keyboard and midi controller : The MPE touch bar supports multiple notes with individual pitch shift (horizontal movement), pressure and cc74 (vertical movement). WoodTroller has 8 general purpose rotary controls : - Each can send 6 different CC messages to different channels. - Each of the 6 command values can be mapped differently to the full rotary range. - So 1 rotary can control several parameters on the same or on different instruments. - Rotary names, colour, unit, range can all be user set. WoodTroller also has 8 general purpose on-off or push buttons : - Each button can send up to 8 different midi commands (CC, PC, NoteOn, …) to different channels. - This allows to quickly switch multiple midi instruments or devices to another program or to other settings. - Each midi command’s data value can be auto incremented/decremented. - All button names, colour, type can be user set. All settings can be stored in presets in iCloud which yield automatic preset syncing between several WoodTrollers on different devices. WoodTroller is available as stand-alone app and as AUv3 plugin.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: WoodTroller at none against polybeat's 2. WoodTroller also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 72%) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). polybeat's advantage is price ($7.99 vs $9.99) and ratings volume (20 vs 6). On update cadence, ads, monetization model and device support 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
polybeat costs $7.99 and WoodTroller $9.99 up front. polybeat sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. WoodTroller asks for nothing beyond the download.
WoodTroller holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 20 and 6 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of polybeat's written reviews are positive against 100% of WoodTroller's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | polybeat | WoodTroller |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $7.99 — better | $9.99 |
| Rating | 4.5 (20 ratings) | 4.8 (6 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 72.2% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 20 — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Corne Driesprong | Woodman's Immaculate Maple Syrup Studio |
Customer experience
polybeat
WoodTroller
In-app purchases
polybeat
- Small tip$1.99
- Big tip$5.99
WoodTroller
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is polybeat free?
Is WoodTroller free?
Which has better reviews, polybeat or WoodTroller?
Do polybeat or WoodTroller have ads?
Which is updated more often, polybeat or WoodTroller?
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