Comparison

Beat Blocks vs PianoTouch

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Beat Blocks

Create music by arranging physical blocks in front of your device's camera. The app interprets block colors and positions to generate unique beats and melodies. Save and share your musical creations with others.

Highlights
  • Build music with physical blocks
  • Camera-based block detection
  • Adjust tempo, swing, key, and scale
  • Save and share recordings
  • AI-powered music sequencing
  • Multiple musical styles
Read full description

BeatBlocks is a playful music-making app that lets you build your own music using Lego bricks and other real-life construction blocks. Choose from a range of musical styles and start building, recording and sharing your beats. BeatBlocks brings the play out of the screen and into the real world to let you get hands-on with music making.  

How to play? BeatBlocks uses the camera on your iPhone or iPad to detect blocks of different type and colour. To make music, simply lay out different patterns of blocks in front of the camera. A repeating 8-beat loop will play and on every loop, when the app sees a brick, it will play a sound: so as you build, you make music. 
To change your loop, just move or scatter the blocks around, try out different colours, and wait for the loop to come around again. The left-to-right position sets the timing of each musical note, the top to bottom position selects which note/pitch to play, and the colour sets the instrument. The app also lets you adjust the tempo, swing, key and scale for your loops.

 Save and share your beats! When you are ready to show-off your compositions to the world, hit the record button to screen grab a video of your performance. When you are finished, simply choose to share or save.

  Try out BeatBlocks for free! The trial version of Beatblocks lets you use a maximum of 5 bricks at a time during music-play. To remove this limitation, upgrade to the full version, where you can earn in-game credits and use these to upgrade your sound pack library!  BeatBlocks was launched at SXSW 2023 representing the UK Immersive Futures Lab, and is winner of the silver medal for use of AI at the 2023 BIMA Awards. Playable Technology’s AI-powered music-sequencing technology has already been star of the show at the “Turn it up” interactive music exhibitions at the London Science Museum and with “BeatBlocks Live” at the National Museum of Scotland during the 2024 Science Festival in Edinburgh. Download BeatBlocks now and let the loops begin!

About

PianoTouch

Learn to play the piano with this app, featuring a Do Re Mi display that makes it easy for beginners and children. It helps develop musical skills like reading sheet music, pitch, and rhythm, offering a fun way to practice and enjoy a variety of songs.

Highlights
  • Do Re Mi display for easy learning
  • Develops sheet music reading skills
  • Enhances pitch and rhythm sense
  • Concentration building exercises
  • Challenge mode for advanced players
  • Extensive song library
Features
Read full description

Anyone can play the piano! Easy for everyone! It has the Do Re Mi display on it! Even small children and first-time piano players can play the piano. Benefits of this app: Making you able to read sheet music. Developing your sense of pitch and rhythm. Helping you concentrate. Fun for parents and children. Once you get used to it, try playing in challenge mode! Perfect for practicing reading music scores! There are a lot of songs you've heard somewhere! It is a must-see for anyone who wants to learn piano. The sense of sound is best acquired at ages 4 to 5, when hearing is most developed. Let's start playing the piano with this app! Under the spreading chestnut tree Happy Birthday Grandfather's Clock I've been workin' on the railroad I am the Music Man Jingle Bells If You’re Happy And You Know It Ten little Indian boys Ah, lovely meadows, green and wide Home on the Range Yankee Doodle Camptown Races London Bridge is Falling Down Little Hans Itsy Bitsy Spider Ode to Joy The Wild Rose The Cuckoo Aura Lee The Battle Hymn of the Republic Beautiful Dreamer Massa's in De Cold Ground Brahms Lullaby Long Long Ago The Flea Waltz Go Tell Aunt Rhody On the Bridge of AvignonAnyone can play the piano! Easy for everyone!

Screenshots

Beat Blocks4 screens
PianoTouch4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: PianoTouch at 4.6 against Beat Blocks's 3.0. PianoTouch also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 8) and review sentiment (100% vs 75%). Beat Blocks's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 8 months). On price 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Beat Blocks sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. PianoTouch asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PianoTouch holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PianoTouch has 29 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Beat Blocks's written reviews are positive against 100% of PianoTouch's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Beat Blocks ships an update every 3 months, PianoTouch every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Beat Blocks versus PianoTouch: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBeat BlocksPianoTouch
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (2 ratings)4.6 (29 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings229 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 8 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size85 MB447 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPlayable Tech ltd.chiyo toyoshima

Customer experience

Beat Blocks

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

PianoTouch

All ratings29 ratings
Positive86.2%
Neutral3.4%
Negative10.3%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Beat Blocks

One-time8
  • 1000 Credits$0.99
  • 2x Loop Multiplier$0.99
  • 3000 Credits$1.99
Show 5 more
  • 3x Loop Multiplier$1.99
  • Full Version + 1000 Credits$2.99
  • 6000 Credits$2.99
  • Unlock Everything$6.99
  • Full Version + Everything$14.99
None

PianoTouch

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Beat Blocks free?
Beat Blocks is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PianoTouch free?
PianoTouch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Beat Blocks or PianoTouch?
PianoTouch is rated higher. Beat Blocks averages 3.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while PianoTouch averages 4.6 from 29 ratings.
Do Beat Blocks or PianoTouch have ads?
PianoTouch shows ads; Beat Blocks does not.
Which is updated more often, Beat Blocks or PianoTouch?
Beat Blocks ships an update every 3 months, and PianoTouch every 8 months. Most recently, Beat Blocks was updated on October 20, 2026 and PianoTouch on October 8, 2026.

Other comparisons