Maestro Lite vs Impulse
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Maestro Lite
This app offers a visually engaging metronome designed to enhance musical expression and practice. It uses animated beat patterns to help musicians develop peripheral vision, mimicking the experience of following a conductor. Practice without audible clicks while maintaining a precise tempo.
- Animated beat patterns
- Practice without audible click
- Conductor's Point of View
- Performer's Point of View
- Adjustable tempo (16-256 bpm)
- Multiple pattern styles
- Pick-up beats
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A musically visual metronome that inspires musical expression rather than mechanical execution. When practicing with this metronome, the animated beat patterns will reinforce the peripheral vision used when following a conductor. Be able to practice without the click, while keeping to a strict tempo. Always know where you are INSIDE the beat with the traditional musical beat patterns developed over ages of musical performance practice, not an arbitrary circle or side to side motion for all meters and styles. This metronome is an invaluable learning tool for conductors when using the Conductor's Point of View. All the conducting patterns are based on Max Rudolf's "Grammar of Conducting" and my professional conducting experience of 20+ years. Instructions: Double tap to start. Swipe horizontally or pinch to stop. Long Press triggers Tap Tempo, tap anywhere more than twice to set the tempo. Then wait and it will start conducting. Features: • Adjust the tempo, 16 to 256 bpm, by dragging up/down anywhere, using the + and - buttons, or by tapping it via Tap Tempo • Maestro Lite has 2 beat patterns (meters): 3 and 7(2+3+2) - The paid version of Maestro has 48 different meters: 1 through 12(3+3+3+3) • Staccato, Neutral, Legato, and Reduced (see below) pattern styles • Patterns are displayed from the Performer's or Conductor's Point of View • Optional 2, 3, or 4 subdivisions of the beat • Set 0, 1, or 2 'pick-up' beats (get playing quicker) *** While you can demo the preferences in Maestro Lite, it will NOT save your choices. *** Preferences: • Tryout 16 types of 'tick and 'tock' sounds • Change colors of the baton, pattern and texts • Alter the transparencies of the beat pattern and background image A note about pattern variations and reductions: A 5/4 bar can be divided either 3+2 or 2+3 depending on the music. The 'Reduced' style: At faster tempos, a legato 3 pattern turns into a one pattern while still clicking the three beats. A 6(2+2+2) changes into 3 while a 6(3+3) changes into 2 while still clicking 6 beats. The Automatic Reduction setting automatically adjusts the pattern when the tempo reaches a level that requires it. Switching the Reduced Pattern switch on, forces the reduced pattern at all tempos. Conductor's Point of View - automatically flips the beat pattern for conductors to learn and practice the patterns. This mode shows you the path the tip of your baton should take while conducting. Performer’s Point of View - the conductor’s beat pattern as seen from the ensemble musicians. Recommended view while practicing your instrument. Supports all orientations for easier use while plugged in.
Impulse
This app provides a highly accurate and customizable metronome for musicians. It allows users to program complex beat patterns, including subdivisions and rests, with a clear visual interface to understand rhythmic structures. Ideal for serious musicians looking to refine their timing and explore intricate rhythms.
- Visual subdivision editor
- Complex beat pattern programming
- Up to 100 beats per measure
- 20 subdivisions per beat
- Tempo range 10-600 BPM
- Sample-level accuracy
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Impulse is the metronome that lets you program virtually any combination of downbeats, upbeats, subdivisions, and rests. The UI shows you exactly where each beat and subdivision is located in time, helping you better understand complex rhythms. Impulse is also accurate to 0.00002 seconds, making it one of the most stable metronomes on iOS. Impulse is the ideal choice for the serious musician who wants to take their rhythm game to the next level. Features: - Visual subdivision editor - Up to 100 beats per measure and 20 subdivisions per beat - Program virtually any beat pattern & time signature you can think of - Tempo range of 10 - 600 BPM - Accurate to 0.00002 seconds (sample-level accuracy) - Tap for tempo - Simple & easy to understand
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Impulse at 92% against Maestro Lite's 43%. Impulse also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.0) and update cadence (monthly vs every 8 months). Maestro Lite's advantage is monetization model (free vs paid). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Impulse holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Impulse has 943 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 43% of Maestro Lite's written reviews are positive against 92% of Impulse's.
Maestro Lite ships an update every 8 months, Impulse monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Maestro Lite | Impulse |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (10 ratings) | 4.7 (943 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 42.9% of reviews | 91.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 10 | 943 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Patrick Q. Kelly | Coda Labs Incorporated |
Customer experience
Maestro Lite
Impulse
Bugs and requests
Maestro Lite
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Impulse
Reported bugs
3 issues- Fourth beat type not changing sound properly
- Metronome stops working when switching apps
- No sound on some devices
Requested features
7 requests- Ability to create and name custom presets
- Different colors for downbeats
- Quick toggle for sound on/off
- Support for odd time signatures
- Ableton Link/MIDI sync
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- Ability to import custom sounds
- Countdown timer before metronome starts
In-app purchases
Maestro Lite
No in-app purchases
Impulse
No in-app purchases









