Tones vs BLEASS Groovebox
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Tones
Create music easily with simple tap controls. This app offers a range of high-quality sounds and tempo adjustments, making it accessible for all ages and musical experience levels. Shake your device to clear the sound pads.
- Tap to create music
- High-quality sound selection
- Adjustable tempo
- Add columns for longer tunes
- Shake to clear sound pads
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Tones makes music creation easy for everyone. It really couldn't be any simpler. Even if you can't play a musical instrument, you'll be making cool sounding tunes in no time. You don't need any musical experience at all! Tones is so simple that people of all ages, from young children to adults, can begin effortlessly tapping across sound pads and begin creating fun and interesting sounds that will impress your friends and keep you happily entertained for hours. Features: - Simply tap to activate or deactivate sound pads and start creating music straight away. - Choose from a carefully selected range of high quality sounds. - Adjust the speed of your tune in the tempo menu. - Add extra columns to add length to your music. - Shake your device to quickly and easily clear the display of active sound pads.
BLEASS Groovebox
Create, perform, and compose music with this all-in-one beat studio. Features a multitrack sequencer, synthesizers, and drum machines for intuitive beatmaking and sound design. Optimized for both studio and live performance.
- Multitrack sequencer
- Monophonic & polyphonic synthesizers
- Drum machines
- Sample recording and editing
- Real-time performance controls
- MIDI and Ableton Link support
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BLEASS Groovebox brings music production and performance to its very core: play, perform, compose beats, chords and melodies in a new yet intuitive way thanks to its multitrack sequencer, monophonic & polyphonic synthesizers and drum machines. PROFESSIONAL GRADE INSTRUMENT BLEASS Groovebox has been designed for both iPhone and iPad and offers great performance and stability thanks to its powerful realtime audio engine and fully customizable parameters: go deep in the shaping of electronic sounds without being limited by factory presets. WILD BASSES, BEATS AND SYNTHS Record, import and edit your own samples and make sick beats out of the 16 steps sequencer with customizable filters and grooves, as well as binary and ternary quantization. Customize endlessly your monophonic and polyphonic synthesizers by tweaking the effects, envelopes and LFOs ! BUILT FOR STUDIO AND LIVE PERFORMANCE Unique slider controls, long-press & multi-touch controls make this groovebox a perfect live tool: Record/Edit/Start/Stop/Copy/Paste your patterns as you feel like, build and arrange your songs on the fly, apply reverb or delay effects, and let the music live! COMPATIBLE WITH THE iOS MUSIC STANDARDS BLEASS groovebox supports Ableton Link and Inter-App Audio and also works in complete synergy with all of your studio soft- and hardware gear using MIDI IN/OUT and SYNC OUT features. Manage your project files, audio export, import your own samples thanks to the Apple iOS Files Integration. Load BLEASS groovebox in your favorite host or plug your iPhone or iPad in an external sound card to enjoy virtual and physical multi-track output routing. GENERAL FEATURES : > low-CPU and low-latency iOS-dedicated audio engine > up to 16 steps per bar > up to 8 bars per sequence > separate groove settings per track > binary and ternary time signatures and quantization > live and song modes > tap tempo > metronome > speed control for each sequence ( x 0.5 / x1 / x2 ) > multi-touch solo button for each track > start & stop sequences with single tap and double tap > 2 FX sends > 4 tracks sequencer > optimized workflow for a smooth live/studio experience > notes swapping : easily move a note to a different step > major and minor scales DRUM MACHINE > 6 user-customizable samples per track > sample length, attack, release and pitch settings > low pass and high pass filters > post and pre- drive and bitcrusher settings > velocity settings per step (with random velocity option) > sample import via iCloud or Files MONO SYNTHS > up to 9 virtual-analog synthesizers for each track > 2 oscillators + 1 noise > 1 amplifier envelope > 2 filters with 1 envelope > post and pre- drive and bitcrusher > 2 LFOs > presets loading > pitch envelope CHORDS > on the fly chords performance with scales > up to 4 virtual-analog synthesizers for each track > 2 oscillators + 1 noise > amplifier and pitch envelope > 2 filters with 1 envelope > strumming > bitcrusher > 2 LFOs > presets loading ADVANCED FEATURES > expression panels (pads or keyboard) with beat repeat > on the fly sequence recording with quantization > sample recording > iCloud synchronization > live audio export > Ableton Link & Inter-App Audio compatibility PRO FEATURES You can access all the BLEASS PRO FEATURES by purchasing the full unlock (pay once and own forever). As a PRO user, you gain access to all premium features, all samples and all presets packs, as well as upcoming new features and instruments added continuously: > Access to all samples packs (over 1000 samples). New sample packs added regularly! > Projects files management : load, save, import, export… > MIDI in/out > MIDI LEARN (control changes) > MIDI sync out > Presets saving > MIX panel > FXs parameters customization : reverb, delay, ping pong delay > External Audio Routing > Virtual Audio Routing (open separate BLEASS audio channels into any compatible host) Find tutorials and more about our plugins on www.bleass.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: BLEASS Groovebox at 4.2 against Tones's 3.5. BLEASS Groovebox also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 12 months). Tones's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, review sentiment 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
Both are free to download. BLEASS Groovebox sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Tones asks for nothing beyond the download.
BLEASS Groovebox holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BLEASS Groovebox has 38 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 71% of Tones's written reviews are positive against 64% of BLEASS Groovebox's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Tones ships an update every 12 months, BLEASS Groovebox every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Tones | BLEASS Groovebox |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (4 ratings) | 4.2 (38 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 71.4% of reviews — better | 64.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 38 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 12 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 9.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 81 MB | 52 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ben Walker | BLEASS |
Customer experience
Tones
BLEASS Groovebox
In-app purchases
Tones
No in-app purchases
BLEASS Groovebox
- Full Unlock$4.99








