Comparison

WhoSampled vs Dawnbeat

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

Head to head
About

WhoSampled

Explore the connections within music by discovering samples, covers, and remixes. Scan music playing around you or your library to uncover the DNA of your favorite tracks and artists. Access a vast database of musical knowledge and delve deeper into the music you love.

Highlights
  • Scan music to find samples, covers, and remixes
  • Connect to Spotify and Apple Music libraries
  • Access a large database of music DNA
  • Compare songs and listen to full tracks
  • Detailed sample information
  • Music charts and recommendations
  • Save favorites
Features
Read full description

What is the sample in this song? Who covered my favorite artists? What remixes were made for this track? WhoSampled knows! Discover the DNA of the music you love. Scan the music playing around you, or your Spotify or Apple Music library, to uncover samples, covers, and remixes - and explore WhoSampled's vast universe of musical knowledge. Awards include: - Selected by Apple as APP STORE BEST OF YEAR - The Telegraph - BEST MUSIC APP OF THE YEAR - Music Ally Digital Music Awards - BEST MUSIC APP - Named one of the world's best apps by The Next Web, The Sunday Times, The Independent, and more Explore the Music Behind the Music WhoSampled is the music DNA discovery app that reveals how songs are connected. Explore the world's largest database of sample-based music, cover songs and remixes, and discover how your favorite artists influence, and are influenced by, others. Whether you're into Hip-Hop, Electronic/Dance, Rock, Pop, Jazz, Funk, Soul, Reggae, Classical, or beyond, WhoSampled is an essential music discovery experience. Key Features - Discover music through your own collection. Scan your Spotify or Apple Music library to uncover amazing connections for the songs you love. - Identify music playing around you and instantly see its samples, covers and remixes. - Access the world’s largest and richest database of music DNA, with over 1,280,000 tracks, 398,000 artists, and continuous daily additions. Search for any artist or track even if it's not in your music library. - Beautiful, ad-free, clean interface. Simple and intuitive navigation makes exploration effortless. - Compare songs side-by-side and listen to full‐length tracks via YouTube (where available), Spotify (Premium required), or Apple Music (subscription required). Note: your iPhone must not be on silent/vibrate mode for audio playback. - "Now Playing" feature – switch from Spotify or Apple Music to the WhoSampled app to instantly see the musical DNA of the song you’re listening to. - Highly detailed information on any sample (sample timing, sample type, part sampled) lets you pinpoint exactly where and how samples were used. - Share your discoveries with your Facebook friends and X followers. - Deep and unique music charts that show you trending and top-rated music as well as the all-time most influential artists and tracks. - A host of other features and functionality including the ability to save favorites and contextual recommendations from every sample, cover and remix. Dig deeper into the music you love. Dig into the WhoSampled app! In-App Subscription Terms Payment will be charged to iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. Terms of Use: https://www.whosampled.com/html/terms_of_use.html Privacy Policy: https://www.whosampled.com/html/privacy_policy.html

About

Dawnbeat

This app lets you create music by sampling and sequencing audio. It offers advanced features like multi-touch pads, an always-recording buffer, and flexible routing for creative sound manipulation. Integrate with external MIDI devices and apply a wide range of built-in and AUv3 effects.

Highlights
  • Multi-touch and draggable pads
  • Always-recording buffer (Memorizer)
  • Advanced loop manipulation (BRIIKS)
  • Flexible mixer with assignable busses
  • Polyphonic pads for chords
  • MIDI IN/OUT for external control
  • AUv3 effects and instrument support
  • Auto-slicer for audio chopping
Features
Read full description

Dawnbeat inherits the best part of the classic hardware samplers and takes it further by adding features only possible on a multi-touch device.  Create more natural patterns by tapping and swiping pads.  Focus on creativity, you don't need to select a tempo before hit record to finally play a pattern until you get the right take, just play and forget about to record! Dawnbeat is always recording! Multi-touch and draggable pads: - Pads are multi-touch, play a single pad with two fingers at the same time! - Pads are individually configurable, allowing re-triggering when dragging for amazing fills, tone variations . - Mute and Solo buttons for pads available. - Mute groups. Memorizer: - DawnBeat is always recording pad events, you'll never miss a beat, play and experiment and when you hear something you like, it's already recorded! simply go to Memorizer and select the desired events. BRIIKS sampler: - Advanced loop manipulator. Rearrange and combine your loops. Also available as standalone, AUv3 and MacOS. Mixer: - 4 assignable BUSSES and one MAIN BUS. Assign pads to busses, assign internal effects or AUV3 effects to busses.  - Mute and Solo buttons. Polyphonic pads: - Pads can be turned polyphonic, import a piano-like sample and play and sequence chords with a single pad. MIDI IN and MIDI OUT: - Trigger samples from a MIDI controller, play melodies from a MIDI piano. - Sequence hardware drum machines and synths from Dawnbeat. - Use Dawnbeat as an intermediary between a midi keyboard and a synth, save the sequences you are playing. Dawnbeat can save poliphonic sequences! Pattern sequencer with piano editor. - Swing, count-in, metronome. Audio Units: - Dawnbeat support AUv3 effects and instruments! Built in Effects: - Reverb, Delay, Compressor, Flutter, Gate, Tremolo, Noise, Filter, Chorus, Equalizer, Stutter and Tape slow motion. - Effects can be rearranged. Built-In sample browser: - 6 drum kit sample libraries, and 1 bass sample library. Selectable internal sample rate: - Internal sample rate can be changed, choose between HI-FI and LO-FI sample rates. AUTO-SLICER: - AutoSlicer detects hit points and slices audio into individual files minimizing the need for manual editing. Chop up any audio file in a few seconds. Recording sample rate can be selected. Export movies with images and animated GIFs .

Screenshots

WhoSampled4 screens
Dawnbeat4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: WhoSampled at 4.9 against Dawnbeat's 4.2. WhoSampled also leads on ratings volume (8.5K vs 112). Dawnbeat's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (71% vs 62%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. WhoSampled sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per year and Dawnbeat sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

WhoSampled holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: WhoSampled has 8.5K ratings behind it against 112, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 62% of WhoSampled's written reviews are positive against 71% of Dawnbeat's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

WhoSampled ships an update every 4 months, Dawnbeat every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
WhoSampled versus Dawnbeat: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWhoSampledDawnbeat
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (8.5K ratings) — better4.2 (112 ratings)
Positive reviews61.9% of reviews70.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings8.5K — better112
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB504 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperWhoSampledLuis Rivas

Customer experience

WhoSampled

All ratings8,458 ratings
Positive97.0%
Neutral1.0%
Negative2.0%
Written reviews236 reviews
Positive61.9%
Neutral8.1%
Negative30.1%

Dawnbeat

All ratings112 ratings
Positive75.9%
Neutral14.3%
Negative9.8%
Written reviews127 reviews
Positive70.9%
Neutral18.1%
Negative11.0%

Bugs and requests

WhoSampled

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Network errors when scanning Spotify
  • Audio not working on sample videos
  • Login issues with Spotify and other accounts

Requested features

5 requests
  • iPad app optimization
  • More advanced search and filtering options
  • Ability to submit new samples and covers
  • Smoother transitions between songs and samples
  • Background music playback while browsing

Dawnbeat

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

WhoSampled

Subscriptions1
  • Unlimited Track ID$9.991 Year
1 purchases

Dawnbeat

One-time1
  • Dawn Beat Complete$5.99

Questions

Is WhoSampled free?
WhoSampled is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Dawnbeat free?
Dawnbeat is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, WhoSampled or Dawnbeat?
WhoSampled is rated higher. WhoSampled averages 4.9 out of 5 from 8.5K ratings, while Dawnbeat averages 4.2 from 112 ratings.
Do WhoSampled or Dawnbeat have ads?
Neither WhoSampled nor Dawnbeat shows ads.
Which is updated more often, WhoSampled or Dawnbeat?
WhoSampled ships an update every 4 months, and Dawnbeat every 3 weeks. Most recently, WhoSampled was updated on September 24, 2026 and Dawnbeat on September 23, 2026.

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