Comparison

Dawnbeat vs Foundry

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

Head to head
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 .

About

Foundry

This app is a powerful sampler designed for music producers. It automatically detects tempo and key, allowing for precise slicing and manipulation of audio samples. Perform and record on velocity-sensitive pads, then refine your performance on a timeline for professional results.

Highlights
  • Automatic BPM, key, and downbeat detection
  • Beat-grid slicing with draggable markers
  • Per-slice pitch, type, and length editing
  • Velocity-sensitive pad grid
  • Timeline editing with quantization
  • On-device processing, no account needed
Features
Read full description

Foundry is a sampler for producers who want to get right to chopping. Import a track from Files, and Foundry finds the tempo, key, and downbeat automatically. Slice it on a beat grid with draggable markers, audition each slice, and retune or restretch it to your project tempo, repitch for that classic sampler feel, or stretch to keep the key. Then play. Sixteen velocity-sensitive pads, a count-in, and a loop of any length. Arm, record, and your performance lands on a timeline where you can nudge hits, quantize them to a grid with adjustable strength, and bounce the result to a WAV in Files. CHOP • Automatic BPM, key, and downbeat detection • Beat-grid slicing with draggable markers and a minimap • Loop finder that confirms the grid on tricky tracks • Per-slice pitch, type, and length editing • Repitch or time-stretch slices to follow the project tempo • Project-wide transpose PADS • 4×4 pad grid with a scrolling waveform playhead • Adjustable loop length and count-in • Arm + record transport TIMELINE • Every hit recorded as a dot on its lane • Drag single hits or whole groups • Quantize grid and strength • Bounce takes to WAV, share to anywhere Sessions save automatically and pick up where you left off. Everything runs on-device - no account, no upload, no tracking. Foundry offers features under a pro subscription and will auto-renew at the end of the period, unless auto-renewal is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Payments will be chaged to your AppleID. You can manage your subsctiption via the Apple App Store "Subscriptions" panel. You may cancel your subscription any time. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula

Screenshots

Dawnbeat4 screens
Foundry4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Foundry at 5.0 against Dawnbeat's 4.2. Foundry also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 70%) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks). Dawnbeat's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and ads (none vs shown). On price, in-app purchases and iOS requirement 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. Dawnbeat sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Foundry sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Foundry holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dawnbeat has 112 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Dawnbeat's written reviews are positive against 100% of Foundry's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dawnbeat ships an update every 3 weeks, Foundry every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Dawnbeat versus Foundry: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDawnbeatFoundry
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (112 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews70.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings112 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.6 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size504 MB93 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLuis RivasQuerci

Customer experience

Dawnbeat

All ratings112 ratings
Positive75.9%
Neutral14.3%
Negative9.8%
Written reviews128 reviews
Positive70.3%
Neutral18.8%
Negative10.9%

Foundry

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Dawnbeat

One-time1
  • Dawn Beat Complete$5.99
2 purchases

Foundry

Subscriptions2
  • Foundry Pro$8.991 Month
  • Foundry Pro$59.991 Year

Questions

Is Dawnbeat free?
Dawnbeat is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Foundry free?
Foundry is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Dawnbeat or Foundry?
Foundry is rated higher. Dawnbeat averages 4.2 out of 5 from 112 ratings, while Foundry averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Dawnbeat or Foundry have ads?
Foundry shows ads; Dawnbeat does not.
Which is updated more often, Dawnbeat or Foundry?
Dawnbeat ships an update every 3 weeks, and Foundry every 4 days. Most recently, Dawnbeat was updated on October 10, 2026 and Foundry on October 8, 2026.

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