Comparison

ASCAP vs BeatDiscovery

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

Head to head
About

ASCAP

This app helps ASCAP members manage their music catalog, register new works, and track royalty distributions. It also offers tools for finding collaborators, accessing educational resources, and discovering industry events.

Highlights
  • Manage music and metadata
  • Register new music
  • Scan catalog for data health
  • Check royalty distributions
  • Find collaborators
  • Access music industry education
  • Discover events
Features
Read full description

If you're an ASCAP songwriter, composer or music publisher, you've come to the right place. The ASCAP app connects you to your ASCAP account, with innovative tools to help you get the most out of your membership, and boost your music career. Think of it as a music manager in your pocket. With the ASCAP app you can: - Manage your music and metadata to make sure you’re set up to get paid for your creative work - Add to your ASCAP catalog with our step-by-step guided or quick registration options - Take a work registration quiz for guidance on how to register your new music - Scan your entire catalog with our data health check, and quickly add any missing metadata to help ASCAP get you paid - Check up on your latest ASCAP royalty distributions - Find new collaborators and mentors with the ASCAP Connections messaging platform - Educate yourself on how the money flows in the music industry, and learn how to sustain your music career, whether you’re an experienced creator or just starting out - Find workshops, competitions and networking events near you What is ASCAP? ASCAP is the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, a performing rights organization (PRO) representing over 1.1 million of the greatest songwriters, composers and music publishers in the world. We’re the only PRO in America operating on a not-for-profit basis, and the only one that puts creators first. We get you paid when your music is played ASCAP’s main job is to pay you royalties when your music is played publicly by the businesses we license. And we’re really good at what we do! In 2024, we achieved revenues of $1.835 billion, and distributed $1.696 billion to our songwriter, composer and publisher members. We put music creators first We pay our members all of the music licensing revenue we take in, minus our operating expenses (among the lowest in the industry). Our governing documents require us to pay music creators first – a claim that only ASCAP can make. We’re led by music creators like you ASCAP is the only PRO in the US founded and governed by songwriters, composers and music publishers. Every decision about how we operate is made by music creators like you – not broadcasters, corporations and investors, like our competitors. We innovate ASCAP offers the most advanced data processing systems of any PRO, to ensure that you get paid fairly and accurately. Our ASCAP Lab explores how new technologies and new business approaches can drive value for our members and the businesses that use their music.

About

BeatDiscovery

This music production app helps producers quickly create and refine beat ideas. It offers a controlled system for generating variations using real sounds and MIDI patterns, allowing for detailed editing and seamless export to DAWs. Suitable for both beginners and professionals.

Highlights
  • 16-channel drum groove engine
  • Sound and pattern pack switching
  • Per-channel editing
  • Audio effects suite
  • MIDI and stem export
  • Custom sample pack creation
Features
Read full description

BeatDiscovery is a professional rhythm and loop sequencer built to help producers create production ready ideas fast. This is not a DAW pretending your phone is a full studio. BeatDiscovery is built for the part of music production where speed matters most: finding the groove, shaping the rhythm, layering loops, and exporting clean ideas into your real workflow. Simply open the app, press play, and instantly hear a beat using loaded sound and pattern packs. From there, BeatDiscovery can generate endless usable variations by switching patterns, changing sounds on the fly, and letting you keep moving without starting from a blank grid. BeatDiscovery is not random generative AI. It is a controlled beat-making system that multiplies real sounds and real MIDI patterns from human-made sample packs. You stay in control while the app gives you fast ways to discover grooves you might not have made by hand. Switch sounds and patterns on the fly. Freeze the kick, hats, snare, or any sounds you like while changing others on the fly. Edit the full pattern grid, dial in individual channels, import audio loops, layer internal synth loops, and export MIDI, stems, loops, or full mixes to finish properly in your DAW. BeatDiscovery is super fun for beginners, and extremely powerful for professionals. Core features: • 16-channel drum groove engine • Sound and pattern pack switching • Change All Sounds and Change All Patterns • Complex pattern and sound combination modes • Global pattern view for editing the full beat • Per-channel editing for detailed control • Freeze channels to lock the parts you like • Pitch, truncate, swing, shift, mute, solo, half-time, and double-time controls • 9 audio effects: lo-fi, chorus, reverb, filter, amp, delay, flanger, tremolo, and phaser • Audio loops that sync to your beat • Audio loops can change key in sync • Built-in synth loops for fast melodic ideas • Generate usable chords, arpeggios, basslines, and leads • Layer multiple audio and synth loops • Save Current Beat to return to ideas later • Resume your last work in progress every time you open the app • Export drum mixes, stems, audio loops, synth loops, and MIDI for your DAW • Import BeatDiscovery sample packs • Create your own sample packs from folders of samples and MIDI patterns Whether you make trap, house, hip-hop, R&B, electronic, or experimental beats, BeatDiscovery is designed to give you a massive head start. It is fast enough for ideas on the run, but focused enough for serious production. Unlock BeatDiscovery forever with a one-time purchase, or choose Pack Pass for ongoing access to an expanded library of sample packs. Terms of Use (EULA): https://pi-99.com/terms-and-conditions Privacy Policy: https://pi-99.com/privacy-policy

Screenshots

ASCAP4 screens
BeatDiscovery4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ASCAP at none against BeatDiscovery's 10. ASCAP also leads on ratings volume (32 vs 1). BeatDiscovery's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, ads, device support 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. BeatDiscovery sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. ASCAP asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

BeatDiscovery holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ASCAP has 32 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ASCAP ships an update monthly, BeatDiscovery weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
ASCAP versus BeatDiscovery: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterASCAPBeatDiscovery
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (32 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews70.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings32 — better1
Update frequencyMonthlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.116.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size66 MB253 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperASCAPYouSound Inc.

Customer experience

ASCAP

All ratings32 ratings
Positive90.6%
Neutral6.3%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive70.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative10.0%

BeatDiscovery

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

ASCAP

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

BeatDiscovery

Subscriptions1
  • Pack Pass$4.991 Month
One-time9
  • Own Forever$9.99
  • Afrobeat$9.99
  • Compurhythms$9.99
Show 6 more
  • Latin Rhythms$9.99
  • Rare Drums$9.99
  • Scratch Beats$9.99
  • Simms$9.99
  • SP 303 Drums Vol. 1$9.99
  • Name Trap Life Vol 2$9.99

Questions

Is ASCAP free?
ASCAP is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BeatDiscovery free?
BeatDiscovery is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ASCAP or BeatDiscovery?
BeatDiscovery is rated higher. ASCAP averages 4.6 out of 5 from 32 ratings, while BeatDiscovery averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do ASCAP or BeatDiscovery have ads?
Neither ASCAP nor BeatDiscovery shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ASCAP or BeatDiscovery?
ASCAP ships an update monthly, and BeatDiscovery weekly. Most recently, ASCAP was updated on September 21, 2026 and BeatDiscovery on September 13, 2026.

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