Comparison

Shaker Box vs Beat Station

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

Head to head
About

Shaker Box

This app transforms your iPhone into a musical instrument, offering a variety of shaker sounds. Explore different playing modes, including shake, tap, and loop, to create rhythms and beats.

Highlights
  • Playable music shakers
  • Shake, tap, and loop modes
  • Professionally recorded sounds
  • Precise shaking recognition
  • Support for 4/4 and 3/4 time signatures
Features
Read full description

Shaker Box turns your iPhone into a playable music shaker! Shaker Box is a collection of high quality playable shakers for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Using high-precision accelerometer data, Shaker Box allows you to shake your phone just like a real shaker. Shaker Box features a range of professionally recorded shaker sounds and three playing modes. SHAKE MODE: Shake your device like a real shaker. TAP MODE: Tap the tap-pad and Shaker Box will play a shaker loop in time with your taps. LOOP MODE: Set a tempo, either manually, or by tapping the tap-tempo pad, and Shaker Box will play a Shaker Loop at the tempo you select. FEATURES: - Loads of shaker sounds to choose from - Three different playing modes - Professionally recorded shaker sounds - Precise shaking recognition - 4/4 and 3/4 time signatures A lot of hard work went into creating Shaker Box, so I hope you enjoy using it!

About

Beat Station

This app provides a versatile drum machine for musicians, offering realistic drum sets and extensive loop libraries. It allows for real-time control of song sections and hands-free operation via a Bluetooth MIDI pedalboard, enhancing practice, production, and live performance.

Highlights
  • Realistic drum sets
  • Extensive drum loop library
  • Multiple control modes (Loop, Pedal, Song)
  • Bluetooth MIDI pedalboard support
  • Inter-App Audio and background audio
  • Export songs as audio files
  • MIDI implementation and DAW integration
Features
Read full description

The Beat Station is a rhythm machine for practicing guitar, bass, keyboard, or any type of instrument, and also brings to production and live performance the ease of not requiring live drums and a drummer. You can control verse, chorus, transition, fill, intro, and outro sections using different modes of operation. Connect Bluetooth MIDI Pedalboard lets you control all sections hands-free. When you hear the rhythm patterns and start to control them live, it is truly like a versatile drummer playing along with you. LOOP MODE Easily play rhythm patterns with loop pads. Each rhythm style includes 12 rhythm patterns: intro, verse, chorus, six fills, two transitions, and outro. You can switch rhythm patterns in real-time as needed during your performance. PEDAL MODE You can use the Pedal mode to play rhythm patterns with four footswitches. By using a Bluetooth MIDI pedalboard, you can perform operational tasks without having to take your hands off of your instrument. SONG MODE You can connect rhythm patterns to create a complete drum track that's appropriate for your own song, and play it automatically. Features • 6 ultra-realistic drum sets • Over 1700 drum loops, 136 rhythm styles in 15 genres • Easily play rhythm patterns with three modes • Inter-App Audio support • Audio background mode • Export your songs as audio files • Full MIDI implementation • MIDI Controller support • MIDI Learn • Send MIDI to DAW or other apps • Ableton Link integration • Keep your projects up to date across all devices using iCloud -------- Beat Station Pro Subscription - Get All Genres of Rhythm (Over 1700 Drum Loops) - Unlimited Projects - Export Audio - MIDI Output • $2.99(USD)/Month  • $22.99(USD)/Year Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at the confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions by going to your account settings on the App Store after purchase. PRIVACY POLICY: https://sonarmusic.app/beatstation/privacy/ TERMS OF USE: https://sonarmusic.app/beatstation/terms/

Screenshots

Shaker Box3 screens
Beat Station4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Beat Station at 4.5 against Shaker Box's 2.5. Beat Station also leads on review sentiment (64% vs 23%) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 18 months). Shaker Box's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Shaker Box sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Beat Station sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Beat Station holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Beat Station has 498 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 23% of Shaker Box's written reviews are positive against 64% of Beat Station's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shaker Box ships an update every 18 months, Beat Station every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Shaker Box versus Beat Station: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShaker BoxBeat Station
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.5 (2 ratings)4.5 (498 ratings) — better
Positive reviews22.7% of reviews63.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2498 — better
Update frequencyEvery 18 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB209 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSteven BarnegrenSonar Multimedia

Customer experience

Shaker Box

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive22.7%
Neutral13.6%
Negative63.6%

Beat Station

All ratings496 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral6.3%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews144 reviews
Positive63.9%
Neutral13.9%
Negative22.2%

Bugs and requests

Shaker Box

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Beat Station

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Subscription issues (unable to restore purchases)
  • App freezing or closing unexpectedly
  • Blank tutorial screens
  • Inconsistent behavior when switching between beats

Requested features

5 requests
  • More beat variety (Latin, jazz, waltz, etc.)
  • Ability to import custom drum samples
  • Tempo and style changes within a song
  • Midi export option
  • Better tutorial and customer support

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Shaker Box

One-time1
  • Unlock All Shakers$1.99
3 purchases

Beat Station

Subscriptions2
  • Beat Station Pro (Monthly)7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Beat Station Pro (Yearly)7 Days trial$22.991 Year
One-time1
  • Beat Station Pro (Lifetime)$59.99

Questions

Is Shaker Box free?
Shaker Box is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Beat Station free?
Beat Station is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Shaker Box or Beat Station?
Beat Station is rated higher. Shaker Box averages 2.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Beat Station averages 4.5 from 498 ratings.
Do Shaker Box or Beat Station have ads?
Neither Shaker Box nor Beat Station shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shaker Box or Beat Station?
Shaker Box ships an update every 18 months, and Beat Station every 5 weeks. Most recently, Shaker Box was updated on October 14, 2026 and Beat Station on October 21, 2026.

Other comparisons