Comparison

junoNATIVE vs HEXBEAT

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

Head to head
About

junoNATIVE

Features
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junoNATIVE puts a warm, expressive polyphonic synthesizer in your hands โ€” no hardware required. Designed from the ground up for iOS, junoNATIVE faithfully recreates the soul of classic analog synthesis with a real-time audio engine built on AVAudioEngine. Shape rich, evolving sounds using authentic DCO waveforms, resonant filters, multi-stage envelopes, and a lush built-in chorus โ€” all controlled through a beautifully crafted skeuomorphic interface that feels like touching real hardware. SOUND ENGINE โ€ข 6-voice polyphony with per-voice oscillators, filters, and envelopes โ€ข DCO with saw, square, and sub-oscillator waveforms plus PWM modulation โ€ข Resonant low-pass VCF with cutoff, resonance, envelope mod, LFO mod, and key follow โ€ข High-pass filter for thinning out low end โ€ข ADSR envelope with snappy response for both filter and amplitude โ€ข Syncable LFO with rate control for vibrato, filter sweeps, and modulation โ€ข Three-mode chorus: Chorus I, Chorus II, and I+II combined for rich stereo width โ€ข Delay and reverb effects with adjustable mix, time, and feedback โ€ข Portamento for smooth pitch glides between notes ANALOG CHARACTER Dial in the imperfections that make analog synths feel alive: โ€ข DCO Beating โ€” subtle detuning between voices โ€ข Filter Drift โ€” slow random cutoff movement โ€ข Envelope Click โ€” percussive transient at note onset โ€ข Cable Length, Temperature, and Age controls for vintage warmth ARPEGGIATOR โ€ข Up, Down, Up/Down, and Random patterns โ€ข Adjustable tempo from slow ambient pulses to rapid sequences โ€ข Hold mode to sustain arpeggios hands-free โ€ข Chord mode for instant polyphonic voicings PRESET LIBRARY Browse a curated collection of patches organized by category โ€” pads, basses, leads, keys, FX, and more. Includes presets inspired by legendary electronic music productions. Tap to load and start playing instantly. INTERFACE โ€ข Skeuomorphic design with realistic 3D knobs, illuminated LED buttons, and wood-grain panels โ€ข Real-time oscilloscope waveform visualizer โ€ข Scrollable, zoomable piano keyboard with velocity-sensitive touch โ€ข Floating parameter overlay shows values as you tweak โ€ข Haptic feedback on every interaction โ€ข Optimized for iPhone Built with SwiftUI and AVAudioEngine. No sample libraries. No MIDI required. Just pure synthesis.

About

HEXBEAT

Features
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Make music like a pro โ€” right from your iPhone or iPad. HEXBEAT is a fully-featured iOS synthesizer and beat machine for musicians, producers, and beatmakers who want studio-quality sound in their pocket. No samples, no imports โ€” every sound is generated in real time using advanced audio synthesis. STEP SEQUENCER Build rhythmic patterns with a 16-step grid sequencer and 8 programmable drum tracks including kick, snare, hi-hat, clap, 808 bass, tom, and cymbal. Fine-tune your groove with BPM control from 60โ€“200 and swing up to 100%. Save up to 64 patterns across 8 banks and 8 slots each. SYNTH PAD Play melodies with a responsive XY touch pad. Choose from 8 musical scales including Major, Minor, Dorian, Pentatonic, and more. Slide your finger to control filter brightness and pitch simultaneously โ€” up to 5 simultaneous notes for expressive, real-time performance. POWERFUL SOUND SYNTHESIS Shape your sound with 6 oscillator types (Sine, Square, Sawtooth, Triangle, Noise, Super Saw), full ADSR envelopes for amplitude and filter, a resonant low-pass biquad filter, and a 4-waveform LFO with destinations including pitch, cutoff, volume, pan, and PWM. 8-CHANNEL MIXER Mix your tracks withper-channel volume faders, pan control, mute/solo buttons, reverb and delay sends, and real-time peak meters. A master channel with limiter keeps your mix clean and loud. BUILT-IN FX RACK Add depth and character with Reverb (5 room presets from Small Room to Cathedral), Delay with tempo sync, multi-preset Distortion, and a 10-band parametric EQ. BUILT FOR LOW LATENCY HEXBEAT runs at 44.1kHz with 32-bit internal processing and configurable buffer sizes down to 128 samples โ€” delivering under 10ms latency for live performance feel. Whether you're sketching beats on the subway, performing live on stage, or producing tracks at home, HEXBEAT gives you the tools to create. Compatible with iPhone and iPad.

Screenshots

junoNATIVE4 screens
HEXBEAT4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: HEXBEAT at Free against junoNATIVE's $0.99. junoNATIVE's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 8 days vs every 8 months). On ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

HEXBEAT is free to download; junoNATIVE costs $0.99 up front. HEXBEAT sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. junoNATIVE asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

junoNATIVE ships an update every 8 days, HEXBEAT every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
junoNATIVE versus HEXBEAT: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterjunoNATIVEHEXBEAT
Price$0.99Free โ€” better
Update frequencyEvery 8 days โ€” betterEvery 8 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.0 โ€” better18.6
Further details โ€” not scored
Size6 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlexis BouletGregory Hogan

In-app purchases

None

junoNATIVE

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

HEXBEAT

One-time1
  • HEXBEATOTP$7.99

Questions

Is junoNATIVE free?
junoNATIVE costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is HEXBEAT free?
HEXBEAT is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do junoNATIVE or HEXBEAT have ads?
Neither junoNATIVE nor HEXBEAT shows ads.
Which is updated more often, junoNATIVE or HEXBEAT?
junoNATIVE ships an update every 8 days, and HEXBEAT every 8 months. Most recently, junoNATIVE was updated on October 25, 2026 and HEXBEAT on October 31, 2026.

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