Drones vs ByteBeat
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Drones
Craft personalized audio environments with custom noise generation and a library of ambient sounds. Mix up to four sources, set a sleep timer, and save your unique soundscapes. Enjoy a one-time purchase for full access to all features and future updates.
- Custom noise generation (pink, white, brown)
- Adjustable frequency filters
- Mix up to 4 audio sources
- 50+ catalog sounds
- Sleep timer with fade-out
- Save and replay custom mixes
- Generative album art
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Drones is a library of 50+ sounds plus tools to mix and create your own noise or endless soundscapes. CREATE CUSTOM NOISE Generate pink, white, brown, and other noise colors with adjustable frequency filters. Fine-tune the exact sound that works for you. MIX YOUR SOUNDSCAPES Combine up to 4 sources — your custom noises plus our catalog — in a simple mixer. Slow loops down and re-pitch them until a mix is unmistakably yours. 50+ CATALOG SOUNDS, ONE ARTIST A library of field recordings, ambient drones, and environmental audio — all recorded and produced by a single ambient artist. IMPORT YOUR SOUNDS Import sounds from your files. Set loop start and end positions along with fades. Use your sounds alongside library sounds ADD EFFECTS TO YOUR MIXES Reverb, Echo, Tape Wobble, Pitch Shift, Drift and more. SLEEP TIMER Gradually fade out your mix and drift off without worrying about stopping playback. SAVE & REPLAY Save your noises and mixes to a personal library, each with generative pixel album art. Some use Drones for sleep. Some for live performance or music production. Others for focus while working or studying. Some just love the sounds. However you use it, Drones is yours to explore. Drones is a pay-once ambient noise mixer for people who want to craft their sound, not rent it. No subscriptions — ever. After 7 day trial, free users still have access to 15 unique loops.
ByteBeat
Transform code into captivating audio experiences. This app provides a creative space to write simple formulas and instantly generate unique sounds. Explore audio creation through code, ideal for developers, musicians, or the musically curious.
- Generate audio from code
- Real-time playback
- Experiment with sound styles
- Create unique sounds
- Export audio files
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Draw a shape. Hear it as music. Or describe a sound and let AI help you write the code. ByteBeat is a creative coding playground where sound comes from code — techno, chiptune, glitches, drones, and unexpected textures. Start with a drawing, explore a ready-made track, or write one line of math and press play. DRAW IT, HEAR IT, EXPLORE THE CODE Draw a line in Sound Canvas and it becomes a loop — left to right is time, up is higher. Add layers for harmony, bass and drums, or tap Make It a Track to build an arrangement around your shape. Pick a mood and experiment. Open the code behind your drawing to explore how it works and make it your own. DESCRIBE YOUR NEXT SOUND Meet the ByteBeat AI assistant. Ask for a rhythmic chiptune, a darker bassline, or a slower groove. Generate a new formula or ask for changes to your current code. The result goes straight into the editor. Review it, press Apply to hear it, and keep experimenting. Undo or revert when you want to go back. START FROM REAL TRACKS Explore built-in presets ranging from classic one-line formulas to layered arrangements in techno, house, trance, synthwave, drum and bass, cinematic, lo-fi electronic, and ambient styles. Every preset opens in the editor, so you can read how it works and rewrite it. A REAL CODE EDITOR Syntax highlighting, line numbers, undo and redo, and a one-tap row for common operators. When something breaks, error messages point to the line and column so you can find your way forward. LEARN AS YOU GO Start with a guided tour, explore a guide to the app’s controls, or open the language reference from the editor. Runnable examples introduce the operators, rhythms, melodies, and synthesis techniques behind your sound. SEE YOUR SOUND Watch an audio-reactive visualizer respond to your music. Switch skins and scenes, or enter full-screen mode to put the visuals first. SAVE, EXPORT AND SHARE Keep your formulas and canvases in a personal library. Sign in to back up and sync your saved code presets. Export WAV audio, create videos sized for TikTok or Instagram, or share a link that opens your formula in ByteBeat. UNDER THE HOOD • Classic and JS-big evaluation modes • Bytebeat, signed bytebeat, and floatbeat output • Six sample rates from 8 kHz to 44.1 kHz • Adjustable audio buffer size • Editable formulas and layered sound experiments Start drawing, coding, and playing offline without an account. AI assistance and cloud sync require sign-in and an internet connection. WAV exports longer than 15 seconds require sign-in. Code, sound, and experimentation — with more ways to find your next idea.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ByteBeat at none against Drones's 1. ByteBeat also leads on ratings volume (14 vs 3) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.6). Drones's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.8). On price, update cadence, ads 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
Both are free to download. Drones sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. ByteBeat asks for nothing beyond the download.
Drones holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 14 respectively.
Drones ships an update every 10 days, ByteBeat every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Drones | ByteBeat |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | 4.8 (14 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 14 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days — better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 121 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | William Shouldis | Ali Ebrahimi |
Customer experience
Drones
ByteBeat
In-app purchases
Drones
- Lifetime Access$3.99
ByteBeat
No in-app purchases








