Comparison

BlockBeats vs Fretbox

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

Head to head
About

BlockBeats

Stream millions of tracks from independent artists worldwide for free. Discover new music across diverse genres, support creators directly, and enjoy a premium listening experience with advanced playback features. No subscription or credit card required.

Highlights
  • Unlimited free music streaming
  • Discover new and underground artists
  • Direct artist support with $AUDIO tokens
  • Background playback
  • Queue management
  • 5-band equalizer
  • Sleep timer
Features
Read full description

BlockBeats – Free Music Streaming Powered by Audius Discover a new way to experience music. BlockBeats connects you to Audius, the world's largest decentralized music platform with millions of tracks from independent artists worldwide. STREAM FOR FREE • Unlimited music streaming • No ads interrupting your listening • High-quality audio from verified artists • Access trending tracks, new releases, and hidden gems DISCOVER NEW MUSIC • Browse 30+ genres from Electronic to Hip-Hop • Explore curated playlists and albums • Find underground artists before they blow up • Get personalized recommendations based on your taste SUPPORT ARTISTS DIRECTLY • Artists keep 90%+ of earnings (vs 12% on traditional platforms) • Tip your favorite artists with $AUDIO tokens • Build real connections with creators • No middlemen taking your money PREMIUM LISTENING EXPERIENCE • Background playback - listen while using other apps • Queue management - play next, add to queue, reorder • Sleep timer with end-of-track option • 5-band equalizer with presets • Playback speed control (0.5x - 2.0x) • Crossfade between tracks • Lock screen controls PERSONALIZED FOR YOU • Radio mode for endless discovery • Recently played history • Like tracks and follow artists • Create and manage playlists • Dynamic album art color themes Built on Audius – the blockchain-powered platform where artists own their music and fans have direct access. No subscription required. No credit card needed. Just press play. Download BlockBeats and start streaming today. WHAT'S NEW (for version 1.0.0) ------------------------------ Initial release featuring: • Stream millions of tracks for free • 30+ music genres to explore • Background playback with lock screen controls • 5-band equalizer with presets • Queue management and playlists • Artist profiles and tipping support • Sleep timer and playback speed control

About

Fretbox

Features
Read full description

Play your guitar tabs offline. Slow down tricky parts, loop a bar and practise at your own pace. Start with an included exercise, or open your Guitar Pro and MusicXML files. Playback, speed control, looping, track controls and offline access are free. No account, ads or subscription. OPEN WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE Tap a file in Mail, AirDrop or the Files app and it opens here. Guitar Pro 3 through 7, .gpx, and MusicXML. Everything is copied into the app, so it stays with you when the wifi does not. PRACTISE PROPERLY • Play at 25, 50, 75 or 100 percent • Loop the bar that keeps beating you • Speed trainer — raises the tempo 5 percent every time the loop comes round, up to full speed • Metronome and count-in • Mute or solo any track, and learn the guitar part over the band TUNER INCLUDED A chromatic tuner with real pitch detection. The microphone runs only while the tuner is open. Nothing is recorded, stored or sent anywhere. SOMETHING TO PLAY FROM THE START Four technique exercises written for this app — chromatic warm-up, spider, minor pentatonic, string skipping — plus two public domain pieces. YOUR FILES AND SIX INCLUDED STARTERS Fretbox plays your own files plus six included exercises and pieces. There is no online song catalogue.

Screenshots

BlockBeats4 screens
Fretbox3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: BlockBeats at every 3 days against Fretbox's monthly. BlockBeats also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.4). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BlockBeats ships an update every 3 days, Fretbox monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
BlockBeats versus Fretbox: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBlockBeatsFretbox
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (5 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB39 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperRocky Ocean, LLCPDEVELOP Limited Liability Company

In-app purchases

None

BlockBeats

No in-app purchases

None

Fretbox

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BlockBeats free?
BlockBeats is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Fretbox free?
Fretbox is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do BlockBeats or Fretbox have ads?
Neither BlockBeats nor Fretbox shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BlockBeats or Fretbox?
BlockBeats ships an update every 3 days, and Fretbox monthly. Most recently, BlockBeats was updated on October 30, 2026 and Fretbox on November 6, 2026.

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