Comparison

ByteBeat vs SoundShader

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Generate audio from code
  • Real-time playback
  • Experiment with sound styles
  • Create unique sounds
  • Export audio files
Features
Read full description

Draw a shape. Hear it as music. Or write one line of math and press play. ByteBeat is a creative coding playground where sound comes from code — techno, chiptune, glitches, drones, and textures you won't find in a normal music app. Not a coder? Draw something. That's the whole learning curve. DRAW IT, HEAR IT, SEE THE CODE New: Sound Canvas. Draw a line 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 and let the app build an arrangement around your shape. Pick a mood instead of a scale if you don't know what a scale is. Then open the code. Your drawing is a real, readable program you can edit — change the tempo, the key or the notes, and the canvas follows. START FROM REAL TRACKS 22 built-in presets: classic one-liners like ((t>>10)&42)*t, plus full arrangements in driving, melodic, dark and industrial techno, deep and progressive house, trance, synthwave, drum and bass, cinematic and lo-fi electronic, and ambient. Every one 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 the operators bytebeat actually uses. When something breaks, the error points at the exact line and column instead of just going silent. LEARN AS YOU GO Built-in training explains what t, *, >> and & really do, with sample formulas you can load, play, and change on the spot. SEE YOUR SOUND An audio-reactive visualizer runs behind your code, with a full-screen mode and switchable skins and scenes. EXPORT AND SHARE Render WAV up to 60 seconds, export video sized for TikTok or Instagram, or share a link that opens your exact formula on someone else's phone. 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 buffer size • Save your own formulas and canvases to a personal library No setup. No accounts. No internet required. Just code, sound, and experimentation.

About

SoundShader

Transform sound into dynamic, colorful light displays. Choose from various visual presets or customize your own to match any audio, from live microphone input to your music library. Optimized for stunning visuals on modern displays.

Highlights
  • Live microphone audio input
  • Audio file playback with equalizer
  • Apple Music integration
  • Eight built-in visual presets
  • Customizable color and motion
  • HDR display support
  • 120Hz ProMotion support
Features
Read full description

SoundShader turns sound into moving light. Each band of the music, from the deepest bass to the brightest cymbal, drives its own ribbons of color, so a quiet ballad and a dense electronic track, combined with a variety of visual presets, create wildly different looks. Every feature in SoundShader is totally free. LISTEN TO ANYTHING • Microphone: the visuals are totally live, following what your device hears, as it happens. • Audio files: open a song from Files and the visuals follow it exactly, with a 10-band equalizer to shape how it sounds and looks. • Apple Music: play a song from your library. On iPhone and iPad, it plays through the speaker while SoundShader listens through the microphone. MAKE IT YOURS • Eight built-in looks: Rainbow, Aurora, Violet, Flame, Moss, Embers, Party and Shadow. Save your own as presets. • Color: hue, saturation, brightness, and where the warm colors hand over to the cool ones. • Motion: speed, density and size, each of which can follow the music by itself with Auto Speed, Auto Density and Auto Size. • A flowing backdrop and a live waveform. BUILT FOR GREAT DISPLAYS • Extended Dynamic Range lets the brightest light go past white on HDR displays. • Runs up to your display's full refresh rate, including 120 hz ProMotion. • Performance Mode for less power usage and higher frame rates on older devices. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account, no ads, no tracking. Everything SoundShader hears is analyzed on your device and never leaves it.

Screenshots

ByteBeat4 screens
SoundShader3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: SoundShader at 5.0 against ByteBeat's 4.7. SoundShader also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks) and device support (3 vs 1). ByteBeat's advantage is ratings volume (11 vs 3) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.5). On price, review sentiment, 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SoundShader holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11 and 3 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ByteBeat ships an update every 2 weeks, SoundShader every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
ByteBeat versus SoundShader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterByteBeatSoundShader
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (11 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings11 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better26.5
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAli EbrahimiAndreas Beyer-Bowden

Customer experience

ByteBeat

All ratings11 ratings
Positive90.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

SoundShader

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

ByteBeat

No in-app purchases

None

SoundShader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ByteBeat free?
ByteBeat is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SoundShader free?
SoundShader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ByteBeat or SoundShader?
SoundShader is rated higher. ByteBeat averages 4.7 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while SoundShader averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do ByteBeat or SoundShader have ads?
Neither ByteBeat nor SoundShader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ByteBeat or SoundShader?
ByteBeat ships an update every 2 weeks, and SoundShader every 4 days. Most recently, ByteBeat was updated on October 2, 2026 and SoundShader on September 29, 2026.

Other comparisons