Comparison

Syntien 2 vs Hexapad

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

Head to head
About

Syntien 2

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Syntien 2 recognizes a variety of input sources, including touch, movement, and sound, and converts them into data for your creative work. Syntien 2 can connect to other devices and software via MIDI, OSC, and BLE. It comes with all the standard controls you'd expect -- buttons, labels, sliders, knobs, etc. -- plus a unique set of tools that go far beyond the basics. • Use an adjustable, resizable Keyboard control to send MIDI note and velocity data, in addition to pitch bend, expression, and more. • The Touch Pad control takes full advantage of your device's multi-touch capabilities. Track multiple touches independently. Use a stylus like an Apple Pencil to send highly-expressive data with pressure and tilt sensitivity. • The IMU control uses data from your device's accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer to transmit your device's acceleration, rotation, or nearby magnetic field strength. • Use the Level Meter to track audio input levels, and use the Pitch Detector control to detect pitch. • Transform and scale outputs directly in Syntien 2 without any complex scripting! • Connect controls to each other using Macros. Use buttons to toggle a Keyboard's sustain pedal, set up a Slider to modulate the frequency of an LFO, and more! • Create your own interfaces and modify the behavior of controls in-app, on any iPhone or iPad, without the need for a separate desktop editor! Place and resize controls exactly how you want them using intuitive drag-and-drop gestures. • Modify controls mid-performance by sending data from your computer to Syntien. Incoming OSC messages are displayed on the screen and color-coded, so you'll know exactly what messages Syntien is receiving and whether or not they're being interpreted. Works with Ableton, Max/MSP, SuperCollider, TouchDesigner, and any MIDI- or OSC-compatible software.

About

Hexapad

Create music with a unique hexagonal pad interface. Explore built-in synths for various genres, record your own sounds, and easily switch between beat, melody, and bass modes. Save, layer, and export your creations.

Highlights
  • Hexagonal honeycomb pad interface
  • Built-in synths for multiple genres
  • Mic recording kit for custom sounds
  • Dedicated modes for beat, melody, and bass
  • Kit-specific effects (reverb, echo, flanger)
  • Auto-generate beats, melodies, and basslines
  • Export to WAV format
Features
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Hexapad is a beatmaker and step sequencer with a fresh, intuitive feel — hexagonal pads laid out in a honeycomb grid that let your fingers move naturally. No extra samples needed. The built-in synths alone cover a wide range of genres — Techno, House, Hip-Hop, Ambient, Lo-Fi, Minimal, IDM, Alternative, and Contemporary. With the dedicated mic-recording kit, you can capture your own sounds and drop them straight onto the pads. Recorded audio is auto-leveled, so it sits naturally alongside everything else. Each pad displays the waveform of its sound, giving you the shape of the tone at a glance. Every kit plays as more than just beats — it works for melodies and basslines too. A single mode switch in the header takes you from rhythm to melody to bass, all at your fingertips. The melody and bass tones and keys are crafted per kit — in Contemporary, for example, a felt piano resonates with a sound and key suited to the genre. Modes are color-coded for intuitive switching (beat = green, melody = blue, bass = orange). Each kit comes with its own effects setup — reverb, echo, flanger, and more — so you can shape the texture of every kit. Sound plays even in silent mode, so you can create anywhere, with or without headphones. Tap to lay down a beat, save it, and layer your loops. Hit the Demo or Band button to auto-generate a full set of beat, melody, and bass in a single tap, then layer them on the spot. Save the loops you like, combine your saved sounds, add fade-in/out, and export to WAV. Enjoy the experience of making music — intuitively, right in the palm of your hand.

Screenshots

Syntien 24 screens
Hexapad4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Syntien 2 at none against Hexapad's shown. Hexapad's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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

Syntien 2 ships an update every 3 weeks, Hexapad every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 15, 2026 and September 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Syntien 2 versus Hexapad: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSyntien 2Hexapad
PriceFreeFree
Rating—3.5 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Ad-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size35 MB28 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperModuliiONTRAILS

In-app purchases

None

Syntien 2

No in-app purchases

None

Hexapad

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Syntien 2 free?
Syntien 2 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hexapad free?
Hexapad is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Syntien 2 or Hexapad have ads?
Hexapad shows ads; Syntien 2 does not.
Which is updated more often, Syntien 2 or Hexapad?
Syntien 2 ships an update every 3 weeks, and Hexapad every 5 days. Most recently, Syntien 2 was updated on September 15, 2026 and Hexapad on September 1, 2026.

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