Comparison

Hexapad vs PadDrums

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

Head to head
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
Read full description

Hexapad is an intuitive beatmaker with hexagonal pads arranged in a honeycomb grid. Tap to play short musical phrases, or slide your fingers across the pads to connect sounds. Build your own music one layer at a time, whether you’re an experienced musician or creating your first track. No extra samples needed. Explore built-in sounds spanning Electronica, Techno, House, Hip-Hop, Ambient, Lo-Fi, Minimal, Alternative, and Contemporary. Phrase pads are organized into BEAT, BASS, CHORDS, MELODY, and ACCENT, making it easy to combine rhythms, basslines, harmonies, and melodies. Each pad displays a waveform so you can see the character of its sound. Capture your performance with REC. Your first pad starts a four-bar recording, which loops as you add more phrases. Undo your latest addition, or use SAVE to name and store the take for use in Song. Shuffle the pads to explore new phrases while keeping the phrases you’ve already recorded. Shape your sound in real time with large FX knobs for reverb, delay, filtering, flanger, and more. Adjust the tempo with BPM, or switch sound kits to hear your recorded phrases with a different palette. Turn your voice and everyday sounds into instruments. Open Sampler from the microphone button, record a sound, and play it from a pad. Trim the waveform, reverse the sample, or adjust its pitch, pan, and volume. In Song, layer saved recordings to build a fuller sound, then carry those layers into the next four-bar section. Use the timeline to see where sounds overlap, and add or remove layers to create changes throughout your track. Preview, rename, and delete your saved recordings from the same screen. Need a starting point? Auto creates a song arrangement from your chosen mood and length. Edit the generated layers and sections to make it your own, add fade-in and fade-out, and export the finished track as a WAV file. Connect a USB or Bluetooth LE MIDI controller to take your performance further. Assign the same phrase pads you see in Play to your controller’s keys or pads, and map knobs or faders to FX controls. The free version includes pad performance, FX, and voice recording. Save up to 10 recording takes and 3 songs, and use Auto Short. Complete a rewarded ad to unlock one WAV export. The monthly Hexapad Pro subscription removes ads and recording/song save limits, unlocks Auto Medium and Long, and lets you export WAV files without watching ads. See the purchase screen for local pricing. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled and can be managed or canceled in your store account settings. Your saved work is kept when Pro ends. Enjoy making music — intuitively, right in the palm of your hand. Privacy Policy https://www.ontrails.jp/app/privacy-policy/hexpad/ Terms of Use https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

PadDrums

Features
Read full description

PadDrums turns your iPhone into a full electronic drum kit — no hardware required. ■ 4 Sound Kits Switch instantly between Acoustic, 808, Techno, and LoFi kits. Play Kick, Snare, Hi-Hat, Open Hat, Toms, Crash, and Ride across 9 responsive pads. ■ Fully Customizable Pads Reassign any sound to any pad and build your own custom kit from scratch. ■ Preset Beat Patterns Trigger 2-beat, 4-beat, 8-beat, or 16-beat rhythm patterns with one tap. Fine-tune the groove with BPM and swing controls. ■ Built-in FX Shape your sound with reverb and other effects, right on the pad. ■ True Multi-Touch Hit multiple pads at once without dropouts, for a real, expressive playing feel. Whether you're sketching a beat, practicing rhythm, or just jamming — PadDrums puts a full drum kit in your pocket.

Screenshots

Hexapad4 screens
PadDrums1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PadDrums at none against Hexapad's 1. PadDrums also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 5 days). Hexapad's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.5). On price, ads and device support 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. Hexapad sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per month. PadDrums asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hexapad ships an update every 5 days, PadDrums every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Hexapad versus PadDrums: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHexapadPadDrums
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationAd-supported—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.5
Further details — not scored
Size97 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperONTRAILSKouki Yoshimoto

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Hexapad

Subscriptions1
  • 1 Month Plan$0.991 Month
None

PadDrums

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Hexapad free?
Hexapad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PadDrums free?
PadDrums is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Hexapad or PadDrums have ads?
Both Hexapad and PadDrums show ads.
Which is updated more often, Hexapad or PadDrums?
Hexapad ships an update every 5 days, and PadDrums every 2 days. Most recently, Hexapad was updated on October 24, 2026 and PadDrums on October 25, 2026.

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