Comparison

Hexapad vs BeatGlow

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

BeatGlow

Create unique music with a generative drum machine. Shape synthesized sounds, build songs from patterns, and share your creations as audio or video. Get started with AI-generated patterns or build from scratch with no ads or subscriptions.

Highlights
  • 7-track, 32-step generative drum sequencer
  • Synthesized, editable drum sounds
  • AI-generated pattern starting points
  • Song arrangement and pattern chaining
  • WAV audio and video export
  • Cross-device pattern sharing
Features
Read full description

BeatGlow is a drum machine that glows in the dark. Tap out a beat on a 7-track, 32-step grid and hear it instantly. Every kick, snare, hi-hat, clap and FX hit is synthesized on the fly — there are no samples to download, and nothing is baked in. That means you can reach into any drum and reshape it: raise the pitch, stretch or choke the decay, brighten or darken the tone. The waveform changes, not a filter on top of it. MAKE A BEAT • 7 tracks x 32 steps — kick, snare, hi-hat, clap, plus three FX voices • Tap a pad to place a hit; long-press to accent it for real dynamics • Tempo from 60 to 180 BPM, with tap tempo if you'd rather feel it out • MPC-style swing, from dead straight to a heavy triplet shuffle • Per-track volume and mute in the mixer SHAPE THE SOUND • Pitch, decay and tone dials for every track, with instant preview • Because the sounds are generated, not sampled, edits are unlimited • One tap returns any drum to its original voice BUILD A SONG • Chain patterns into an arrangement, each section repeating as you like • Reorder sections by dragging; playback runs the whole song gaplessly • Keep as many patterns as you want, named and organized SHARE IT • Export a pattern or your complete song as a WAV file • Export a pattern or complete song as a vertical video, ready for social • Send a single pattern or your entire library to another BeatGlow user — they open the file and it imports NEED A STARTING POINT? Describe a style — "laid-back boom bap", "minimal techno", "halftime trap" — and BeatGlow will generate a pattern for you to take apart and rebuild. No account, no API key, no setup. NO NONSENSE No accounts. No sign-in. No ads. No tracking. No subscription. Your beats are saved on your device as you work, and they stay there. MAKE IT YOURS Choose from five visual themes, including Velvet Bloom. Every theme, song mode, sound design, AI generation, WAV export and branded video export remains free. The optional BeatGlow Pro one-time purchase removes the BeatGlow title and footer from pattern and full-song video exports. No subscription. Restore Purchases is available from the question-mark menu > BeatGlow Pro & Purchases.

Screenshots

Hexapad4 screens
BeatGlow4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: BeatGlow at 5.0 against Hexapad's 3.7. BeatGlow also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). Hexapad's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks) and ratings volume (3 vs 1). On price 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. BeatGlow asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

BeatGlow holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hexapad ships an update every 5 days, BeatGlow every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Hexapad versus BeatGlow: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHexapadBeatGlow
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (3 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size97 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperONTRAILSSub Rosa Industries

Customer experience

Hexapad

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

BeatGlow

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Hexapad

Subscriptions1
  • 1 Month Plan$0.991 Month
None

BeatGlow

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Hexapad free?
Hexapad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is BeatGlow free?
BeatGlow is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Hexapad or BeatGlow?
BeatGlow is rated higher. Hexapad averages 3.7 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while BeatGlow averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Hexapad or BeatGlow have ads?
Hexapad shows ads; BeatGlow does not.
Which is updated more often, Hexapad or BeatGlow?
Hexapad ships an update every 5 days, and BeatGlow every 3 weeks. Most recently, Hexapad was updated on October 24, 2026 and BeatGlow on October 8, 2026.

Other comparisons