Comparison

Hexapad vs Play Beat Sequencer

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

Play Beat Sequencer

Features
Read full description

Play Beat is a beat sequencer from about age 7 (Dutch groep 4 and up) and anyone learning to program a groove. You place hits on 16 steps, listen, then edit until the pattern is tight. Tracks • Kick, snare, hi-hat, clap • Bass, piano, synth (tap the same step again to raise the pitch) Effects per track Enable FX on one track; the others stay dry. Effects: reverb, lowpass, highpass, saturation, echo. Get started Pick a starter (empty, house, hip hop, rock, ambient) or build from scratch. Play, change steps, set tempo. Your beat stays on the device. The app is free. A single non-personalized Google AdMob banner sits at the bottom. No interstitials, rewarded ads, video, or app-open ads. A one-time in-app purchase (about €2) removes that banner. Anyone who already bought the paid iOS app keeps ads off. Restore purchases is in the app. Privacy: https://beatboxbart.nl/playbeat-privacy/

Screenshots

Hexapad4 screens
Play Beat Sequencer3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hexapad at none against Play Beat Sequencer's 1. On price, update cadence, 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. Play Beat Sequencer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Hexapad asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hexapad ships an update every 5 days, Play Beat Sequencer every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Hexapad versus Play Beat Sequencer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHexapadPlay Beat Sequencer
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size97 MB31 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperONTRAILSBart Voogt

In-app purchases

None

Hexapad

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Play Beat Sequencer

One-time1
  • Remove ads$1.99

Questions

Is Hexapad free?
Hexapad is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Play Beat Sequencer free?
Play Beat Sequencer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Hexapad or Play Beat Sequencer have ads?
Both Hexapad and Play Beat Sequencer show ads.
Which is updated more often, Hexapad or Play Beat Sequencer?
Hexapad ships an update every 5 days, and Play Beat Sequencer every 4 days. Most recently, Hexapad was updated on October 18, 2026 and Play Beat Sequencer on October 11, 2026.

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