Comparison

Hive vs ARPJAM Player

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

Head to head
About

Hive

Features
Read full description

Hive is a honeycomb loop mixer. Pick a hive, tap a hex, and the loop locks to the beat. Every loop in a pack lives in the same key and tempo, so whatever you light up plays together. No timeline. No tracks. No menus. Just a wall of glowing hexes and a heartbeat that keeps the jam honest. Tap mid-cycle and the loop waits for the next downbeat, then drops in on time. Seven hives, seven moods. Tape Haze and Break Slice are free, forever. Pocket Groove, Stingray, Warehouse Pulse, Neon Current, and Crate Digger unlock with Hive Pro. Light up a mix you love and share it as a hive code. Anyone with Hive opens the same loops, on the same downbeat. Hive Pro is $4.99/month or $39.99/year. It unlocks every hive, all future packs, unlimited downloads, and mix recording. Cancel anytime in Settings. Works on iPhone and iPad, portrait or landscape. Pinch to zoom the bigger hives.

About

ARPJAM Player

This app allows you to queue music tracks and set individual playback durations. It automatically fades out the current track and transitions to the next, ensuring consistent loudness and background playback. Explore a library of published tracks or import your own.

Highlights
  • Queue and time music tracks
  • Automatic track fading and transition
  • Matched loudness for consistent volume
  • Background playback with screen off
  • Browse and import music library
  • Dynamic music generation engine
Features
Read full description

ARPJAM Player is a device for leaving your JAMs running. Line up the JAMs you want to hear and give each one a play time. When the time is up it fades out on its own and hands over to the next one. Nothing else to do. ■ For as long as you like Play times run from one minute to twelve hours, set on a reel. Leave one JAM running all afternoon, or cut them short and keep moving. It is built for the kind of listening that lasts a whole opening shift. ■ Matched loudness JAMs vary in level. Each one is measured once when you add it, and matched on playback — the loud ones come down, the quiet ones come up. No sudden jump when the next one starts. Nothing chases the level while the music plays, so the volume never moves mid-performance. ■ With the screen off Background playback is supported. Lock the screen and it keeps going. Play, pause and skip from the Lock Screen or Control Center. ■ JAM Library Open the JAM Library from inside the app and add published JAMs directly. Browse by genre and see the artist, the notes, the BPM and the key. Official JAMs and submitted JAMs sit side by side. You can also import .arpjam files stored on your device, including files written by the earlier ARPJAM. ■ It never plays the same way twice The ARPJAM engine is not playing back a fixed score. It builds the performance as it goes, following rules. The same JAM sounds different every time you play it, so it does not become a loop you get tired of — even after hours. Same engine as ARPJAM Studio. ■ Made for · Saunas, spas, treatment rooms · Cafes, shops, galleries · Working, studying, winding down · Exhibitions and installations — — ARPJAM Player does not create JAMs. To make them, use ARPJAM Studio.

Screenshots

Hive4 screens
ARPJAM Player3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ARPJAM Player at none against Hive's 2. ARPJAM Player also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). 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. Hive sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. ARPJAM Player asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hive ships an update every 2 weeks, ARPJAM Player every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Hive versus ARPJAM Player: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHiveARPJAM Player
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size45 MB78 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperENAMIC (PTY) LTDTakashi Tsunoda

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Hive

Subscriptions2
  • Hive Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Hive Pro Yearly$39.991 Year
None

ARPJAM Player

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Hive free?
Hive is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ARPJAM Player free?
ARPJAM Player is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Hive or ARPJAM Player have ads?
Neither Hive nor ARPJAM Player shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hive or ARPJAM Player?
Hive ships an update every 2 weeks, and ARPJAM Player every 2 days. Most recently, Hive was updated on October 14, 2026 and ARPJAM Player on October 24, 2026.

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