BeatGlow vs Milkwave
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side ā with what reviewers say about each.
BeatGlow
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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 ā 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 ā 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 audio as a WAV file ⢠Export a vertical video with an animated visualizer, ready for social ⢠Send a single pattern or your entire library to another BeatGlow user ā they open the file and it imports NEED A STARTING POINT? Describe a style ā "laid-back boom bap", "minimal techno", "halftime trap" ā 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.
Milkwave
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Turn your iPhone and iPad into a hypnotic, living stage visualizer. Powered by Apple Metal and real-time audio DSP, Milkwave transforms any sound from your local audio files and streaming music to live acoustic sessions and vinyl records into vibrant, responsive generative visual art. Whether you're playing your personal music library, setting the mood for a party, relaxing with lo-fi beats, producing in the studio, or docking your device as an ambient desk showpiece, Milkwave breathes fluid visual life into every rhythm. PERFECT FOR EVERY MOMENT: Local Music Playback: Play your own MP3, WAV, FLAC, or AAC files with zero microphone latency and 120 FPS direct visual reactivity. Ambient Display: Dock next to your sound system for a mesmerizing visual companion while listening to vinyl, Spotify, Apple Music, or radio. Parties & DJ Sets: Output to external monitors, TVs, or projectors via AirPlay/HDMI for club-grade live visuals. Focus & Chillout: Hypnotic visual atmospheres tailored for electronic, synthwave, jazz, and study playlists. Studio Creators: Real-time 5-band frequency tracking providing instant visual acoustic feedback. Apple Watch Experience: Silky-smooth 60 FPS generative visualizers right on your wrist reacts to ambient music in real time using the built-in microphone, works completely standalone without needing an iPhone. KEY FEATURES: 18 Handcrafted Generative Visualizer Modes: - Spectrum: 4-stage rich chromatic neon equalizer with incandescent heatmaps. - Pulse: Solar cymatic resonance orb with organic plasma flares. - Pioneer EQ & DJ Studio Pro: Club mixer interface with live VU meters and full-screen LED video wall. - Vaporwave Sunset: 3D retro neon highway grid towards an 80s horizon. - Hyperspace Hyperdrive: Relativistic starfield warp accelerating with musical tempo. - Cosmic Stargate: Interdimensional polygonal quantum portal. -Zen Garden, Sahara Dunes & Glacial Aurora: Serene raindrop ripples, shifting golden sands, and northern lights. - 3D Nebula Galaxy, 3D Mesh Tunnel, 3D Vortex, Wave, Cyber Rain, Particles, Laser Matrix & Cymatics. Built-in Local Music Player & Playlist: Import audio files directly from the iOS Files app (MP3, WAV, FLAC, AAC, MIDI) with automatic ID3 metadata extraction, interactive seek scrubber, repeat, shuffle, and 2 bundled demo tracks (Liquid Waves & Neon Horizon). Two-Finger Pinch-to-Zoom: Pinch anywhere on screen to dynamically scale the design of any visualizer from 0.4x to 3.8x. Double-tap to smoothly reset to 1.0x with haptic feedback. Dynamic Audio AGC & Pink-Noise Tilt EQ: Psychoacoustic frequency calibration balances bass, vocals, and high-frequency cymbals across the screen, ensuring lively, punchy bounce without clipping. Auto-Shuffle Mode: Seamlessly cycles through all 18 visualizer modes for long, ever-evolving listening sessions. Zero-Latency Real-Time DSP: 5-band frequency tracking powered natively by Apple Accelerate (vDSP). Reacts via local player, microphone, or Apple Music. Smart Headphone Detection: Real-time hardware monitoring provides instant guidance for optimal acoustic microphone capturing. 120 FPS ProMotion Fluidity: Silky-smooth frame interpolation engineered for Retina and ProMotion displays with audio-reactive time progression. Smart Lighting Sync: Coordinate room lighting with Philips Hue and HomeKit over your local Wi-Fi network. One-Tap Fullscreen Canvas: Tap anywhere to hide all controls for an edge-to-edge ambient stage. 100% Private, Offline & Ad-Free: All DSP analysis runs in volatile RAM. No audio is recorded or transmitted. Zero ads, zero tracking, zero subscriptions. Simply press play, open Milkwave, and experience your music like never before.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is device support: Milkwave at 4 against BeatGlow's 2. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
BeatGlow ships an update every 9 days, Milkwave weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 6, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BeatGlow | Milkwave |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | Weekly ā better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch ā better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details ā not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 22 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sub Rosa Industries | Ufuk AYDIN |
In-app purchases
BeatGlow
No in-app purchases
Milkwave
No in-app purchases





