MS vs Play Beat Sequencer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MS
Create music with a 12-bit sampler and step sequencer. Record audio, manipulate its sound with a vintage digital character, and arrange it into songs. Unlock full features with a one-time purchase.
- 16-pad sampler and step sequencer
- Record and edit audio with 12-bit character
- Adjustable sample rate and bit depth
- Real-time sequencing with velocity and tune
- 13 built-in effects
- Song mode for arranging patterns
- Export to WAV
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MS-12 is a 16-pad sampler and step sequencer built around the sound of classic 12-bit hardware. Sample anything through the microphone, trim it, and play it straight from the pads. The sample rate and bit depth engine gives you the gritty, saturated character early digital samplers were loved for — not a filter placed on top, but the sound of the conversion itself. SAMPLING • Record from the built-in mic, a USB or Lightning interface, or line input • Resample the app's own output to bounce layers down • Threshold recording starts the moment sound arrives • Stereo or mono (L/R) capture SOUND • Adjustable sample rate (8–44.1 kHz) and bit depth (4–32 bit) • Presets for classic 12-bit voicings • Ring modulator, compressor, punch and saturation per pad EDITING • Trim, fade in and out, normalize, reverse, gain, silence • Time stretch • Auto slice by transient detection, or set slice points live with the pads • Split a stereo sample into separate mono left and right samples SEQUENCER • Step sequencer with velocity and tune per step • Real-time recording with selectable quantize • Up to 4 bars per pattern • Note Repeat • Song Mode chains patterns into a full track PLAYBACK AND MIXING • Volume and pan per pad, mute and solo • Mute groups so pads cut each other off, like a real drum machine • Pad Link to trigger several pads at once • Multi Level and Multi Pitch to spread one sample across the grid • 13 effects: tape echo, delay, reverb, chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo/pan, distortion, overdrive, fuzz, wah, isolator and a 4-band EQ EXPORT • Bounce a pattern to a WAV file • Save projects on the device and reopen them later FREE VERSION MS-12 is free to try, and the sound engine is not held back — nothing about the audio is degraded in the free version. You get Bank A (16 pads), one 1-bar pattern, two effects, and microphone sampling up to 10 seconds per pad. A single one-time purchase unlocks everything: all four banks (64 pads), unlimited patterns up to 4 bars, Song Mode, all 13 effects, unlimited sampling time, loading your own audio files, project save and load, and WAV export. Anything you made before buying carries straight over. No subscription. No ads. No account required.
Play Beat Sequencer
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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
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MS at none against Play Beat Sequencer's 1. MS also leads on ads (none vs shown). Play Beat Sequencer's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price and update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Play Beat Sequencer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. MS asks for nothing beyond the download.
MS ships an update every 3 days, Play Beat Sequencer every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.
| Parameter | MS | Play Beat Sequencer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days — better | Every 4 days |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 32 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | yuji yoshie | Bart Voogt |
In-app purchases
MS
No in-app purchases
Play Beat Sequencer
- Remove ads$1.99
Questions
Is MS free?
Is Play Beat Sequencer free?
Do MS or Play Beat Sequencer have ads?
Which is updated more often, MS or Play Beat Sequencer?
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