Comparison

BEAN MUSE vs HandCompose

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

Head to head
About

BEAN MUSE

Features
Read full description

BEAN MUSE is a music studio for recording vocals and instruments, shaping each track, mixing them into one song and exporting the result. Record straight from the iPhone or iPad microphone, or from an audio interface you connect. You can also bring in audio and MIDI files from the Files app and place them on tracks. WAV, AIFF, MP3, M4A, FLAC and OGG all open, and when you add a video file its sound goes onto a track while the picture plays in its own window so you can line things up. Cut, join, move and fade regions, and set the level and position of every track. Draw in volume and pan moves that follow the song. Send several tracks to a shared effect such as a reverb, and group similar tracks to adjust them together. More than 60 effects are built in, including EQ, compressor, reverb, delay, de-esser and limiter. Play MIDI tracks with the built-in synthesizer and fix notes in the piano roll or the notation view. Analyze the chords of a region and see their names, and turn an audio region into MIDI. A tuner, BEAN Sampler and BEAN Arpeggiator are built in too. Split a finished song into vocals and backing track, or into instruments such as drums, bass, guitar and piano, each on its own new track. The separation models are downloaded once, the first time you use it. Fix vocal notes that drift slightly with pitch correction. Not sure how to start a mix? Tap AI mix. It analyses each track, decides which effects to use and how to set them, and if you type the feel you want, such as "bring the vocal forward", it mixes in that direction. AI mix needs the AI service you use to be connected in Settings > AI. Audio files are never sent; only the measured numbers and your request are. Community on the dashboard lets you read the users' board and post. Export the finished song as MP3 or OGG, keep it in the Files app or send it to another app. Playback and recording keep going when the screen locks or you switch apps. About the license The app works without a license: recording, editing, mixing, MP3 and OGG export, the BEAN free plug-ins and the synthesizer are all free. Without a license, an ad is shown once when you open the app. A license removes the ad and turns on AI mix, vocal pitch correction, WAV, AIFF and FLAC export, the BEAN paid plug-ins and stem separation. There are Standard and Ultimate licenses with the same features on this device. Link the subscription to your BEAN account in Settings > License to use it in BEAN MUSE for Mac and Windows as well; Ultimate adds BEAN plug-ins in other DAWs and mastering on a computer. BEAN MUSE Standard 1 month and 12 month licenses — auto-renewing BEAN MUSE Ultimate 1 month and 12 month licenses — auto-renewing The price for your country is shown on the purchase screen and in the App Store before you subscribe. It renews at the same price unless you turn it off at least 24 hours before the period ends. You can turn it off any time in Settings > your Apple Account > Subscriptions. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://beanent.com/privacy

About

HandCompose

Create multi-track music compositions using only your fingers. Arrange clips, draw notes on a piano roll, and explore 128 instruments and 9 drum kits. Features automatic composition based on genre, tempo, and key, with extensive editing capabilities.

Highlights
  • Multi-track composition
  • Piano roll and drum editor
  • Automatic song generation
  • 128 instruments and 9 drum kits
  • MIDI and audio import/export
  • External MIDI keyboard support
  • Auto-save and 5 song slots
Features
Read full description

HandCompose is a multitrack composing app you play with your fingers. Arrange clips, draw notes in the piano roll, and hear them right away with 128 instruments and 9 drum kits. ■ Start composing right away • A demo song with drums, bass, piano and keys is ready on first launch, so you hear music immediately • Tap an empty cell to add a clip; tap a clip to select it and tap again to open the piano roll • Long-press to move clips and notes, drag a handle to change their length • Zoom horizontally and vertically with two fingers ■ Auto compose • Pick a genre (pop, rock, jazz, ballad, EDM, funk, lo-fi, bossa nova, R&B, waltz), tempo, length and key, and get a whole song with drums, bass, chords, pad and melody • Songs are built from intro, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, bridge and outro, one clip per section, ready to edit • Don't like a part? Regenerate it from the track settings, and undo brings your previous song back ■ Piano roll and drum editor • Change note length and snap with a 1/1 to 1/16 grid • Shape dynamics in the velocity lane • Drum tracks use named drum lanes, and rhythm patterns (8-beat, rock, house, hip-hop, waltz and more) load in one tap • Turn on "Hear other tracks" to edit along with the whole arrangement ■ 128 instruments, up to 16 tracks • Every General MIDI instrument plus 9 GS drum kits (GeneralUser GS SoundFont) • Volume, pan and reverb per track, mute and solo • Tempo (40–300 BPM), time signature (2/4–12/4), loop region, count-in metronome ■ Import and export • Import MIDI files as new tracks • Import audio files such as MP3, M4A and WAV as audio tracks and compose over a backing track • Export a MIDI file or audio (M4A) and save it to Files, AirDrop it or open it in another app from the share sheet ■ MIDI keyboards • Connect a USB or Bluetooth MIDI keyboard and play the track you are editing ■ Autosave and 5 slots • Your work saves automatically, with 5 slots for separate songs • Undo and redo ■ Privacy • Collects no data and makes no network connections

Screenshots

BEAN MUSE4 screens
HandCompose4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: HandCompose at none against BEAN MUSE's 4. HandCompose also leads on ads (none vs shown). BEAN MUSE's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly) and device support (3 vs 1). On price 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. BEAN MUSE sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $11.99 per month. HandCompose asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BEAN MUSE ships an update every 2 days, HandCompose weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 4 level
BEAN MUSE versus HandCompose: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBEAN MUSEHandCompose
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterWeekly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size122 MB33 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJUHYEON CHOseol do sim

In-app purchases

4 purchases

BEAN MUSE

Subscriptions4
  • 1 month license$11.991 Month
  • Ultimate 1 month license$19.991 Month
  • 12 month license$119.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Ultimate 12 month license$199.991 Year
None

HandCompose

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BEAN MUSE free?
BEAN MUSE is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is HandCompose free?
HandCompose is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do BEAN MUSE or HandCompose have ads?
BEAN MUSE shows ads; HandCompose does not.
Which is updated more often, BEAN MUSE or HandCompose?
BEAN MUSE ships an update every 2 days, and HandCompose weekly. Most recently, BEAN MUSE was updated on November 10, 2026 and HandCompose on November 8, 2026.

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