Comparison

Pulse16 vs Glyph Cube

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

Head to head
About

Pulse16

Read full description

Pulse16 is a beat maker and step sequencer for making beats anywhere: a drum machine with 16 pads, a deep 808 bass, a punchy synth and acid lines with 303-style slides. READY TO PLAY • Six built-in grooves – Acid Drive, Peak Time, Neon Nights, Midnight Run, Kit Jam, French Filter: drums, bass line and tempo in one tap • Built-in techno and synthwave drum sounds (kick, clap, gated snare, hats, rim, tom) BUILD A BEAT IN SECONDS • Tap the 4x4 drum pads to switch steps on and off — the playing step lights up as the beat runs • Three drum tracks for samples, a kit, the 808 or a mono synth, plus one synth track • Velocity per step from 5 to 100 % for groove and dynamics • Set each track's length from 1 to 16 steps for polyrhythms • Tempo from 20 to 300 BPM, with tap tempo • Eight patterns A–H: switch live, right on the next bar; copy, paste and clear patterns, copy and shift single tracks • Duplicate a track: its steps repeat and the length doubles – build one beat, then vary it KIT MODE: 16 SOUNDS ON THE PADS • Turn any drum track into a kit: 16 sounds on the pads, like a groovebox • Play the pads live and record them into the pattern with Rec – in time, with erase and undo • Volume, pan, tune, distortion and choke groups per pad • The pads of your MIDI controller play and record the kit too, with their velocity 808 KICK AND BASS • Turn any drum track into an 808: a booming kick or a tuned bass line with a note per step • Shape it with decay, punch, click and drive • Slide per step: the 808 glides into the next note, like a classic acid bass line; the glide knob sets the slide time • Four 808 presets, from Classic Kick and Long 808 to Trap Slide and Distorted MONO SYNTH ON ANY TRACK • Turn any drum track into a second synth: the full synth with all its sounds, one note at a time • Slide per step: notes glide into each other like a TB-303; the glide knob sets the time AUTOMATION • Draw curves right over the pads of the synth track: cutoff, resonance, drive, distortion and reverb change from step to step • Every pattern keeps its own curves YOUR OWN SOUNDS • Load WAV, AIFF, MP3 or FLAC files • Record your own samples with the microphone • Trim each sample right on its waveform and preview it instantly • Tune every sample up or down by two octaves, with fine tuning • Distortion (soft, hard, fuzz, overdrive) and a low-pass or high-pass filter on every sample track and kit pad A BASS SYNTH WITH CHARACTER • Sine, square, saw and triangle waveforms • Low-pass and high-pass filter with resonance and envelope • Attack, decay, sustain and release • Distortion, drive, sub oscillator, unison and reverb • Four LFOs, free or synced to the tempo, one of them can sweep the filter • Nine factory sounds, from Berlin Minimal and Acid 303 to the synthwave Outrun Bass • Arpeggiator: every note becomes an arpeggio – major, minor, sus4, 7th, power or octave chord, up, down, up-down or random, 1/8 to 1/32 triplets, over 1–3 octaves PLAY IT WITH HARDWARE • Connect a USB MIDI controller and assign its knobs, faders and pads with MIDI learn: synth, mixer, tempo, play/stop, tracks, patterns and steps • MIDI clock over USB: follow a drum machine or DAW, or send the clock and start your gear in time SAVE YOUR WORK (ONE-TIME PURCHASE) • Save and load whole projects: patterns, samples, sounds and mixer • Save your own synth and 808 presets • One purchase, no subscription; everything else is free MIX LIKE A PRODUCER • Volume and pan for every track, plus master volume • Sidechain pump on every track: the beat breathes with the kick, like French house • Boost: multiband compression on the master for a louder, denser mix, with low, mid and high • Reverb send for drums, samples and vocals; the synth has its own stereo reverb MADE FOR PHONE AND TABLET • On tablets, sound, mixer and presets stay open next to the pads • Low-latency audio engine No account, no ads, no tracking. Works offline.

About

Glyph Cube

This pocket beat machine, shaped like a metallic cube, offers a unique way to create music. Spin it to access different instruments like a drum sequencer, melody roll, and sample slicer. Tap glyphs to build patterns and record your jams.

Highlights
  • Drum sequencer with 8 glyphs
  • Melody roll with scales
  • Sample slicer for playable pads
  • Record jams with mic
  • No account, ads, or tracking
Features
Read full description

Glyph Cube is a pocket beat machine shaped like a metallic cube. Each face is an instrument: a drum sequencer, a melody roll, and a sample slicer. Spin it to switch, tap glyphs to build a pattern, and flick it hard to watch your beat spiral across the faces. - Eight glowing drum glyphs: kick, snare, clap, hat, open hat, rim, tom, bell - Melody roll with scales and octave controls - Slice any sample into playable pads - Record your jams with the mic - No account, no ads, no tracking Spin the cube. Find the groove.

Screenshots

Pulse164 screens
Glyph Cube4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Glyph Cube at none against Pulse16's 1. Pulse16's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). 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. Pulse16 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Glyph Cube asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 days. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Pulse16 versus Glyph Cube: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPulse16Glyph Cube
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 daysEvery 3 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB36 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNavid Anzalichitodd cunningham

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Pulse16

One-time1
  • Unlock saving$0.29
None

Glyph Cube

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pulse16 free?
Pulse16 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Glyph Cube free?
Glyph Cube is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Pulse16 or Glyph Cube have ads?
Neither Pulse16 nor Glyph Cube shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pulse16 or Glyph Cube?
Pulse16 ships an update every 3 days, and Glyph Cube every 3 days. Most recently, Pulse16 was updated on October 29, 2026 and Glyph Cube on October 29, 2026.

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