Comparison

BeatHawk vs ButterSynth

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

Head to head
About

BeatHawk

Create, record, and mix music on the go with this portable production studio. It offers a vast library of sounds, instruments, and effects, allowing you to import your own samples and collaborate with other apps. Export your creations in various formats or share them directly to social media.

Highlights
  • Create beats and compose tracks
  • Sample, record, and sequence music
  • Mix and arrange your own music
  • High-quality UVI sounds and effects
  • Import your own samples
  • Export mixes, stems, and MIDI
  • Share on YouTube and SoundCloud
Features
Read full description

Portable Music Production Studio : create beats, compose whole tracks, sample, record, sequence, perform, mix and arrange your own music! » Packed with high-quality UVI sounds, instruments and effects » Use included UVI sounds, your own samples, or high-quality expansion packs » Use with other Apps that support Ableton Link. Audiobus, AudioCopy and AudioUnits » Export your mixes, stems, MIDI tracks or as Ableton Live project files » Share with your friends on YouTube or SoundCloud » Get your ideas out quickly, efficiently and sounding great no matter where you are! STUDIO GRADE » Designed to put professional quality UVI software into a lightweight and fun performance-oriented package » Delivers extreme sonic fidelity rivaling desktop products » Power, speed and flexibility make for ultimate ease-of-use » Ensures fast, intuitive and professional quality music production SOUNDS » Including 2 factory sound packs with 2,000+ samples, 290 presets and dozens of loops » Import your own sounds (support for MP3, WAV, AIF, FLAC, and M4A) » Record using built-in mic, line-in or external devices » Edit and tweak sounds with high-quality effects and ADSR envelopes » Integrated sound expansion store (Acoustic Grand, Atlanta Urban, Funk, Brass Riffs, Asia, World Percussions, Vintage Blues Guitar, Electric Organs, Electro Pop, and much more…) CONNECTIVITY » Ableton Link, Inter-App Audio, Audio Unit v3 Plugin, Audiobus and AudioCopy support » Transfer files via. iCloud, Google Drive, DropBox or OneDrive » Paste audio directly to pads with AudioCopy » External keyboard and MIDI-over-LAN support via CoreMIDI » Jam with multiple devices using WIST Sync over Bluetooth » Export stereo mix, stems, MIDI tracks or Ableton Live project file (file format: 44.1kHz 24-bit WAV) » Share your music on SoundCloud and YouTube FEATURES » 16 track sequencer with up to 16 patterns per part » Pad, keyboard and pattern performance modes » High-quality pitch and time stretching » Numerous scales playable in Pitch mode » Step Editor mode with Note and CC » Record using built-in mic, line-in or external devices » Edit and tweak sounds with high-quality effects and ADSR envelopes » Choke groups and One-Shot sample modes » Bind parameters to MIDI CC with MIDI Learn » Perform and record arrangements in realtime SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS » iOS 9.3+ » iPad 4 or newer » iPhone 5 or newer (iPhone 6 or newer recommended) » 1.7 GB of disk space www.beathawk.com

About

ButterSynth

This powerful synthesizer app offers a hybrid approach, combining wavetable, FM, and sample-based synthesis. Create unique sounds with a vast sonic range, advanced modulation, and a built-in effects rack. It caters to both experienced sound designers and beginners with extensive presets.

Highlights
  • Hybrid 6-oscillator synthesis (wavetable, FM, sample)
  • Built-in wavetable editor
  • FM engine with 4 operators
  • Sample and Granulator engines
  • 32-slot modulation matrix
  • Internal FX rack with 16 modules
  • Extensive preset library
Features
Read full description

ButterSynth is a hybrid 6-oscillator wavetable/FM/sample-based AUV3 and standalone synthesizer with a vast sonic range, from gentle pads to screaming leads and basslines. Mix any combination of wavetable, FM, sample and other synthesis engines for one truly massive sound. For the more advanced users, you'll love using ButterSynth's thoughtfully designed interface, incredibly powerful modulation matrix, fully-featured internal FX rack, factory waveform and sample libraries, and almost limitless scope for fun, experimentation and sound design. For less experienced synth programmers, ButterSynth includes a library of hundreds of ready-to-use presets, sparking your creativity to start making music right away. Headline features include - Mix and match any combination of 6 synthesis engines to either emulate your favourite synths of yester-year or build a synth ready for the future. - Dual-wavetable engines also feature 9 phase modes, wave folding, and deep unison controls modelled on vintage hardware synths. - Built-in wavetable editor gives you the ability to tweak, morph, and hand-draw your own custom wavetables, with each wavetable supporting up to 256 frames. - FM engine offers 4 operators with a selection of 12 modulation paths. Each operator can be loaded with any waveform from the factory or user library, and can also self-modulate via the feedback dial. - Sample and Granulator engines both let you load samples (either imported or from the factory library) and control precisely how they are chopped, triggered and layered. Both also feature the same powerful unison modes available in the WT engine. - Highly configurable 32-slot modulation matrix featuring precise mix/max ranges, self-modulation (via the amount target), plus configurable response curves and layer modes. Simply long-tap any parameter to set it as a Mod destination! - Full suite of versatile control sources which includes: 4x MSEG-style looping curve envelopes, 4x LFOs, 4x step sequencers, X/Y pad with motion recording, 8x Macro dials and a powerful arpeggiator inspired by Kirnu Interactive’s Cream. - The EFX rack lets you build your own insert effects chain using any combination of the 16 built-in FX modules. Modules available at launch include delay, reverb, distortion, chorus, OTT compression etc. Note - FX parameters can also be targeted by the mod matrix, unlocking the possibility to program ‘per voice’ modulated effects. - All presets, wavetables, samples and other settings are stored in the Files app, making bulk import/export, backup and community sharing quick and easy. - All of this is housed in an irresistibly designed 4-tab UI that makes synth programming quick and fun.

Screenshots

BeatHawk4 screens
ButterSynth4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: BeatHawk at $9.99 against ButterSynth's $19.99. BeatHawk also leads on rating (4.3 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (394 vs 62). ButterSynth's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10). On review sentiment, 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

BeatHawk costs $9.99 and ButterSynth $19.99 up front. BeatHawk sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. ButterSynth asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

BeatHawk holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BeatHawk has 394 ratings behind it against 62, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of BeatHawk's written reviews are positive against 60% of ButterSynth's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. Both last shipped on September 29, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
BeatHawk versus ButterSynth: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBeatHawkButterSynth
Price$9.99 — better$19.99
Rating4.3 (394 ratings) — better4.0 (62 ratings)
Positive reviews67.1% of reviews — better59.6% of reviews
Number of ratings394 — better62
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.3 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size981 MB468 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUVIArto Vaarala

Customer experience

BeatHawk

All ratings394 ratings
Positive82.2%
Neutral6.6%
Negative11.2%
Written reviews252 reviews
Positive67.1%
Neutral12.3%
Negative20.6%

ButterSynth

All ratings62 ratings
Positive72.6%
Neutral8.1%
Negative19.4%
Written reviews57 reviews
Positive59.6%
Neutral10.5%
Negative29.8%

User reviews

BeatHawk

From 394 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Intuitive and easy to use
  • 🎨 High-quality sounds and sound packs
  • 💻 Works well as an AUv3 plugin
  • 🎶 Excellent for creating beats and music ideas
  • 🔥 Powerful and flexible

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and stability issues, especially on older devices
  • 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find samples/packs
  • 💰 Sound packs are expensive
  • 🖼️ Interface could use better visual clarity and customization
  • 🔌 Bluetooth connectivity problems

ButterSynth

From 62 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✨ Deep sound design capabilities
  • 🎛️ Versatile modulation matrix
  • 🔊 Great sound quality
  • 💡 Innovative wavetable generator
  • 🌟 Serum-like experience

Room to improve

  • 📱 Fiddly on small screens
  • 🐛 Crashes frequently
  • 🐛 Disappears in Cubasis
  • 🐛 Spikes CPU usage
  • 🐛 Crashes on patch change

Bugs and requests

BeatHawk

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Repeat Quantize setting not working properly
  • Saving and loading projects can be unreliable
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS devices
  • Latency and performance problems when used as an AUv3

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more pad banks and sample editing capabilities
  • Improve file management and integration with cloud storage
  • Implement MIDI learn and more advanced MIDI functionality
  • Add built-in synth engine and more effects
  • Enhance song mode and multi-track capabilities

ButterSynth

Reported bugs

39 issues
  • App crashing with AUM
  • Disappears in Cubasis randomly
  • Crashes all the time inside Logic
  • Changing a patch spikes CPU to 99%
  • Crashes on every patch change
Show 34 more
  • No audio when rendering or freezing track
  • Keyboard doesn't load on iPhone
  • iOS18 broke ButterSynth (audio recording issues)
  • Failed to load as Auv3
  • Crashes as soon as a preset is selected
  • Some patches hanging/sounding without input
  • CPU spikes to 100% on preset switching
  • Audio crackles on preset switching
  • Sample module has consistent buzz
  • LFOs are extremely simple (no phase offset)
  • Square wave LFO is not square (has slew)
  • Step sequencer always has glide/slew
  • Cannot save custom presets
  • No undo function in wave table editor
  • AUv3 plugin resets when ButterSynth crashes
  • Does not show up as auv3 in Cubasis, AUM, or Audio Evolution
  • Crashes regularly even on newest iPad
  • Preset changes every time play is pressed
  • Not resizing appropriately on smaller screens
  • Crashes with unison function in AUM
  • White noise on crash with unison
  • Sound continues after song stops in GarageBand
  • Preset changes on stop, rewind, or play in GarageBand
  • Keeps crashing in GarageBand (AUv3)
  • Patches in standalone sound different as AUv3
  • Crashes when hitting play with arpeggiator/sequencer on iPhone
  • No keyboard appears in iPhone standalone mode
  • Audio Unit Extension quit error on export
  • Lots of crashes in standalone and hosted in AUM
  • MIDI not working
  • Automation still doesn’t work in Logic Pro
  • Random LFO is great for recording sequences
  • Preset browser closes each time a new preset is selected
  • Works as AUv3 after starting in standalone mode

Requested features

20 requests
  • MPE popup possible on top of the auv3
  • Button to hide built-in keyboard
  • Buffer size option
  • Additional MIDI mappings (e.g., arpeggiator toggle)
  • Sustain pedal support
Show 15 more
  • Longer LFO speed for evolving soundscapes
  • Alternative skins/color themes
  • Pinable preset browser
  • Virtual keyboard to remain active while browser is pinned
  • Make app take up whole screen (no black borders)
  • Master detune
  • Parameter lock
  • More presets
  • Fix square wave LFO to be truly square
  • Fix step sequencer glide/slew for discrete steps
  • Undo function in wave table editor
  • Filter key follow button
  • Adjust envelope curves (especially release)
  • Easier way to adjust modulation matrix amount
  • Phase distortion inclusion

In-app purchases

10 purchases

BeatHawk

One-time10
  • World Percussion$1.99
  • Latin Percusion$1.99
  • 808$1.99
Show 7 more
  • Trip Hop$3.99
  • Atlanta Urban$4.99
  • Funk$4.99
  • Guitar Loops$4.99
  • Acoustic Drums$4.99
  • Choirs$7.99
  • Acoustic Grand$9.99
None

ButterSynth

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BeatHawk free?
BeatHawk costs $9.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is ButterSynth free?
ButterSynth costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, BeatHawk or ButterSynth?
BeatHawk is rated higher. BeatHawk averages 4.3 out of 5 from 394 ratings, while ButterSynth averages 4.0 from 62 ratings.
Do BeatHawk or ButterSynth have ads?
Neither BeatHawk nor ButterSynth shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BeatHawk or ButterSynth?
BeatHawk ships an update every 2 months, and ButterSynth every 2 months. Most recently, BeatHawk was updated on September 29, 2026 and ButterSynth on September 29, 2026.

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