Comparison

Metronome M1 vs Impulse

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

Head to head
About

Metronome M1

This application provides a simple, accurate, and highly customizable metronome for musicians. It offers a wide tempo range, various time signatures, and tap tempo functionality for immediate practice. Haptic feedback is also available to enhance the practice experience.

Highlights
  • Accurate metronome functionality
  • Wide tempo range (10-300 BPM)
  • Support for various simple and compound time signatures
  • Tap Tempo feature
  • Customizable note values for tempo marking
  • Haptic feedback
Features
Read full description

Metronome M1 is a simple and extremely accurate metronome for mobile devices. The simple and clean user interface of Metronome M1 lets you get to practicing your instrument immediately without having to spend any time exploring the app. Metronome M1 supports a wide tempo range between 10-300 BPM, ranging from Grave to Prestissimo covering all popular styles including Lento, Largo, Adagio, Andante, Moderato, Allegro, Vivace and Presto. The "Tap Tempo" feature lets you quickly set your desired tempo with the ease of tapping a button. Metronome M1 supports the following common Time Signatures. Simple time signatures: - 2/4 (duple): Commonly used for polkas or marches. - 3/4 (triple): Used widely for waltzes, minuets, scherzi, country & western ballads, R&B. Also occasionally used in pop. - 4/4 (quadruple): Also known as common time, this is used widely in most forms of Western popular music. It is also the most common time signature in rock, blues, country, funk, and pop. Most students start practicing with this time signature. Compound time signatures: - 6/8 (duple): This compound time signature is used in double jigs, polkas, sega, salegy, tarantella, marches, barcarolles, Irish jigs, loures, and some rock music. - 9/8 (triple): Also known as compound triple time, this is used in triple jigs. - 12/8 (quadruple): Commonly used in slower blues (where it is called a shuffle) and doo-wop; also used more recently in rock music. With the latest update, you can now set any time signature you want. You also have the ability to set any of these note values for the tempo marking - Quarter note, Dotted quarter note, Half note, Dotted half note, Eighth note. You can also get haptic feedback on metronome beats. Now you no longer have to give an excuse for practicing without a metronome as you can have the free Metronome M1 app on your mobile device all the time. Make metronome your best friend and always practice with it. Moreover, practicing with metronome is proven to improve your aural skills. Download Metronome M1 for free today!

About

Impulse

This app provides a highly accurate and customizable metronome for musicians. It allows users to program complex beat patterns, including subdivisions and rests, with a clear visual interface to understand rhythmic structures. Ideal for serious musicians looking to refine their timing and explore intricate rhythms.

Highlights
  • Visual subdivision editor
  • Complex beat pattern programming
  • Up to 100 beats per measure
  • 20 subdivisions per beat
  • Tempo range 10-600 BPM
  • Sample-level accuracy
Features
Read full description

Impulse is the metronome that lets you program virtually any combination of downbeats, upbeats, subdivisions, and rests. The UI shows you exactly where each beat and subdivision is located in time, helping you better understand complex rhythms. Impulse is also accurate to 0.00002 seconds, making it one of the most stable metronomes on iOS. Impulse is the ideal choice for the serious musician who wants to take their rhythm game to the next level. Features: - Visual subdivision editor - Up to 100 beats per measure and 20 subdivisions per beat - Program virtually any beat pattern & time signature you can think of - Tempo range of 10 - 600 BPM - Accurate to 0.00002 seconds (sample-level accuracy) - Tap for tempo - Simple & easy to understand

Screenshots

Metronome M14 screens
Impulse4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Impulse at none against Metronome M1's shown. Impulse also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (92% vs 76%). Metronome M1's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs paid). On price, rating, ratings volume and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Impulse holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 613 and 946 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Metronome M1's written reviews are positive against 92% of Impulse's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Metronome M1 ships an update every 3 months, Impulse monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Metronome M1 versus Impulse: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMetronome M1Impulse
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (613 ratings)4.7 (946 ratings) — better
Positive reviews76.3% of reviews91.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings613946 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsMonthly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBijoy ThangarajCoda Labs Incorporated

Customer experience

Metronome M1

All ratings607 ratings
Positive90.1%
Neutral4.4%
Negative5.4%
Written reviews97 reviews
Positive76.3%
Neutral8.2%
Negative15.5%

Impulse

All ratings939 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral2.4%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews147 reviews
Positive91.8%
Neutral3.4%
Negative4.8%

User reviews

Metronome M1

From 613 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use and navigate
  • ⏱️ Accurate timekeeping
  • 🎵 Multiple time signatures supported
  • 💡 Tap tempo functionality
  • 🎨 Visual beat indicator/flasher

Room to improve

  • 📢 Excessive and intrusive ads
  • 🔊 Limited sound quality and variety
  • 🎵 All sounds have pitch (unsuitable for some instruments)
  • 🎨 Bright colors can be distracting
  • 📱 Apple Watch app doesn't work properly

Impulse

From 946 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Simplicity and features
  • 👍 Good UI and polish
  • 👍 Flexible and powerful
  • 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
  • 👍 Versatile and customizable

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
  • 🔊 Sound issues
  • 🤖 Lack of portrait mode
  • 🔀 Overwriting presets without warning

Bugs and requests

Metronome M1

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App slowdown/performance degradation (resolved in recent update)
  • Apple Watch app non-functional
  • Random ad playback during use
  • Ads with sound playing unexpectedly

Requested features

10 requests
  • Cut time (₵) time signature option
  • Non-pitched sound options (woodblock, etc.)
  • 5 BPM increment buttons
  • Setlist/folder organization for songs
  • Maximum tempo limit for acceleration feature
Show 5 more
  • Amp fader-style bars for complex accents
  • Time duration banner/counter
  • Volume control on main page
  • Additional time signatures (7/8, 5/8, 3/2)
  • More diverse sound selections

Impulse

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Fourth beat type not changing sound properly
  • Metronome stops working when switching apps
  • No sound on some devices

Requested features

7 requests
  • Ability to create and name custom presets
  • Different colors for downbeats
  • Quick toggle for sound on/off
  • Support for odd time signatures
  • Ableton Link/MIDI sync
Show 2 more
  • Ability to import custom sounds
  • Countdown timer before metronome starts

In-app purchases

None

Metronome M1

No in-app purchases

None

Impulse

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Metronome M1 free?
Metronome M1 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Impulse free?
Impulse is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Metronome M1 or Impulse?
Impulse is rated higher. Metronome M1 averages 4.6 out of 5 from 613 ratings, while Impulse averages 4.7 from 946 ratings.
Do Metronome M1 or Impulse have ads?
Metronome M1 shows ads; Impulse does not.
Which is updated more often, Metronome M1 or Impulse?
Metronome M1 ships an update every 3 months, and Impulse monthly. Most recently, Metronome M1 was updated on November 5, 2026 and Impulse on November 6, 2026.

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