Comparison

Visual Beat vs FormKey

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

Head to head
About

Visual Beat

Create unique music videos by mixing instruments and vocals from diverse artists. Explore hand-crafted animations that sync with each musician's style. Experiment with various soundtracks to achieve different artistic results.

Highlights
  • Interactive music video creation
  • Mix instruments and vocals
  • Hand-crafted stop motion animations
  • Sync animations with music style
  • Experiment with soundtracks
  • Features diverse artists
Features
Read full description

Create your own composition with the interactive music video Visual Beat! Conduct different musicians by mixing their versatile instruments and vocals. Explore hand-crafted stop motion animations matching with each musicians' specific style of music. Experiment with the repertoire of soundtracks to get various results. Lets Play! **AWARDS** Best of the Best - Red Dot Award 1st Prize Visual Music Live Contest - Visual Music Award 1st Prize Motion Art - kurzundschön moving images Junior Award Silver - Art Directors Club Germany FWA Mobile Of The Day Award Selection - :output award Visual Beat is featuring the diversified music of Mohna, Nutia, Clara and Dobré: MOHNA Mohna works as a solo artist as well as with the Hamburg-based band ‘Me Succeeds’. Her process is intuitive and her vocals transmit a sensitivity that adds to the purity of her overall sound. This is complimented by the minimalistic additions of different instruments including piano and clarinet. NUTIA Hamburg-based artist Nutia is an electronic tech-house musician creating silky, pulsating tracks punctuated by different textures and sounds. This is achieved by mixing electronic samples with live sounds to produce spherical and groovy beats.   CLARA Clara is an experienced cellist who has played with an orchestra for many years as well as with different chamber music ensembles. She is also interested in experimental ways of playing her instrument. Using different techniques, she lets the warm sound of her cello vary between soft floating tones and vibrant staccato rhythms.   DOBRÉ Originally from Munich, now based in London, Dobré’s style ranges between indie and folk. His singing and songwriting emits high spirits and is often accompanied by his band. Being very versatile and spontaneous, Dobré manages to create different moods using a wide range of instruments.

About

FormKey

This app is an intuitive MIDI controller that helps musicians improve by using shapes for notes and colors for octaves. Its unique isomorphic keys aid in pattern recognition and chord discovery, making music creation more accessible.

Highlights
  • Shape-based note input
  • Color-coded octaves
  • Isomorphic key layout
  • Pattern recognition aid
  • Chord discovery assistance
  • Future update commitment
Features
Read full description

Unlock your music potential. FormKey is the first music suite that helps you become the musician you've always imagined being, just by using it. INTRODUCING FORM Form is a new way to read and create music. Notes become shapes. Octaves become colors. Duration becomes a simple to read fraction. You can learn to read and play music in minutes. FormKey is the first release of the Form notation language, an open licensed music language designed to create instant music literacy. With the goal being to become a standard you'll see everywhere. THREE MODES: CREATE, LEARN, AND CONTROL • Create mode gives you a 16-track sequencer built on the classic drum machine workflow, modernized for today. Use your own AUv3 plugins or the three we built in to create full tracks from the ground up. • Learn lets you play and read your way through classical pieces while Form teaches you exactly what the music is doing, note by note. • Control turns FormKey into a MIDI controller for your external workflows, so it fits right into the setup you already have. THREE BRAND NEW AUv3 PLUGINS • Tone is a fully interactive subtractive synth that makes synthesis make sense. Every knob and connection is something you can hear and understand, so the architecture of a sound stops being a mystery. • Wave is a file-based sampler that lets you chop audio from your own device into something new. Slicing, shaping, and rearranging samples feel effortless instead of technical. • Pn0 is a modeled piano designed to sound rich while being incredibly simple to use • All 3 work in any host, so the instruments you learn in FormKey come with you wherever you go. SCALE MODE Reshape the keyboard to any of 26 scales, so every note you play stays in key. Choose from: • Major and minor: Major, Natural Minor, Melodic Minor, Harmonic Minor • Modes: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian • Pentatonic and blues: Major Pentatonic, Minor Pentatonic, Blues • Symmetric: Whole Tone, Whole-Half Diminished, Half-Whole Diminished, Augmented Hexatonic • World and exotic: Hungarian Minor, Neapolitan Minor, Byzantine, Enigmatic, Hirajoshi, In Sen, Kumoi, Iwato We've refined the interface across the app, making FormKey easier and more enjoyable to use. Every feature in FormKey is free to try. In celebration of our launch, $14.99 unlocks everything for the life of the app. We hope you love it as much as we do.

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Visual Beat at 4.8 against FormKey's 4.3. Visual Beat also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.6). FormKey's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 123 months). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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. FormKey sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Visual Beat asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Visual Beat holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 6 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 50% and 50% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Visual Beat ships an update every 123 months, FormKey fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Visual Beat versus FormKey: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVisual BeatFormKey
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (6 ratings) — better4.3 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings66
Update frequencyEvery 123 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPadiPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size126 MB86 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMax MoertlPolyhedra

Customer experience

Visual Beat

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

FormKey

All ratings6 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral33.3%
Negative16.7%

In-app purchases

None

Visual Beat

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

FormKey

One-time1
  • FormKey Full Unlock$14.99

Questions

Is Visual Beat free?
Visual Beat is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is FormKey free?
FormKey is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Visual Beat or FormKey?
Visual Beat is rated higher. Visual Beat averages 4.8 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while FormKey averages 4.3 from 6 ratings.
Do Visual Beat or FormKey have ads?
Neither Visual Beat nor FormKey shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Visual Beat or FormKey?
Visual Beat ships an update every 123 months, and FormKey fortnightly. Most recently, Visual Beat was updated on October 14, 2026 and FormKey on October 6, 2026.

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