Comparison

CrossBeat vs MixSurface

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

Head to head
About

CrossBeat

Features
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Features: โ€“ very stable engine while battery consumption remains very low โ€“ use as a metronome and/or rhythm trainer by tapping easy to very complex accents โ€“ off instrument rhythmic training no matter where you are โ€“ one of the most accurate metronomes with the possibility to add subdivisions and accent patterns (Crossbeats) โ€“ 3 Volume sliders for Pulse, Subdivisions and Accents โ€“ Progress-bar which indicates actual position within the bar (visual orientation) โ€“ Visual metronome count โ€“ over 100 Exercises for accents in 1/8th notes triplets, sixteens and sextuplets โ€“ accent groupings as well in 5 and 7, to create even more interesting and challenging crossbeats โ€“ real-time feedback of tapping accuracy by red, orange or green light โ€“ great selection of sounds, selectable for each device (pulse, subdivisions, accents, right and left tap) independently. Makes practice routine even more fun โ€“ intuitive menu navigation and clear design โ€“ storage of user preferences of last session (exercise and sounds) CrossBeat is a modern Metronome and one of a kind Rhythm-trainer, for all musicians no matter if you are a newbie or experienced player. The difficulty-level of the exercises can be adjusted individually. Are you sitting in a train and feel like doing a short exercise? Put in your ear plugs and tap a few exercises. Are you a Music educator who's constantly looking for new ways to improve the didactic possibilities? CrossBeat will definitely enrich your lessons and give your students a modern way of learning rhythms. CrossBeat gives you so many possible applications and will definitely improve time, rhythmical understanding and odd-meter skills. Exercises are designed with clear didactic thoughts. Train each position (accent) of a subdivision and the sound created in relation to the basic pulse. For that you can use one of the tap buttons to play pulse and the other to play the accents. (Left or right can be adjusted) After you've mastered the basic accents you can go on the odd grouped accents. That means groups of 3 for 16th notes, groups of 4 for triplets and sextuplets etc. or even harder with groups of 5 and 7. Strive for a relaxed feeling and total rhythmic understanding, count the pulse loud and try to end up playing the exercises only supported by the pulse of the app. No support anymore with subdivisions. Layout (for now) optimized for iPhone.

About

MixSurface

Features
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MixSurface is a wireless control surface for the REAPER digital audio workstation. Set it up once and mix, tweak, and perform from your iPhone or iPad. REQUIRES REAPER running on your Mac or PC on the same local network, plus a small free extension. MixSurface is a remote controller, not a copy of REAPER. No REAPER handy? Tap Try Demo on the connect screen and explore the app with a simulated session, no setup required. * FADERS THAT FEEL GREAT Faders, pan, mute, solo and metering, with touch response tuned for real mixing: fast, precise and smooth under your fingers. Bank across every track, or group them into custom layers you switch in a tap. * SENDS ON FADER, INCLUDED FREE Flip the whole mixer into send mode and ride one destination across every channel, the classic console monitor-mix workflow. Pin the buses you reach for most so they are always one tap away. * BUILT-IN EQ ADAPTERS A multi-touch parametric EQ, pre-mapped to popular EQ plugins. Drag bands on the curve, pinch to set Q, and read live values straight from REAPER, with no per-plugin setup. * CUSTOM TEMPLATES Control any plugin with knobs and faders that read and write in real time, including gain-reduction metering for compressors that report it. Use the built-in templates, or map your own in seconds with listen mode: touch a control in REAPER and it binds. * GLOBAL CONTROL SURFACES Build your own pages from plugin controls, transport and one-tap REAPER actions, then make them global so they follow you into every project. * AUTOMATION AND TRACK SETUP Read and write automation from the surface, with each fader showing the automation value rather than just the trim. Name tracks, set colours, choose record inputs and set monitoring without going back to the computer. * KEEP THE VIEWS IN STEP Show only the tracks REAPER is showing, or drive REAPER's mixer from a layer you tap. Run several phones and tablets on one session and they all stay in sync. * FREE, PLUS ONE PURCHASE The mixer, track layers and Sends on Fader are free, forever. One purchase, no subscription, unlocks Channel Details, the multi-touch EQ, plugin control, custom templates and the global Control View. Family Sharing supported. Built for people who run REAPER and want a control surface that just works. Requires REAPER 7 or later on macOS or Windows, the free MixSurface extension, and a shared local network (Wi-Fi or wired). MixSurface connects over your local network only, with no account and no cloud. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Cockos Incorporated. "REAPER" is a trademark of Cockos Incorporated.

Screenshots

CrossBeat1 screens
MixSurface4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: MixSurface at Free against CrossBeat's $2.99. MixSurface also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 39 months). CrossBeat's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

MixSurface is free to download; CrossBeat costs $2.99 up front. MixSurface sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. CrossBeat asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CrossBeat ships an update every 39 months, MixSurface every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences ยท 2 level
CrossBeat versus MixSurface: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCrossBeatMixSurface
Price$2.99Free โ€” better
Update frequencyEvery 39 monthsEvery 5 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” better
Requires iOS12.0 โ€” better15.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size6 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStefan MeichtrySoulful Music

In-app purchases

None

CrossBeat

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

MixSurface

One-time1
  • Unlock REAPER Features$29.99

Questions

Is CrossBeat free?
CrossBeat costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is MixSurface free?
MixSurface is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do CrossBeat or MixSurface have ads?
Neither CrossBeat nor MixSurface shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CrossBeat or MixSurface?
CrossBeat ships an update every 39 months, and MixSurface every 5 days. Most recently, CrossBeat was updated on September 29, 2026 and MixSurface on October 6, 2026.

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