Beat Making Apps Reviewed by a Professional Producer: What's Worth Downloading in 2025?

The world of mobile beatmaking comes with many different features, claims, and unique selling points. The mobile app by Splice is pushed with the tagline Make Music Now, whereas Koala Sampler positions itself as "the ultimate pocket-sized sampler." Here at Tracklib, the mobile app aims to put the power of sampling in your hand. But let’s take a stripped-down approach for this overview to cut through the noise: what to look for in a beat making app? What are the core essentials to keep in mind when you look for a beat making app for iPhone / Android?

Sampling support

With sampling ever-present in modern-day music production, a mobile app needs to allow you to create beats with the best samples. “Different DAWs and different apps enable and force me to try something new,” says producer Shuko. "I love technology, so I always keep my eyes and ears open for new things for sampling. Such as the OP-1 or OP-XY by Teenage Engineering, or new drum machines—I always keep my mind open and find out how something works. It’s very interesting to explore how different manufacturers and mobile apps treat creativity and workflow.”

Workflow & ease of use

An intuitive design and ease of use speak for themselves in this day and age. On top of that, as also mentioned by Shuko, "workflow" is the magic word for producers related to how to make beats. Essentially, it's a producer's personal way of working to be highly productive and as efficient as possible. The choice of DAW, software tools and plugins, which hardware and MIDI to work with, and how samples and sample packs are organized all play a part in improving the workflow. Choosing the right mobile app for beatmaking also adds to this: when it’s a waste of time, it’s a waste for your workflow.

How to finish beats on a mobile app

Shuko: "It’s the best time to be alive as a music producer but it’s also the worst time. You can get caught up in all the possibilities, which doesn’t help to get stuff done. What I always advise beginning producers: don’t start ideas without learning how to finish ideas. It’s always fun to start—same when you’re building up LEGO or whatever. But when people lose interest, they go for new ideas. Nowadays, that’s so easy with all the beat maker apps and music production tools out there. My best advice: find ways to finalize things and learn those skills as well."

License clarity

What’s the point of flipping samples if there’s no way of releasing the beat you’re working on? License clarity is an important factor to know that you’re not only playing around with loops or only having fun with a gimmicky interface. Don’t get us wrong: there’s nothing wrong with that. But if you are looking for a music production app for making beats and starting new ideas—and getting to releasing them—then sample clearance is an important factor to weigh in. Luckily, Tracklib has got you covered in full. Here’s how.

Export quality

Mobile doesn’t have to mean mediocracy. The quality of audio files and exports should be on par for mobile apps, sample packs, and online beat makers alike. For example, on Reddit, a user of Boom Bap Labs expressed his dissatisfaction with the sample quality of some of the sample packs on Boom Bap Labs. In the subreddit /makinghiphop, he shared that Boom Bap Labs advertise their samples in a "universal WAV format at 44.1 kHz sample rate and 16 bits resolution," accompanied by screenshots that show a sample quality capped off at 20 kHz. That’s a clear example that illustrates why it’s important to pay close attention to the export quality of audio samples, formats, and bitrates.

Collaboration / cloud tools

Collaboration is key, also in music production. Cloud tools can help smooth the process of collaborating with artists, gathering feedback, or keeping track of work-in-progress and improvements.

Mobile-to-desktop flexibility

An integration of mobile and desktop functionalities improves the workflow and allows producers to continue working on their beat in their DAW of choice. Tracklib’s mobile app is a perfect example of this: everything on the beatmaking app is synced to the desktop app, ready to drag and drop into your DAW.

Koala Sampler

"The interface is customizable. It’s not the best-looking interface, but that doesn't bother me because you can do so much in this little box. But it’s about the quality. The workflow is almost like an SP-404MKII; they really tried to capture that vibe. Koala Sampler is the fastest, most innovative, and easiest way to get things done quickly and to get new ideas.

I even release music that was exclusively made on Koala. A lot of the drums in my drum packs are programmed on the Koala Sampler. For example, in the second volume of Drums By Night: I made the drums by myself with live drums, generators, and drum machines. Then I sample them, and from there I try to create new beat grooves. Through stem separation, I work a little bit more in the box [with a DAW] with output, equipment, and making it more punchy. But half of those beats came from Koala Sampler.

If you want to use something on a more professional level to get a higher sound quality, I use the Logic Pro app for iPad. The effects and stem separations are a bit better than on Koala Sampler."

FL Studio Mobile

"I have used FL Studio Mobile years ago, but the problem is that the workflow is not as easy as in FL Studio on desktop. I sometimes use FL Studio for drums. The Fruity Limiter is really good and punchy. But on the mobile side, I didn’t have that same experience yet. That could be a matter of taste, though. But normally, I would like to start an idea and get instant gratification when it comes to the source of sampling, chopping, and all of that.

To me, it’s not that easy to work with samples in FL Studio Mobile. Also, I don’t like the interface. It might sound wacky, but the right interface and UX can motivate you to discover something new. FL Studio on desktop is for sure great for beginners—and of course for all professionals—and a bang for the buck."

GarageBand (iOS)

"GarageBand has some limitations—sure, sometimes limitations force you to be more creative. But in the case of GarageBand, I feel like that’s a reason to pick another mobile beat maker app."

BandLab

"BandLab is not bad. I have a producer friend who even created a whole song using BandLab, including vocals. If you’re an artist, mobile beat maker apps like BandLab and GarageBand could be very interesting. But I always tell people that if you take music production very serious, it’s better to invest some money besides a mobile app like Koala Sampler also into desktop software like Logic Pro or FL Studio. That way, you can learn those DAWs that make it easier to collaborate with other producers, which is the best and fastest way to learn and build relationships. That's important in the long run."

Logic Pro for iPad

"Lately, I did a whole sample-based Griselda-type beat; finding really good loops to edit. I was using Logic Pro for my iPad. It was really easy to use as it was similar to a DAW. The app also allowed exporting for a mobile-to-desktop flow. The stem separation is best in Logic Pro. Sure, there’s AI stem separation out there, but the packages Logic Pro offers are great choices."

Real producer workflows

"When time is the most valuable thing to have, it’s great to have something like Tracklib. The mobile beatmaking app offers more of a digging experience than other sample companies out there. It’s crazy because there’s no other tool out there right now that can get you stuff done that quickly. You can learn fast. I see Tracklib’s mobile beat maker like a learning experience: you can instantly see how a groove fits to a sample and then use that as a foundation to start a new beat with an app like Koala Sampler."

Sampling from real songs

"Other producers who have great drum loops and sounds, such as snares, hi-hats, one-shots… That’s what I’m always looking for. Tamuz is one of the greatest with drum sounds. I also like daedaePIVOT, or producers who are heavily integrated in the scene, like The Kount. They’re all making good stuff. The likes of Tremendous Aron, Gianni Brezzo on Jakarta Records… They are all great artists.

What I like about Tracklib, is that you can find stuff that nobody can find because there’s a whole song-length worth of material. Sure, you can flip the same Bob James loop like everyone else—but you can also find other parts in the same song. Or in any other song. You can dig way deeper. Tracklib is like a boutique. It’s very well-curated ear candy."