Beatmaker 3 vs XO

Beatmaker 3 is a virtual drum machine for building beats from ready-made kits, rhythmic phrases, and built-in effects. It brings the Beatmaker titles a user owns into one plugin with unified controls. Its browser can search by mood, genre, or BPM and preview kits and loops from titles the user does not own. Each title includes 10 genre-specific drum kits and rhythmic phrases that can be triggered in real time. The mixer offers per-track volume, pan, filter, ambience, saturation, and individual output routing. MIDI can be dragged into a DAW for editing or layering with other instruments. Beatmaker 3 supports 64-bit VST 2, VST 3, AU 2, and AAX; AU 2 requires Logic Pro X or newer, and AAX does not have native Apple Silicon support. It is listed for iOS, macOS, and Windows, with Windows 10–11 and macOS Big Sur 11 through macOS Tahoe 26 listed as requirements. Individual titles cost $49 as a one-time purchase, while the 17-instrument bundle costs $99.50, paid once. A free 7-day trial is available; there is no free plan.

XO is a drum sample organizer and instrument for macOS and Windows. It arranges samples by sonic similarity so users can audition sounds and rhythms rather than search folder by folder. The library includes more than 8,700 one-shot samples and more than 240 editable beat presets. XO sorts samples regardless of their storage location or format, including duplicates and files on external drives, and provides filters and search. For creating patterns, it includes Groove Templates, pattern nudging, and an Accentuator for adjusting feel and dynamics. Users can drag and drop samples, kits, stems, or complete beats as audio or MIDI, raw or processed. XO supports VST, VST3, AU, and AAX hosts, including Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Pro Tools, FL Studio, Reason, Reaper, and Cubase; a standalone app is also available. It supports MIDI, sample import, live performance tools, and eight pattern tracks. XLN Audio offers a 10-day full-feature trial without payment details. XO costs £76.20, paid once; XO + 4 expansions costs £95.40, paid once, and XO Complete costs £399.50, paid once.