MagicBPM vs Tempo by Frozen Ape

MagicBPM listens through a microphone to measure music tempo in real time, with a metronome and song identification. Its BPM readout updates as music plays and shows a confidence indicator as the reading settles; a scrolling tempogram displays tempo changes over time. The metronome supports up to 300 BPM, eight time signatures, accented downbeats, and eighth-note, triplet and sixteenth-note subdivisions. It can listen while music plays aloud from services including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and Deezer. Tempo analysis runs on-device, and microphone audio is not recorded or uploaded. Song identification sends an acoustic fingerprint to Apple’s Shazam service, requires internet access, and is disabled on CarPlay and Bluetooth hands-free routes. The app does not import audio files: users measure microphone-captured sound or tap the beat. Apps are listed for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Android, with an Apple Watch metronome. The core app is free; iPhone and Android versions show ads, while the Mac app is ad-free.

Tempo by Frozen Ape is a metronome app for Android and iOS, with free Lite editions and paid versions. The iOS app supports tempos from 10 to 800 BPM and lists 35 time signatures, six rhythm patterns for simple meters, and three for compound meters. Users can save presets in setlists and share them by email as Tempo files or text; Android setlist files also work with iOS. On iOS, practice tracking can count bars or elapsed time and stop playback when a chosen limit is reached. The listed audio and display options include 14 sound sets, voice counting, vibration, stereo panning, pulsating LEDs, and full-screen display. The app also lists support for external input devices such as AirTurn, iRig BlueBoard, PageFlip Cicada, and headphone remotes. Tempo Lite is free on both platforms, with in-app purchases; the Android Lite edition contains ads. The paid Android app costs $1.49, paid once, and the iOS version costs $2.99, paid once. Both paid editions include in-app purchases.