WavePad vs Zenbeats
WavePad
nch.com.auZenbeats
roland.comSide by side
| Figure | WavePad | Zenbeats |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $3.33/mo | $2.99/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 8 | 9 |
| Spec score · Audio Editing Software | 9.2 (#3) | 9.1 (#5) |
| API and SDK | The official feature and help pages document plug-ins and MixPad integration but list no public WavePad API or SDK. | Roland's public Zenbeats support and documentation pages describe plug-ins and file exchange but provide no public Zenbeats API or SDK. |
| Founded | 1993 | 1972 |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Headquarters | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia | Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan |
| Integrations | Official pages describe MixPad integration and DirectX and VST DLL plug-in support. | Projects can be transferred between devices through Google Drive or OneDrive, and stems and loops can be exported for other DAWs. |
| Licence | NCH's EULA reserves copyright to NCH and licenses installation and use, making WavePad proprietary rather than open source. | Zenbeats is distributed as Roland proprietary software with free and paid unlocks; Roland's product and support pages do not identify an open-source licence. |
| Rating on Google Play | 3.2 out of 5 from 37.7K reviews. | 3.74 out of 5 from 2,231 reviews |
| Security and privacy | The EULA says limited anonymized usage statistics may be collected under NCH's privacy statement and software is supplied as-is with liability limitations. | Roland's privacy statement says it works toward GDPR, UK-GDPR, CCPA and other applicable privacy-law requirements. |
| Supported platforms | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and compatible Chrome OS systems |
| System requirements | The product page lists Windows 7 through 11 and macOS 10.5 or later; mobile requirements are iOS 12 or later and Android 5.0 or later. | Roland specifies a dual-core CPU, 2 GB RAM, 2 GB free storage, Windows 10/11, macOS 10.11+, iOS 11+, Android 8+ or compatible ChromeOS Android systems. |
| Third-party plugins | Yes | Yes |
| What it does | WavePad records and edits music, voice and other audio files with cutting, pasting, effects and format conversion. | Zenbeats is Roland's cross-platform music-creation application for beatmaking, recording, arranging, sampling and mixing. |
Plans
WavePad
- Master's Edition Annual Plan$99 a year
- Standard Edition Annual Plan$60 a year
- Master's Edition Quarterly Plan$16.50 a month
- Free versionFree
- WavePad Free VersionFree
- Master's Edition Quarterly Plan$21.48 a month
- Standard Edition Annual Plan$39.95 a year
- Master's Edition Annual Plan$69.95 a year
Zenbeats
- Free VersionFree
- Max Unlock$149.99 a month
- Roland Cloud Membership$2.99 a month
- Android Unlock$14.99, paid once
- iOS Unlock$14.99, paid once
- macOS Unlock$49.99, paid once
- Windows Unlock$49.99, paid once
- Platform Unlock$59.99, paid once
- Max Unlock$149.99, paid once
In their own words
WavePad
WavePad records and edits music, voice, and other audio on Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. Its editing tools include cut, copy, paste, trim, compression, and pitch shifting, while effects include echo, amplification, and equalization. Restoration tools reduce noise and remove clicks and pops. The software supports more than 50 formats, including MP3, WAV, FLAC, OGG, AAC, and M4A. Batch processing can apply effects or convert thousands of files in one operation. WavePad supports sample rates from 6 to 192 kHz, in stereo or mono and at 8, 16, 24, or 32 bits. It also supports DirectX and VST plugins, though the Standard Edition excludes VST support and the SFX Library. The maker lists podcast and radio editing, voiceovers, ringtone creation, and audio restoration as typical uses. The free version costs nothing, is for non-commercial use, and does not expire. It enables additional Master's Edition features for a 14-day trial after installation. Paid options include $60 a year for Standard Edition and $99 a year for Master's Edition.