MagicBPM on the Mac: live BPM locked at 117.4 on Say It Right by Nelly Furtado, with the half and double tempo controls and the tempogram

On the Mac specifically

Built for the desk it sits on.

The detection engine is shared with the iPhone and Android builds. Everything below is what the Mac version does with it.

🎯

Live BPM with a confidence indicator

Follow the BPM as the music plays. The confidence indicator shows when the reading has settled, and the tempo display updates as the music changes.

🔊

Your music keeps playing

MagicBPM listens through the microphone, so Apple Music, Spotify, a DAW or a browser tab carry on while it works. No pause, no ducking, no switching apps to start a measurement.

🎵

Names the track

Click Identify and you get the title and artist next to the tempo, using Apple's music recognition. Free to use, and it opens straight into Apple Music.

⌨️

Menu bar and keyboard

Space starts and stops listening or the metronome, T taps a tempo, ⌘↑ and ⌘↓ nudge it, and ⌘1 to ⌘4 move between BPM, Metronome, History and Settings. Every one of them is in the menu bar too.

↕️

Half or double, one click

Some music can be counted at half or double the tempo. The Half, Detected and Double controls move it where you meant, and MagicBPM hints which alternative is likelier.

🔒

On-device by design

Tempo detection never leaves the Mac: audio is analyzed live and discarded, never recorded, never uploaded, never used to build a profile. Song identification sends a fingerprint of the sound, not the sound.

In the window

A sidebar, a window you can size, and everything in reach.

The MagicBPM metronome on the Mac at 120 BPM in 4/4, with a click-to-set tap tempo pad
Metronome
The Detected Songs history on the Mac, listing identified tracks with their BPM and artwork
Detected Songs
MagicBPM settings on the Mac: tempo range limits, steady tempo, the octave selector and the usage data switch
Settings

First run

How to check the BPM on a Mac.

If the number keeps moving, get the microphone closer to the source, cut the background noise, or narrow the tempo range in Settings when you already know roughly what to expect. A built-in laptop microphone works well; an external one pointed at the speakers works better.

Also on board

More than a counter.

On a phone? The same engine is on iPhone and Android, and the iPhone app brings a haptic metronome to the Apple Watch. Prefer to try something first? The browser metronome and tap tempo need no download at all.

Free, with a one-time Pro upgrade

Get MagicBPM for Mac.

Detection, the metronome, tap tempo and song identification with a tap are free, and the Mac build shows no ads. Pro is a single purchase, never a subscription, and it is shared with your iPhone.

  • Auto-identify songs as they play, hands-free
  • Detected Songs history: every song with its BPM, artwork and a link into Apple Music
  • 12 additional metronome sounds, with previews before you buy

Good to know

Mac questions

Which macOS version does it need?

macOS 15 Sequoia or later, on Apple silicon and Intel Macs. The Mac App Store listing carries the exact current minimum, since it moves with each release.

Is it the same app as the iPhone version?

The Mac version uses the same detection engine, a sidebar, a resizable window, a menu bar, and keyboard shortcuts. The Lock Screen controls, vibration on the beat and the Apple Watch metronome are iPhone features and are not part of the Mac build.

I already bought MagicBPM Pro on my iPhone. Do I pay again on the Mac?

No. The Mac app is the same App Store product, so Pro is one purchase across every Apple device signed in to your Apple Account. If it does not show up, Restore Purchases in Settings brings it back.

Can a Mac show the BPM of music that is already playing on it?

Yes, as long as the sound comes out of the speakers. MagicBPM listens through the microphone, so Apple Music, Spotify or a browser tab keep playing on the same Mac while it locks the tempo. For music playing only through headphones, use tap tempo instead: the microphone cannot hear that audio. More on that here.

Is the BPM counter free on the Mac?

Yes. Live tempo detection, the metronome with all its time signatures and subdivisions, tap tempo and song identification with a tap are free, and the Mac build shows no ads. MagicBPM Pro is a single one-time purchase, not a subscription: it adds automatic song identification, the Detected Songs history, and twelve extra metronome sounds.

Does it record what my microphone hears?

No. Tempo detection runs entirely on the Mac: audio is analyzed in real time and discarded, never recorded and never uploaded. Song identification, when you use it, sends a compact acoustic fingerprint of the sound, never the audio itself, to Apple's Shazam service. See the Privacy Policy.

Something not covered? Support, or email support@magicbpm.com.