Comparison

Drum Pad Machine vs Beat Station

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Drum Pad Machine

Create professional-quality music and unique tracks with a variety of styles and sound packs. Utilize instruments, FX, and sequencing for creative sound design. Learn through beat school lessons and share your creations instantly.

Highlights
  • Multiple music styles (Hip-hop, Trap, House, etc.)
  • Professional sound packs
  • Drum and Piano instruments
  • Sequencing with tempo and EQ
  • Beat School lessons
  • Quick music sharing
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Make your own music like a pro. Create sick beats, perfect and perform unique tracks! Features: • Great variety of music styles: Hip-hop, Drum & Bass, Trap, Dubstep, House, and many others; • Unique sound packs. Get access to professional-quality audio samples created by professional musicians and DJs; • Instruments & FX. Use Drum & Piano for creative sound designs; • Sequencing. Get studio effects including Tempo Regulation and EQ; • Beat School. Try the lessons for each sound pack to improvise freely; • Quick sharing. Share your music with the world. Enjoy this powerful, yet easy-to-use tool to get the best music experience! Drum Pad Machine Premium Drum Pad Machine Premium Subscription allows you to unlock all the sound packs, get new releases, and remove ads. Choose from different subscription options. Payment will be charged to Apple ID Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed by you and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to Apple ID Account Settings. For more information please visit the link https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202039. Unused portion of a free-trial period will be forfeited when a user decides to subscribe. EULA: https://easybrain.com/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://easybrain.com/policy.html

About

Beat Station

This app provides a versatile drum machine for musicians, offering realistic drum sets and extensive loop libraries. It allows for real-time control of song sections and hands-free operation via a Bluetooth MIDI pedalboard, enhancing practice, production, and live performance.

Highlights
  • Realistic drum sets
  • Extensive drum loop library
  • Multiple control modes (Loop, Pedal, Song)
  • Bluetooth MIDI pedalboard support
  • Inter-App Audio and background audio
  • Export songs as audio files
  • MIDI implementation and DAW integration
Features
Read full description

The Beat Station is a rhythm machine for practicing guitar, bass, keyboard, or any type of instrument, and also brings to production and live performance the ease of not requiring live drums and a drummer. You can control verse, chorus, transition, fill, intro, and outro sections using different modes of operation. Connect Bluetooth MIDI Pedalboard lets you control all sections hands-free. When you hear the rhythm patterns and start to control them live, it is truly like a versatile drummer playing along with you. LOOP MODE Easily play rhythm patterns with loop pads. Each rhythm style includes 12 rhythm patterns: intro, verse, chorus, six fills, two transitions, and outro. You can switch rhythm patterns in real-time as needed during your performance. PEDAL MODE You can use the Pedal mode to play rhythm patterns with four footswitches. By using a Bluetooth MIDI pedalboard, you can perform operational tasks without having to take your hands off of your instrument. SONG MODE You can connect rhythm patterns to create a complete drum track that's appropriate for your own song, and play it automatically. Features • 6 ultra-realistic drum sets • Over 1700 drum loops, 136 rhythm styles in 15 genres • Easily play rhythm patterns with three modes • Inter-App Audio support • Audio background mode • Export your songs as audio files • Full MIDI implementation • MIDI Controller support • MIDI Learn • Send MIDI to DAW or other apps • Ableton Link integration • Keep your projects up to date across all devices using iCloud -------- Beat Station Pro Subscription - Get All Genres of Rhythm (Over 1700 Drum Loops) - Unlimited Projects - Export Audio - MIDI Output • $2.99(USD)/Month  • $22.99(USD)/Year Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at the confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions by going to your account settings on the App Store after purchase. PRIVACY POLICY: https://sonarmusic.app/beatstation/privacy/ TERMS OF USE: https://sonarmusic.app/beatstation/terms/

Screenshots

Drum Pad Machine4 screens
Beat Station4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Drum Pad Machine at freemium against Beat Station's subscription. Drum Pad Machine also leads on ratings volume (674K vs 496) and chart position (#168 vs unranked). Beat Station's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Drum Pad Machine sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days and Beat Station sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Drum Pad Machine against 4.5 for Beat Station. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Drum Pad Machine has 674K ratings behind it against 496, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 63% and 64% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Drum Pad Machine ships an update every 3 months, Beat Station every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Drum Pad Machine versus Beat Station: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDrum Pad MachineBeat Station
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (674K ratings) — better4.5 (496 ratings)
Positive reviews63.3% of reviews63.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings674K — better496
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium — betterSubscription
Best chart rank#168 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size230 MB209 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEasybrain LtdSonar Multimedia

Customer experience

Drum Pad Machine

All ratings674,050 ratings
Positive90.3%
Neutral4.7%
Negative5.0%
Written reviews2,284 reviews
Positive63.3%
Neutral8.5%
Negative28.3%

Beat Station

All ratings496 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral6.3%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews144 reviews
Positive63.9%
Neutral13.9%
Negative22.2%

User reviews

Drum Pad Machine

From 674K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🤩 Incredible music-making experience
  • 👍 Easy to learn and use
  • 🎶 Wide variety of music genres and beats
  • 🎓 Helpful tutorials and lessons
  • 🎧 High-quality sound samples

Room to improve

  • 🤬 Excessive and repetitive ads
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🐛 Occasional glitches and crashes
  • 🤔 Limited customization options
  • ⏱️ Lessons and tutorials move too fast

Beat Station

From 496 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Intuitive interface
  • 💡 Versatile beat options
  • 🎸 Great for guitarists and musicians
  • 🎧 Realistic drum sounds

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Subscription-only model
  • 🔒 Lack of one-time purchase option
  • 🐛 Bugs and crashes
  • 🔋 Battery drain issues
  • 💸 Perceived as overpriced

Bugs and requests

Drum Pad Machine

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Recordings sometimes stop unexpectedly
  • Difficulty registering multiple button presses simultaneously
  • Compatibility issues on older devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add a search function to find specific beats
  • Allow users to create and share their own custom beats
  • Implement a pause/resume feature for recordings
  • Provide more granular control over tempo and timing

Beat Station

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Subscription issues (unable to restore purchases)
  • App freezing or closing unexpectedly
  • Blank tutorial screens
  • Inconsistent behavior when switching between beats

Requested features

5 requests
  • More beat variety (Latin, jazz, waltz, etc.)
  • Ability to import custom drum samples
  • Tempo and style changes within a song
  • Midi export option
  • Better tutorial and customer support

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Drum Pad Machine

Subscriptions5
  • Drum Pad Machine Pro - Weekly3 Days trial$7.997 Days
  • Music Beat Maker Premium7 Days trial$7.997 Days
  • Drum Pad Machine Pro - Monthly$14.991 Month
Show 2 more
  • Beatmaker Premium7 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • Drum Pad Machine Pro - Annual$46.991 Year
3 purchases

Beat Station

Subscriptions2
  • Beat Station Pro (Monthly)7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Beat Station Pro (Yearly)7 Days trial$22.991 Year
One-time1
  • Beat Station Pro (Lifetime)$59.99

Questions

Is Drum Pad Machine free?
Drum Pad Machine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Beat Station free?
Beat Station is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Drum Pad Machine or Beat Station?
Drum Pad Machine is rated higher. Drum Pad Machine averages 4.6 out of 5 from 674K ratings, while Beat Station averages 4.5 from 496 ratings.
Do Drum Pad Machine or Beat Station have ads?
Drum Pad Machine shows ads; Beat Station does not.
Which is updated more often, Drum Pad Machine or Beat Station?
Drum Pad Machine ships an update every 3 months, and Beat Station every 5 weeks. Most recently, Drum Pad Machine was updated on September 26, 2026 and Beat Station on September 21, 2026.

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