# Drum Pad Machine vs Groovebox

The clearest difference is ads: Groovebox at none against Drum Pad Machine's shown. Groovebox also leads on review sentiment (79% vs 63%). Drum Pad Machine's advantage is ratings volume (675K vs 4.8K) and chart position (#170 vs unranked). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Drum Pad Machine sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days and Groovebox sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Drum Pad Machine against 4.7 for Groovebox. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Drum Pad Machine has 675K ratings behind it against 4.8K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 63% of Drum Pad Machine's written reviews are positive against 79% of Groovebox's.

Drum Pad Machine ships an update every 3 months, Groovebox every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Drum Pad Machine | Groovebox |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (675K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drum-pad-machine-beat-maker/id1057968965/reviews) | **[4.7 (4.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/groovebox-beat-synth-studio/id1242847278/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **675K** | 4.8K |
| Positive reviews | 63.3% of reviews | **79.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#170** | — |
| Size | 230 MB | 44 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Easybrain Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1190815537) | [Focusrite Audio Engineering](https://appshunter.io/developer/321949338) |

## What reviewers say

### Drum Pad Machine

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drum-pad-machine-beat-maker/id1057968965)

**Currently charting:** #170 Top Free · Music (US App Store)

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:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Drum Pad Machine Pro - Weekly | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Music Beat Maker Premium | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Drum Pad Machine Pro - Monthly | $14.99 | per month |
| Beatmaker Premium | $14.99 | per month |
| Drum Pad Machine Pro - Annual | $46.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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


### Groovebox

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/groovebox-beat-synth-studio/id1242847278)

Create electronic music with this mobile studio app. Features inspiring synths, drum machines, and world-class instruments. Easily build beats, melodies, and arrange tracks for production.

**Highlights:** Beat and synth music studio, Touchable instruments for melodies and beats, Five powerful instruments: Drumbox, Horizon, MiniMon, RetroBass, Poly-8, Arrange tracks with sections, Record synth parameters as automation, Ableton Link and Ableton Export for collaboration, Expandable instruments and sound packs

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Trap Bass | Free | one-time |
| Sequential Arps | Free | one-time |
| Ambient Hip Hop | Free | one-time |
| Dirty 909 | Free | one-time |
| Hip Hop Orbit | Free | one-time |
| Hypnotic Bass | Free | one-time |
| Golden Era Bass | $0.99 | one-time |
| Neuro Leads | $0.99 | one-time |
| Composed Melodics | $0.99 | one-time |
| Drum Booster | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Refreshing simplicity
- 🚀 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🚀 Excellent sound quality
- 🚀 Flexible and powerful
- 🚀 Inspiring and creative

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and crashes occasionally
- 🔒 No iCloud sync or cloud backup
- 🔒 Limited export options
- 🔒 Lack of MIDI support
- 🔒 Clunky piano roll and note editing

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when exporting projects
- Playback issues with certain patterns
- Disappearing UI elements when scrolling
- Inconsistent behavior when changing sections

**Requested features**

- Add song mode and ability to chain sections
- Improve piano roll and note editing
- Implement MIDI support and mapping
- Add more export options like MIDI and multi-track
- Implement iCloud sync and cloud backup


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Drum Pad Machine free?

Drum Pad Machine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Groovebox free?

Groovebox is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Drum Pad Machine or Groovebox?

Groovebox is rated higher. Drum Pad Machine averages 4.6 out of 5 from 675K ratings, while Groovebox averages 4.7 from 4.8K ratings.

### Do Drum Pad Machine or Groovebox have ads?

Drum Pad Machine shows ads; Groovebox does not.

### Which is updated more often, Drum Pad Machine or Groovebox?

Drum Pad Machine ships an update every 3 months, and Groovebox every 6 weeks. Most recently, Drum Pad Machine was updated on November 1, 2026 and Groovebox on November 1, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*