Drum Pad Machine vs VADrumSM
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
VADrumSM
This app is a virtual analog drum machine with a step sequencer. It offers 21 synthesized drum voices and flexible pad controls. It integrates with other music apps via AUv3 and Ableton Link.
- Virtual analog drum synthesizer
- 16-step sequencer
- AUv3 Audio Unit Extensions support
- Ableton Link synchronization
- XY pad controllers
- Parameter automation
- 17 output buses
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VADrumSM is a standalone mobile drum machine featuring a virtual analog drum synthesizer and a step sequencer. The virtual analog drum synthesizer supports AUv3 Audio Unit Extensions, which allows users to use the drum synthesizer inside of AUv3 hosts, such as Apple’s GarageBand®. The sequencer supports Ableton Link. You can synchronize the sequencer to Link-enabled apps and devices. Drum Synthesizer The drum synthesizer is inspired by the iconic analog drum machines of the 1980’s and features 21 drum voices. Sounds of the each drum voices are synthesized in real time by using component level modeling. Pads Pads function as XY controllers, XY controllers with trigger, or drum pads. When using pads as XY controllers, destination can be selected from tone/decay, level or pitch. Step Sequencer The step sequencer is designed to be intuitive and easy to program drum sequences. It is a 16 step sequencer and it has 3 accent level for the each step. Double hit mode allows to program two 32nd notes instead of the one 16th note. There are 4 patterns and can be chained to create 4 bar loop. There are 6 variations of swing, which can be applied in real time. Parameter Automation All XY parameters (tone, level and pitch) and voice switches can be automated, that gives a whole new sonic possibility. MIxer 17 output buses, including a mix output and 16 instrument outputs of Drum Synthesizer can be routed to main output and 4 aux mixers. AUv3 effects can be inserted to each channels. Sum of the 4 aux mixers outputs can be routed to Audiobus’s second output port. FEATURES Drum Synthesizer - 21 analog modeling drum synthesizers, including 2 bass drums, 2 snare drums, 2 sets of low, mid and high toms, low, mid and high congas, rim shot, claves, hand clap, maracas, closed and open hi-hats, cymbal and cowbell. - 3 Layers of 16 XY pad controls (Tone, Level, Pitch) - Drum Pads Mode (Pad) - Trigger Mode (On / Off) - MIDI input (mid note events only) - Output mix signal and all instruments signal - Support Audio Unit Extensions (AUv3) Step Sequencer - 16 step sequencer - Variable Pattern Length - Parameter Automation - Swing: 6 variations - Accent: 3 level - Double hit: on / off - Pattern: 4 patterns - Pattern Length: 1 bar - Loop length: 1 bar or 4 bar - Note length: 16th or 32nd - Record quantization: 16th - Chain mode: on / off - Tempo: 20 BPM - 999 BPM - Support Ableton Link * Ableton Link requires Wi-Fi connections. Others -Support Audiobus (main output and aux output) -Built in User Guide
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Drum Pad Machine at Free against VADrumSM's $9.99. Drum Pad Machine also leads on ratings volume (674K vs 6) and chart position (#174 vs unranked). VADrumSM's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 63%) and in-app purchases (none vs 5). On device support 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
Drum Pad Machine is free to download; VADrumSM costs $9.99 up front. Drum Pad Machine sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days. VADrumSM asks for nothing beyond the download.
VADrumSM holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Drum Pad Machine has 674K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of Drum Pad Machine's written reviews are positive against 100% of VADrumSM's.
Drum Pad Machine ships an update every 3 months, VADrumSM monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and August 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Drum Pad Machine | VADrumSM |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $9.99 |
| Rating | 4.6 (674K ratings) | 4.8 (6 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 63.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 674K — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #174 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 230 MB | 21 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Easybrain Ltd | Ryo Togawa |
Customer experience
Drum Pad Machine
VADrumSM
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
VADrumSM
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Drum Pad Machine
- 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
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- Beatmaker Premium7 Days trial$14.991 Month
- Drum Pad Machine Pro - Annual$46.991 Year
VADrumSM
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Drum Pad Machine free?
Is VADrumSM free?
Which has better reviews, Drum Pad Machine or VADrumSM?
Do Drum Pad Machine or VADrumSM have ads?
Which is updated more often, Drum Pad Machine or VADrumSM?
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