# DrumGoat vs Essential Grooves

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Essential Grooves at 100% against DrumGoat's 50%. Essential Grooves also leads on update cadence (every 10 months vs every 39 months) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). DrumGoat's advantage is price ($1.99 vs $9.99). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

DrumGoat costs $1.99 and Essential Grooves $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

DrumGoat ships an update every 39 months, Essential Grooves every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | DrumGoat | Essential Grooves |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$1.99** | $9.99 |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/essential-grooves/id1625761381/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **2** |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 39 months | **Every 10 months** |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Size | 12 MB | 115 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **9.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [John Taylor](https://appshunter.io/developer/1114406286) | [Myxstem](https://appshunter.io/developer/1539762462) |

## What reviewers say

### DrumGoat

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drumgoat/id1114406287)

This app challenges and reinforces drummers' audio-visual memory of drumming rudiments. It makes learning the fundamental patterns of drumming simple, fun, and fast.

**Highlights:** Audio-visual memory training, Rudiment reinforcement, Simple and fast learning, Fun drumming practice, Essential drumming alphabet

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Essential Grooves

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/essential-grooves/id1625761381)

This app offers an interactive music listening experience, allowing users to control individual instrument stems. Adjust levels, tempo, and loops to create personalized mixes for singing and playing along. It provides an immersive way to engage with music albums.

**Highlights:** Stem control (mute, solo, pan, fade), Tempo control, Looping functionality, Lyrics display, Adjustable instrument levels, Immersive audio experience

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is DrumGoat free?

DrumGoat costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Essential Grooves free?

Essential Grooves costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Do DrumGoat or Essential Grooves have ads?

Neither DrumGoat nor Essential Grooves shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, DrumGoat or Essential Grooves?

DrumGoat ships an update every 39 months, and Essential Grooves every 10 months. Most recently, DrumGoat was updated on October 1, 2026 and Essential Grooves on October 9, 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.*