# Soft Drummer vs AKI Drum Machine

The clearest difference is price: Soft Drummer at Free against AKI Drum Machine's $39.99. Soft Drummer also leads on ratings volume (515 vs 1) and update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 3 months). AKI Drum Machine's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Soft Drummer is free to download; AKI Drum Machine costs $39.99 up front. Soft Drummer sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. AKI Drum Machine asks for nothing beyond the download.

AKI Drum Machine holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Soft Drummer has 515 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of Soft Drummer's written reviews are positive against 100% of AKI Drum Machine's.

Soft Drummer ships an update every 4 weeks, AKI Drum Machine every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Soft Drummer | AKI Drum Machine |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $39.99 |
| Rating | [4.7 (515 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/soft-drummer-brush-sessions/id1120957633/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aki-drum-machine/id6762681788/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **515** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 91.3% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 weeks** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 816 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16** | 16.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Lumbeat](https://appshunter.io/developer/590278231) | [ALEKS ENTERPRISES LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1894960209) |

## What reviewers say

### Soft Drummer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/soft-drummer-brush-sessions/id1120957633)

This app provides natural acoustic drum sounds and improvises musically with warm grooves for various genres. It offers multi-track MIDI export, live pad performance, and synchronization with other apps. Create rhythmic structures for songs quickly and control parameters via MIDI.

**Highlights:** Natural acoustic drum sounds, Improvise musically, Multi-track MIDI export, Live performance pads, Ableton Link synchronization, MIDI control and output, Song mode for rhythmic structures

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

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Big & Low | $3.99 | one-time |
| Presence | $3.99 | one-time |
| Raw Brush | $3.99 | one-time |
| Tight Control | $3.99 | one-time |
| Clayton | $4.99 | one-time |
| Joe | $4.99 | one-time |
| Studio Mix | $8.99 | one-time |
| Soft Drummer Full Access | $22.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Excellent sound quality
- 🎢 Realistic and natural-sounding rhythms
- 🎛️ Flexible and customizable features
- 🎶 Great for practicing, jamming, and composing
- 🎧 Authentic brush and mallet sounds

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤔 Unintuitive user interface
- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 💰 Expensive for an iOS app
- 📚 Lack of documentation and tutorials

**Reported bugs**

- Song mode issues, including crashes and missing features
- Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions and devices

**Requested features**

- Add support for time signatures beyond 4/4
- Improve MIDI integration and control
- Implement audio/MIDI export options
- Provide preset management and organization


### AKI Drum Machine

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aki-drum-machine/id6762681788)

This app provides professional-grade, hands-on drum backing for musicians, songwriters, and performers. It allows importing MIDI drum styles, triggering song sections live, and customizing drum sounds. Enjoy real-time tempo control and flexible MIDI connectivity for a portable rhythm solution.

**Highlights:** Playable beat sections (Intros, Variations, Fills, Endings), Import MIDI drum styles from Yamaha/Korg, Assign custom drum sounds (SF2 import), Real-time tempo control with multi-tempo support, MIDI input/output and controller support, Background audio playback, Visual metronome and multi-meter support

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Soft Drummer free?

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

### Is AKI Drum Machine free?

AKI Drum Machine costs $39.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Soft Drummer or AKI Drum Machine?

AKI Drum Machine is rated higher. Soft Drummer averages 4.7 out of 5 from 515 ratings, while AKI Drum Machine averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Soft Drummer or AKI Drum Machine have ads?

Neither Soft Drummer nor AKI Drum Machine shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Soft Drummer or AKI Drum Machine?

Soft Drummer ships an update every 4 weeks, and AKI Drum Machine every 3 months. Most recently, Soft Drummer was updated on November 1, 2026 and AKI Drum Machine on October 25, 2026.

---

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