Soft Drummer vs BattleFX
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Soft Drummer
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.
- 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
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Soft Drummer is your subtle session drummer, and now it works as an AUv3 plugin inside GarageBand, AUM, Loopy Pro or your favourite DAW. It doesn't loop. It improvises. With brushes, hot rods and hands, Soft Drummer generates warm, musical grooves for ballads, soft pop, jazz and latin, adapting in real time like a real session player. No patterns. No repetition. AUv3 Use Soft Drummer as a plugin in any AUv3 host. Send and receive grooves between Soft Drummer, Pop Drummer and iBassist. Sync everything in real time. SOUND More than 50 multilayer sounds with 3 hit types (ghost, accented, drag/open) × 3 Round Robin alternating samples for natural, authentic feel. 4 playing styles: Brushes, Hot Rods, Hands and Mallets. 4 Effects: Compressor/Gate, EQ, Delay and Reverb with individual track control. LIVE PERFORMANCE 8 assignable Live Pads for fills, intros and endings, playable live or with any MIDI controller (iRig Blueboard and 4-button compatible). Ableton Link sync for tight integration with your setup. SONG MODE Build your song structure in seconds. Arrange rhythmic sections and let Soft Drummer follow your song from intro to outro. MIDI MIDI Out, MIDI Sync (Legacy, recommended Ableton Link), Sound Module (Play individual sounds by MIDI In). ⏺ Assignable MIDI controls (default mapping): - Transport: Play: G2 · Fill: C2 · Fill + Play/Stop: A2 · Tap Tempo: Bb2 - LivePads: Pads 1–8: C1–G1 · Load LivePad: C3 · Previous LivePad: Db3 · Next LivePad: D3 · Select LivePad Set: Eb3 · Fill on LivePad Change: E2 - Performance: Toggle Hats/Ride: Db2 · Fill + Toggle Hats/Ride: D2 · Toggle Snare: Eb2 · Crash Cymbal: B2 · Random: B1 - Songs: Previous: Gb2 · Next: Ab2 - Continuous controls: Jam: CC1 · Intensity: CC2 · Master Volume: CC7 · Swing: CC11 · Progression: CC12 · Tempo Fader: CC20 · Reverb: CC91 - Sound selection: Bank: CC32 · Rhythm: CC0 · Soundset: Program Change All assignments are user-remappable. Note octave naming follows the Logic / Cubase / Ableton / Pro Tools convention (middle C = C3) and is adjustable in MIDI Setup → OCTAVE REFERENCE. Tempo Fader is standalone-only (host-driven in AUv3). EXPORT Multi-Track or Full Mix export in seconds. Audio, MIDI or with Effects , your choice. TRY FOR FREE Soft Drummer is free to explore for 7 days with access to all features. Some actions are limited during the trial (exports, random grooves, sound changes and bars per session). After the trial, keep playing with more limitations. Unlock everything with a one-time purchase, no subscription.
BattleFX
This app provides dedicated plugins for delay, reverb, and maximization effects, allowing users to apply signature sounds from another application to any track. It offers comprehensive mix controls, solo/mute functions, and advanced features like automatic buffer choking with Euclidean patterns for creative sound design.
- Shatter Delay plugin
- Headspace Reverb plugin
- Mix controls with Solo/Mute
- Maximize and EQ section
- Automatic delay/reverb choking
- Euclidean pattern control
- Tempo sync and free control
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BattleFX was created to satisfy the common request of a dedicated plugin for the send effects in Battalion. The famous "Shatter Delay" and "Headspace Reverb" can now be used on any track. We have included a fully-featured set of mix controls, as well as Solo and Mute, so that you can hear or use each portion individually. Included is the Maximize and EQ section from the Master portion of Battalion, which have quickly become a signature sound of the device, and something fans have requested to use elsewhere. Versatile enough to be used as both a utility-tool and full creative effect, it is the right squad-partner to keep always at your side in the field and trenches. In addition, we have added a system for automatically choking the delay and reverb buffers at repeating intervals, including a Euclidean pattern knob. These can be tempo synced or free, controlled independently on reverb and delay, and even nudged slightly off of the beat in either direction. You can use this to create complex, organic ducking patterns, especially in conjunction with a noisy input and the Maximize knob turned up. If this is your first introduction to a piece of Battalion, be sure to check out the full drum synth itself, which includes everything here besides the automatic choke system (as this can be done directly by sidechaining drum hits).
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BattleFX at none against Soft Drummer's 7. BattleFX also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 91%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16). Soft Drummer's advantage is ratings volume (514 vs 15). On price, rating, ads and 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
Both are free to download. Soft Drummer sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. BattleFX asks for nothing beyond the download.
BattleFX holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Soft Drummer has 514 ratings behind it against 15, 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 BattleFX's.
| Parameter | Soft Drummer | BattleFX |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (514 ratings) | 4.9 (15 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 91.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 514 — better | 15 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 814 MB | 23 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Lumbeat | Unfiltered Audio |
Customer experience
Soft Drummer
BattleFX
Bugs and requests
Soft Drummer
Reported bugs
2 issues- Song mode issues, including crashes and missing features
- Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions and devices
Requested features
4 requests- Add support for time signatures beyond 4/4
- Improve MIDI integration and control
- Implement audio/MIDI export options
- Provide preset management and organization
BattleFX
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Soft Drummer
- Big & Low$3.99
- Presence$3.99
- Raw Brush$3.99
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- Tight Control$3.99
- Clayton$4.99
- Joe$4.99
- Soft Drummer Full Access$22.99
BattleFX
No in-app purchases








