# Soft Drummer vs Etherpad

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Etherpad at none against Soft Drummer's 7. Etherpad also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 months) and rating (4.9 vs 4.7). Soft Drummer's advantage is ratings volume (509 vs 20). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Soft Drummer sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Etherpad asks for nothing beyond the download.

Etherpad holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Soft Drummer has 509 ratings behind it against 20, 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 Etherpad's.

Soft Drummer ships an update every 2 months, Etherpad every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Soft Drummer | Etherpad |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (509 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/soft-drummer-brush-sessions/id1120957633/reviews) | **[4.9 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/etherpad/id6772439909/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **509** | 20 |
| Positive reviews | 91.3% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 1.3 GB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Lumbeat](https://appshunter.io/developer/590278231) | [Dinesh Yadav](https://appshunter.io/developer/6772439911) |

## 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, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| 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 |
| 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


### Etherpad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/etherpad/id6772439909)

Create evolving soundscapes and ambient textures with an intuitive touch-based music synthesizer. Explore generative music without needing music theory, perfect for relaxation or creative expression.

**Highlights:** Multi-touch synthesis, Multiple sound presets, Visual particle effects, Effect overlays, Scale selection, Landscape & portrait modes, Low-latency audio

**Features:** 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 Etherpad free?

Etherpad is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Soft Drummer or Etherpad?

Etherpad is rated higher. Soft Drummer averages 4.7 out of 5 from 509 ratings, while Etherpad averages 4.9 from 20 ratings.

### Do Soft Drummer or Etherpad have ads?

Neither Soft Drummer nor Etherpad shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Soft Drummer or Etherpad?

Soft Drummer ships an update every 2 months, and Etherpad every 2 days. Most recently, Soft Drummer was updated on September 25, 2026 and Etherpad on September 22, 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.*