Simmons Drums vs Drum Notation by Beat Note
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Simmons Drums
Enhance your electronic drum kit's functionality with this app. Remotely edit and save drum kits, practice with real audio tracks, and slow down songs to learn grooves. Compatible with specific Simmons drum kit models.
- Remote drum kit editing
- Save custom drum kits
- Teaching tool with audio tracks
- Play along with music library
- Adjust playback speed
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The Simmons Drums Basic App is designed to extend the capabilities of the Simmons SD100, SD200, SD300, SD350, SD500, SD550, & SD600 electronic drum kits. Remotely edit and save drum kits and sounds with your iOS device using a user-friendly interface. Improve your playing with the "Teaching tool," which lets you play along with real audio tracks in a game-like environment to help you improve your skills and meter. The "Play along" function accesses your iOS's music library and manipulates the playback speed so you can slow down a song to learn the groove. Users may need to download the latest Firmware update from http://simmonsdrums.net/ Users with a SD100, SD200, SD300, SD350, SD500, or SD550 will need an Apple USB Camera Connector kit and USB cable to connect the kit drum module to their iOS device.
Drum Notation by Beat Note
Create, practice, and share drum music notation with ease. This app transforms sequenced beats into professional sheet music, offering tools for composition, transcription, and interactive teaching. Enhance your drumming journey with customizable practice sessions and high-quality export options.
- Sequencer to notation conversion
- Compose and transcribe drum beats
- Customizable practice sessions
- Interactive teaching tools
- High-quality PDF and image export
- Multiple notation voicing options
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Beat Note — Drum Notation for Drummers, Teachers, and Content Creators The fastest way to write, hear, practice, and share drum notation. Built by a drummer, for drummers. FOR DRUMMERS — FROM YOUR HEAD TO THE PAGE IN SECONDS You have a groove idea. Beat Note gets it down before you lose it. Tap the sequencer grid to build beats. Watch them turn into clean, professional drum notation in real time. Hit play and hear exactly what you wrote — at any tempo, with a click track, on loop. - Transcribe songs to check your ear and lock in what you hear - Compose your own grooves, fills, and exercises from scratch - Count in with a visual on-screen "1, 2, 3, 4" so your eyes and ears are ready together - Use Beat Note as your in-ear metronome during rehearsals — your beats, not just clicks "Been waiting a long time for an app like this. Clearly built by a drummer." — App Store review FOR TEACHERS — WRITE IT, PLAY IT, SEND IT What used to take 30 minutes in a desktop notation program now takes 2 minutes on your phone or iPad. Write exercises on the fly — during the lesson, not after it. Play back the notation so students hear exactly how it should sound. Share a link so they can listen at home. Export a PDF they can print and bring to the kit. - Use the sequencer as a live music whiteboard, in person or online - Build a library of exercises organized by tag, ready for any student - Send a shareable link or export a high-quality PDF in one tap "What would normally take 30 minutes on a computer has become 2 minutes from my mobile device. My students love it." — App Store review FOR CONTENT CREATORS — PROFESSIONAL NOTATION VIDEOS, IN MINUTES Export your beat as an animated MP4 — portrait for Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts, or landscape for YouTube and Vimeo. Choose 720p, 1080p, or 4K. Pick a color theme. Preview before you export. PDF, PNG, WAV or AAC audio, shareable link, and animated MP4 — all from one app. NOTATION THAT LOOKS RIGHT Professional drum notation, consistent across every format you export. What you see on screen is what your students get in the PDF, what your followers see in the video, and what you hear in playback. - All standard drums, cymbals, and articulations - Subdivisions from 8th notes to 32nd notes, plus triplets, quintuplets (5s), and septuplets (7s) - Common and compound time signatures, including 6/8, 9/8, and 12/8 - Linear, split hands/feet, or split drums/cymbals voicing - Sticking annotations (R, L) - Single-measure repeat symbol (%) — renders automatically when measures repeat ORGANIZE AND DISCOVER - Tags, search, and sort to manage your beat library - Discover tab: curated educational beats for all skill levels - Beat templates to get started fast - Customize tempo, click track, count-in, and timer MADE BY A DRUMMER, SHAPED BY THE COMMUNITY Beat Note was built by me — an independent developer with 35+ years behind the kit. But the direction comes from the community. Every major feature on the roadmap has been voted on, requested, and refined by drummers, teachers, and creators just like you. Join the conversation at roadmap.beat-note.app — vote on upcoming features, share ideas, and see what's coming next. I'm here to make sure it all comes together into something that actually works. Premium subscription required for full access. Educator and Creator tiers available. Free trial included. Payment is charged through your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription auto-renews unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period via iTunes Account Settings. Terms and Privacy Policy: https://www.beat-note.app/privacy-and-terms
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Drum Notation by Beat Note at 83% against Simmons Drums's 14%. Drum Notation by Beat Note also leads on rating (4.6 vs 2.8) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months). Simmons Drums's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.6). On price, 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. Drum Notation by Beat Note sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $6.69 per month. Simmons Drums asks for nothing beyond the download.
Drum Notation by Beat Note holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Drum Notation by Beat Note has 87 ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 14% of Simmons Drums's written reviews are positive against 83% of Drum Notation by Beat Note's.
Simmons Drums ships an update every 2 months, Drum Notation by Beat Note every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Simmons Drums | Drum Notation by Beat Note |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.8 (14 ratings) | 4.6 (87 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 14.3% of reviews | 83.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 14 | 87 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 160 MB | 88 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Simmons Innovations Ltd | Kick Snare Hat Apps, LLC |
Customer experience
Simmons Drums
Drum Notation by Beat Note
Bugs and requests
Simmons Drums
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Drum Notation by Beat Note
Reported bugs
8 issues- Preview rarely matches notes on staff
- Sometimes doesn't play any notes
- Sounds not always appropriate for instrument voicing
- Editing measures is inconvenient
- Free trial charged immediately
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- iCloud data sync issues for subscription confirmation
- Not stable in loopings, slow delay on first note
- Measure lines on PDFs too thick and close
Requested features
27 requests- 7/8 time signature support
- Syncing between devices
- Web version
- Native Mac/Windows apps
- Add text or notes to notations
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- Cowbell instrument
- More drum samples and pitch control
- Ability to work on spaces longer than a measure
- Add 32nd notes
- Duplicate multiple bars at once
- Copy/paste large sections
- Option to drag duplicated bars to the end
- Add melody track
- More instrument options
- Ability to manage volumes of different instruments
- Add quintuplets and sextuplets to a bar
- Add repetition options for measures
- Add text to music sheets
- Improve loop stability and reduce delay
- Allow monthly subscription option
- More free beats/unlimited free version
- Add sticking for grace notes
- More advanced editing options for multiple bars
- Improve PDF export readability
- Add virtual drum kit for accessibility
- AI-powered automatic notation
- Auto-sync to track
In-app purchases
Simmons Drums
No in-app purchases
Drum Notation by Beat Note
- Educator Tier Monthly (No Trial)$6.691 Month
- Creator Tier Monthly (No Trial)$13.491 Month
- Educator Tier Annual (No Trial)$59.991 Year
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- Educator Tier Annual + Free Trial7 Days trial$59.991 Year
- Creator Tier Annual + Free Trial7 Days trial$119.991 Year
Questions
Is Simmons Drums free?
Is Drum Notation by Beat Note free?
Which has better reviews, Simmons Drums or Drum Notation by Beat Note?
Do Simmons Drums or Drum Notation by Beat Note have ads?
Which is updated more often, Simmons Drums or Drum Notation by Beat Note?
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