Comparison

Music Rhythm Trainer vs Drum Notation by Beat Note

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Music Rhythm Trainer

Master essential rhythmic skills with fun, field-tested exercises. Improve your sight-reading and ear training by practicing daily. This app offers a more efficient and exciting alternative to traditional metronome exercises.

Highlights
  • Master rhythmic skills
  • Sight reading practice
  • Ear training exercises
  • Metronome beat training
  • Learn to repeat rhythms
  • Develop sense of rhythm
Features
Read full description

Rhythm Trainer is a series of fun field-tested exercises for mastering your essential rhythmic skills no matter what instrument you play. Practice 15 minutes a day in an individual session. Test your rhythmic skills. Get hang of the metronome beat. Learn to repeat different rhythms. Improve your sight reading skill. It won’t take long to see that the app is much more efficient and exciting compared to conventional exercises along with a metronome. Whether you practice alone or with a teacher, Rhythm Trainer will help you to: • Develop a sense of rhythm. • Sight-read rhythm notation. • Accurately play a rhythm from notes. • Hear mistakes in a rhythm by ear. Rhythm is the heart of music. Learn the skill once, play rhythmically forever. SUBSCRIPTION PRICING & TERMS The Rhythm Trainer offers an auto-renewing subscription for 4.99 USD per month. Terms: - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. - Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user’s Account Settings after purchase. Read more about our terms and conditions here: - Terms of service: https://rhythmtest.online/terms - Privacy policy: https://www.iubenda.com/privacy-policy/47478545

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

Music Rhythm Trainer4 screens
Drum Notation by Beat Note4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Drum Notation by Beat Note at free with in-app purchases against Music Rhythm Trainer's subscription. Drum Notation by Beat Note also leads on review sentiment (83% vs 72%). Music Rhythm Trainer's advantage is ratings volume (5.1K vs 83). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Music Rhythm Trainer sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month and Drum Notation by Beat Note sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $6.69 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Music Rhythm Trainer against 4.7 for Drum Notation by Beat Note. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Music Rhythm Trainer has 5.1K ratings behind it against 83, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 72% of Music Rhythm Trainer's written reviews are positive against 83% of Drum Notation by Beat Note's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Music Rhythm Trainer ships an update every 2 weeks, Drum Notation by Beat Note every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Music Rhythm Trainer versus Drum Notation by Beat Note: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMusic Rhythm TrainerDrum Notation by Beat Note
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (5.1K ratings) — better4.7 (83 ratings)
Positive reviews71.9% of reviews83.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5.1K — better83
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size114 MB87 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGuitar Tabs LLCKick Snare Hat Apps, LLC

Customer experience

Music Rhythm Trainer

All ratings5,050 ratings
Positive94.8%
Neutral2.4%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews398 reviews
Positive71.9%
Neutral13.1%
Negative15.1%

Drum Notation by Beat Note

All ratings83 ratings
Positive89.2%
Neutral4.8%
Negative6.0%
Written reviews120 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral7.5%
Negative9.2%

User reviews

Music Rhythm Trainer

From 5.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Helpful for improving rhythm skills
  • 🚀 Effective rhythm training
  • 💡 Customizable difficulty levels
  • 🎨 Visually appealing interface
  • 📈 Noticeable improvement in rhythm

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🐛 Strict timing requirements
  • 🔇 Lack of audio feedback when tapping
  • 🕰️ Automatic tempo changes can be disruptive
  • 🤔 Limited time for free usage

Drum Notation by Beat Note

From 83 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
  • 🚀 Quick and efficient notation
  • 🎶 Great sound playback
  • 💡 Excellent for teaching and learning
  • ✍️ Simple to write exercises and ideas

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 💸 High annual cost
  • 🆓 Limited free version
  • 🚫 No one-time purchase option
  • 🤔 Subscription model makes little sense to some

Bugs and requests

Music Rhythm Trainer

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Rhythm not registering correctly
  • Bluetooth connectivity issues
  • App freezing or crashing
  • Inconsistent feedback on performance

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to set custom tempo
  • More time signature options
  • Sight reading exercises with no pre-hearing
  • Metronome volume adjustment
  • Progress tracking and statistics

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
Show 3 more
  • 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
Show 22 more
  • 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

1 purchases

Music Rhythm Trainer

Subscriptions1
  • Full version$4.991 Month
5 purchases

Drum Notation by Beat Note

Subscriptions5
  • Educator Tier Monthly (No Trial)$6.691 Month
  • Creator Tier Monthly (No Trial)$13.491 Month
  • Educator Tier Annual (No Trial)$59.991 Year
Show 2 more
  • Educator Tier Annual + Free Trial7 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Creator Tier Annual + Free Trial7 Days trial$119.991 Year

Questions

Is Music Rhythm Trainer free?
Music Rhythm Trainer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Drum Notation by Beat Note free?
Drum Notation by Beat Note is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Music Rhythm Trainer or Drum Notation by Beat Note?
Music Rhythm Trainer is rated higher. Music Rhythm Trainer averages 4.8 out of 5 from 5.1K ratings, while Drum Notation by Beat Note averages 4.7 from 83 ratings.
Do Music Rhythm Trainer or Drum Notation by Beat Note have ads?
Neither Music Rhythm Trainer nor Drum Notation by Beat Note shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Music Rhythm Trainer or Drum Notation by Beat Note?
Music Rhythm Trainer ships an update every 2 weeks, and Drum Notation by Beat Note every 9 days. Most recently, Music Rhythm Trainer was updated on September 22, 2026 and Drum Notation by Beat Note on September 19, 2026.

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