Comparison

Poly Metronome 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

Poly Metronome

Master rhythm with a precise metronome offering advanced features like subdivisions and polyrhythms. Create complex patterns, save setups, and train your timing with built-in tools. Visual, flash, and vibrate modes ensure you stay on beat in any environment.

Highlights
  • Subdivisions per beat
  • Polyrhythm creation
  • Programmable setlists
  • Coach Trainer with mute
  • Automator tempo progression
  • Visual, flash, and vibrate modes
Features
Read full description

Poly Metronome is a precise, modern practice tool for musicians who want more than just a click. Set any time signature, shape odd meters with accent groupings, layer polyrhythms, then save your setups as presets and setlists — or build up speed with practice sessions that track your progress. A clean interface scales from iPhone to iPad, with a live pulse ring that shows every voice and accent at a glance — and stays in sync with the sound on the speaker, headphones, AirPods or AirPlay. FREE FEATURES • Studio-grade timing engine, 1–800 BPM • Any time signature: 1–32 beats per bar, counted in quarter or eighth notes — 5/4, 7/8, 9/8, 12/8 and more • Accents and groupings such as 2+2+3 for odd meters • Two-voice polyrhythms such as 3:2 or 4:7 • Count-in before playback • Tap tempo and manual BPM entry • Vibration and LED flash on the beat (iPhone) • Foot pedal and Bluetooth keyboard control • Siri and Shortcuts: start, stop and set the tempo hands-free • Lock Screen, Dynamic Island and Control Center controls • AirPlay and Bluetooth speakers, with a latency notice • Searchable user guide with live examples • Ad-free, with dark, light or system theme PRO FEATURES — one-time purchase, Family Sharing supported • Up to 5 polyrhythm voices, each with its own sound, color, accents and pattern • 18 sound banks (10 metronome + 8 polyrhythm) • 16 built-in rhythm patterns and a custom pattern editor with real notation — even a different subdivision on every beat • Presets: create, edit and duplicate, with notes such as the key or capo shown on stage • Setlists: songs in order, each with its own tempo, notes and auto-advance on the downbeat — the app reopens on the same song if it closes mid-gig • Practice sessions: Coach mutes bars to test your inner time, Automator ramps the tempo by bars or seconds, and session goals keep you on track • Practice log: day streak, minutes per day and your top-tempo progress • Siri and Spotlight for your presets, practices and setlists • iCloud sync across all your devices Ideal for drummers, guitarists, pianists, singers, dancers and any musician serious about timing.

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

Poly Metronome4 screens
Drum Notation by Beat Note4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Drum Notation by Beat Note at 83% against Poly Metronome's 23%. Drum Notation by Beat Note also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.3) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 26.0). On price, ratings volume, 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. Poly Metronome sells 1 one-off in-app purchase 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

Drum Notation by Beat Note holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 204 and 87 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 23% of Poly Metronome's written reviews are positive against 83% of Drum Notation by Beat Note's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Poly Metronome ships an update every 5 days, Drum Notation by Beat Note every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Poly Metronome versus Drum Notation by Beat Note: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPoly MetronomeDrum Notation by Beat Note
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (204 ratings)4.6 (87 ratings) — better
Positive reviews22.6% of reviews82.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings204 — better87
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 9 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB89 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperImre ViragKick Snare Hat Apps, LLC

Customer experience

Poly Metronome

All ratings204 ratings
Positive82.8%
Neutral1.0%
Negative16.2%
Written reviews31 reviews
Positive22.6%
Neutral9.7%
Negative67.7%

Drum Notation by Beat Note

All ratings87 ratings
Positive88.5%
Neutral4.6%
Negative6.9%
Written reviews122 reviews
Positive82.8%
Neutral7.4%
Negative9.8%

Bugs and requests

Poly Metronome

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
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

Poly Metronome

One-time1
  • Pro Version$4.99
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 Poly Metronome free?
Poly Metronome 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, Poly Metronome or Drum Notation by Beat Note?
Drum Notation by Beat Note is rated higher. Poly Metronome averages 4.3 out of 5 from 204 ratings, while Drum Notation by Beat Note averages 4.6 from 87 ratings.
Do Poly Metronome or Drum Notation by Beat Note have ads?
Neither Poly Metronome nor Drum Notation by Beat Note shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Poly Metronome or Drum Notation by Beat Note?
Poly Metronome ships an update every 5 days, and Drum Notation by Beat Note every 9 days. Most recently, Poly Metronome was updated on October 15, 2026 and Drum Notation by Beat Note on October 17, 2026.

Other comparisons