DrumMapMidi vs polybeat
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
DrumMapMidi
Easily create drum patterns and fills by tapping buttons that trigger multiple sounds. Send MIDI information to other General MIDI drum kits in different applications. Ideal for musicians looking to quickly lay down rhythms.
- Tap out drum patterns
- Assign multiple sounds to buttons
- Send MIDI to other apps
- Load one set of audio samples
- MIDI setup instructions
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DrumMapMidi is designed to make it easy to tap out basic drum patterns and send the MIDI information to other General MIDI drum kits in other apps. DrumMapMidi accomplishes this by assigning more than one sound to specific buttons. Here are two examples. Example 1: The simple pattern "Hi-Hat and Bass Drum / Hi-Hat / Hi-Hat and Snare / Hi-Hat" can be played with just one finger in DrumMapMidi because the Hi-Hat and Bass Drum are assigned to one button, the Hi-Hat to a second button, and the Hi-Hat and Snare to a third button. Example 2: The basic 16th-note pattern "Hi-Hat and Bass Drum / Hi-Hat / Hi-Hat / Hi-Hat / Hi-Hat and Snare / Hi-Hat / Hi-Hat / Hi-Hat" can be played with two fingers on four buttons, because a second Hi-Hat button has been added to the three buttons mentioned in Example 1. When the right hand taps the pattern in Example 1, and the left hand plays the second Hi-Hat button in-between each right hand hit, the 16th-note pattern is played easily. DrumMapMidi loads one set of audio samples, which allows you to play right away if you only have a minute or two, but the main idea is to play General MIDI drum kits in other apps. MIDI setup instructions are found on the Info screen and also at the support website.
polybeat
This advanced music production tool generates complex polyrhythmic and polymetric patterns. It offers extensive control over sequence length, step length, and step modulation for each drum voice. Requires an AUv3-compatible host or external sound source to produce audio.
- Configurable sequence and step length per drum voice
- Modulation of sequencer steps (accent, ratchet, chance, offset)
- Sample-accurate sequencing engine
- Sequence transformation actions (shift, rotate, randomize)
- AUv3 preset and state saving
- Offline functionality
- No ads or in-app purchases
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polybeat is an advanced and extremely flexible drum and percussion sequencer able to generate complex polyrhythmic and polymetric rhythmic patterns. nb: polybeat does not make sound by itself, you will need to load it in an AUv3-compatible host (such as AUM, Audiobus, ApeMatrix, Nanostudio 2, etc.) or connect it to an external drum machine, synthesizer, computer or any other sound generating device. features: - independently configurable sequence length per drum voice (ranging from 1 to 32 steps) - independently configurable step length per drum voice (ranging from double whole notes to 64th notes, including tuplets and dotted notes) - every sequencer step can be modulated by the following attributes: - accent on/off - ratchet (note repeats) - skip (note every *n* loops) - chance - timing offset - sample-accurate sequencing engine - slick and responsive native UI - undo/redo - individual drum voices can be muted or solo'ed - sequences can be instantly transformed by the following actions: - shift left/right - rotate - randomize - mirror - reverse - double - bisect - full AUv3 preset- and state-saving - ability to copy and paste patterns between instances of the plugin - mapping presets for popular AUv3 drum apps and hardware drum machines - includes musical scale presets for polybeat to be used as a melodic sequencer - responds to MIDI input for switching and selecting patterns, as well as performing pattern transformations - works offline - no push notifications - no ads or in-app purchases - no third-party behavioural tracking tools ongoing development and support, many new features on the roadmap
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: DrumMapMidi at Free against polybeat's $7.99. DrumMapMidi also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). polybeat's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 27 months) and ratings volume (20 vs 3). On 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
DrumMapMidi is free to download; polybeat costs $7.99 up front. polybeat sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. DrumMapMidi asks for nothing beyond the download.
DrumMapMidi holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: polybeat has 20 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.
DrumMapMidi ships an update every 27 months, polybeat fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on June 12, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | DrumMapMidi | polybeat |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $7.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | 4.5 (20 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 72.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 20 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 27 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 21 MB | 18 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Malcolm Mugglin | Corne Driesprong |
Customer experience
DrumMapMidi
polybeat
In-app purchases
DrumMapMidi
No in-app purchases
polybeat
- Small tip$1.99
- Big tip$5.99
