# Drum Notes vs GigNotes

The clearest difference is ads: GigNotes at none against Drum Notes's shown. GigNotes also leads on review sentiment (82% vs 56%). Drum Notes's advantage is ratings volume (208 vs 35). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Drum Notes sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and GigNotes sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Drum Notes against 4.7 for GigNotes. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Drum Notes has 208 ratings behind it against 35, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 56% of Drum Notes's written reviews are positive against 82% of GigNotes's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Drum Notes | GigNotes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (208 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drum-notes-beats-and-notation/id1493160348/reviews) | **[4.7 (35 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gignotes-songbook-and-setlists/id1536908681/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **208** | 35 |
| Positive reviews | 56.3% of reviews | **81.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 133 MB | 97 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [UPBEAT STUDIO](https://appshunter.io/developer/1755215567) | [Accent Studio](https://appshunter.io/developer/1536908683) |

## What reviewers say

### Drum Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drum-notes-beats-and-notation/id1493160348)

Create, share, and practice percussive music scores with an intuitive editor. Explore a global community of drummers and percussionists, access thousands of beats, and utilize practice tools. Ideal for musicians, teachers, and bands of all levels.

**Highlights:** Intuitive score editor for drum set and percussion, Explore and learn from community-shared beats and rhythms, Practice tools including metronome and rhythm trainer, Organize rhythms, arrangements, and exercises, Create and share drum exercises for students, Export scores as audio or image formats

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly Subscription | $5.99 | per month |
| Premium Monthly Subscription | $7.99 | per month |
| Premium Yearly Subscription | $42.99 | per year |
| Premium Yearly Subscription | $42.99 | per year |
| Premium Monthly Subscription | $44.99 | per 6 months |
| Premium yearly Subscription | $49.99 | per year |
| Premium yearly subscription | $49.99 | per year |
| Drumap PRO Yearly Offer | $49.99 | per year |
| Samba on Drum set workshop | $5.99 | one-time |
| Music Capoeria Workshop | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great for writing ideas
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 👍 Good for exercises
- 👍 Useful for drummers
- 👍 Good for students

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- 🐛 Unstable on iPad
- 🐛 Accents not working
- 🐛 Subscription cost too high
- 🐛 Limited free version

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes constantly
- App crashes on iPad
- Accents don't work after saving
- Beta score writing features don't work
- App freezes on loading screen

**Requested features**

- Add whole note bass drum roll
- Increase save space
- Add MIDI export
- Add feature to play individual instruments by tapping
- Improve marching percussion sounds


### GigNotes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gignotes-songbook-and-setlists/id1536908681)

Manage your songs, sheets, and setlists for live performances and rehearsals. Import various file types, transpose chords instantly, and organize gigs with detailed notes. Features include half-page turns, full-screen mode, handwritten notes, and offline functionality.

**Highlights:** Import sheet music (PDF, photos, ChordPro), Instant chord transposition, Create setlists with gig details, Half-page turns and full-screen mode, Handwritten notes on sheets, Offline functionality, Built-in metronome, MIDI command support

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Professional | $2.49 | per month |
| Annual Professional | $23.99 | per year |
| Professional – 5 Seats | $107.99 | per year |
| Professional – 10 Seats | $214.99 | per year |
| Professional – 15 Seats | $300.00 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Drum Notes free?

Drum Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is GigNotes free?

GigNotes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Drum Notes or GigNotes?

GigNotes is rated higher. Drum Notes averages 4.6 out of 5 from 208 ratings, while GigNotes averages 4.7 from 35 ratings.

### Do Drum Notes or GigNotes have ads?

Drum Notes shows ads; GigNotes does not.

### Which is updated more often, Drum Notes or GigNotes?

Drum Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, and GigNotes every 2 weeks. Most recently, Drum Notes was updated on October 24, 2026 and GigNotes on October 25, 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.*