Comparison

Drum Notes vs Learn Drums

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

Head to head
About

Drum Notes

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
Read full description

* Grammy Academy awarded: app to support percussive music preservation. Write, share, and practice drum music like never before. Join over 200,000 drummers and percussionists in 180 countries who have already created 400,000+ scores with Drum Notes, a simple app to create and share drum beats, music scores, drum lessons, drum loops, drum tabs and rhythms. Ideal for beginners and pros alike. Drum Notes features an intuitive score creator, perfect for drumset and percussive genres like Samba, Marching Bands, Drumlines, Cuban percussion, and Drum grooves. Think of it as a more accessible version of Musescore, Flat or Finale, tailored for drummers. Like a drum machine or drum sequencer with real drum scores. FOR DRUMMERS - ALL LEVELS Intuitive Music Score Editor: Effortlessly create percussive sheet music with a user-friendly music writing editor, for drum set or any percussion instrument. Explore Beats: Learn drums by discovering thousands of beats, loops, and percussion samples from our drumming community. Practice Tools: Adjust your own pro metronome, customize grooves, and use the drum score editor as a rhythm trainer. Organize Your Notes: Keep rhythms, arrangements, recordings, and exercises neatly organized. FOR TEACHERS - ENHANCE YOUR INSTRUCTION Drum Exercises: Create, share, and manage exercises with ease. Student-Teacher Groups: Maintain shared spaces for class materials and track progress. Public Library: Access and share a wealth of exercises and materials. FOR BANDS - PERFECT FOR BATUCADAS Arrange and Share: Organize complex patterns and rhythms, and export them in audio or image formats. Private Groups: Create groups for sharing compositions and performance notes. Explore Percussion Rhythms: Discover diverse samples and beats to inspire and enhance your band’s sound. FOR CONTENT CREATORS - SHARE PROFESSIONAL CONTENT Export Options: Share drum grooves as high-quality audio or images. Perfect for showcasing your work on social media. Diverse Library: Use an extensive collection of beats and samples for creating stunning content. FOR MUSICIANS - EXPAND YOUR PLAYBACK OPTIONS Playback Tool: Use Drum Notes to playback loops and samples for various instruments. Versatile Use: Ideal for enhancing rhythm and practice sessions with authentic beats. ADDITIONAL FEATURES Diverse percussion instruments: Drum Set Electronic Drum Kit Cajon Rumba Instruments: Congas, Clave, Cowbell, Shaker, etc. Samba Instruments: Surdos, Repique, Caixa, Agogos, Rebolo, Pandeiro, etc. Samba Reggae Instruments: Timbal, Bacurinha, etc. Marching Band / Drumline Instruments: Quads, Snare Drums, Bass Drum, Cymbals. Capoeira Instruments: Berimbau Viola, Berimbau Berra Boi, Berimbau Medio, Agogo, Pandeiro, Atabaque And many more… Percussion Library: Rock, Jazz, Samba, Marching Band, Capoeira, and many more. Customizable Settings: Adjust metronome BPM, sound accents, and more. Global Community: Connect with percussionists and drummers worldwide. PREMIUM FEATURES Unlock unlimited compositions, percussive instruments per score, and private groups. Support our mission to improve musical knowledge. JOIN THE DRUM NOTES COMMUNITY Developed by a team dedicated to empowering drummers and percussionists. Drum Coach App: Explore our app for developing practice habits with exercises, scores, and audio instructions. We wish you great grooves! #drum, #drums, #drumline, #samba, #percussion * if you are looking for the app Drumap (drum app; drum map), this is it! Now we are called Drum Notes. upbeat.studio https://upbeat.studio/privacy-policy-drum-notes/ https://upbeat.studio/terms-and-conditions-drum-notes/

About

Learn Drums

Master drumming with video-guided lessons designed for absolute beginners. Learn fundamental techniques, rhythm patterns, and various drumming styles at your own pace. This app provides a structured path to becoming a confident drummer, regardless of your equipment.

Highlights
  • Video-guided lessons
  • Fundamental techniques
  • Rhythm patterns and beats
  • Multiple drumming styles
  • Coordination exercises
  • Structured learning path
  • Practice routines
Features
Read full description

Learn drums from your first beat to playing full songs -- step-by-step, at your own pace, no drum kit required. Tap on your phone or tablet to practice along with real drum beats across rock, pop, blues, and funk. WHAT YOU GET Step-by-step drum lessons that start with the basics: how to hold the sticks, posture at the kit, and stick control. From there you build into full drum beats -- rock grooves, pop backbeats, blues shuffles, funk patterns -- one skill at a time. Video lessons from drum instructors who teach beginners for a living. Each tutorial focuses on one idea so you can see the technique, hear how it should sound, and copy it without guesswork. Slow-motion replays for the parts that trip everyone up. Drop the tempo, watch where the sticks land, then bring it back up to speed when your hands are ready. A song library arranged for beginners. Pick a track, play along, and use the visual feedback to see whether your timing is on the beat or drifting. This is where drum practice stops feeling like homework and starts sounding like music. NO DRUM KIT? START ANYWAY You don't need a kit to begin. Practice the grip, the rhythms, and the song parts on a tabletop, a practice pad, or right on the screen. When you do sit at a real kit later, the patterns are already in your hands. HOW IT'S BUILT FOR BEGINNERS Plain-language teaching. No music theory jargon thrown at you before you've played a single beat. If a lesson uses a word, it explains the word. Short sessions that fit a real day. Five minutes between meetings, fifteen before dinner -- progress comes from showing up, not from hour-long blocks you can never find. Honest pacing. You repeat a beat until it locks in, then move on. Skip ahead any time, or go back and re-watch a lesson without losing your place. Every drummer started where you are now -- counting one beat at a time. Download Learn Drums and play your first rhythm today. Terms of use - http://thecookbk.com/terms.php?appname=learn.drums.beginners Privacy Policy - http://thecookbk.com/privacy.php?appname=learn.drums.beginners

Screenshots

Drum Notes4 screens
Learn Drums4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Learn Drums at none against Drum Notes's shown. Drum Notes's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 4.4). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Drum Notes sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Learn Drums sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Drum Notes holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 204 and 120 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Drum Notes's written reviews are positive against 55% of Learn Drums's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Drum Notes versus Learn Drums: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDrum NotesLearn Drums
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (204 ratings) — better4.4 (120 ratings)
Positive reviews57.4% of reviews — better54.5% of reviews
Number of ratings204 — better120
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size133 MB104 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUPBEAT STUDIORiafy Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

Customer experience

Drum Notes

All ratings204 ratings
Positive92.2%
Neutral3.4%
Negative4.4%
Written reviews47 reviews
Positive57.4%
Neutral19.1%
Negative23.4%

Learn Drums

All ratings120 ratings
Positive84.2%
Neutral5.0%
Negative10.8%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive54.5%
Neutral4.5%
Negative40.9%

Bugs and requests

Drum Notes

Reported bugs

21 issues
  • 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
Show 16 more
  • App crashes when trying to access saved rhythms
  • Previously created playlists don't show up
  • Unable to listen to playlists
  • App closes out several times a minute
  • App deleted created content
  • Sounds lag, creating flam type sounds
  • Agogo bell sounds reversed
  • Loss of content after account creation
  • Loss of content after app name change
  • Unexplained charges and card locking
  • App not opening arrangements or showing instruments
  • App crashes after 15 minutes
  • Inability to share on iPad
  • Inability to save as image on iPad
  • Unresponsive beta features
  • App crashes and closes unexpectedly

Requested features

19 requests
  • Add whole note bass drum roll
  • Increase save space
  • Add MIDI export
  • Add feature to play individual instruments by tapping
  • Improve marching percussion sounds
Show 14 more
  • Add dark mode
  • Add 8th note/1 time division option
  • Allow export of sheet to image on free version
  • Fix accent bug
  • Make accented beats easier to create
  • Add BPM configuration
  • Improve sound quality of marching percussion
  • Add feature to play different instruments instead of editing
  • Make score layout better for longer scores
  • Fix iPad specific sharing issues
  • Fix beta score writing features
  • Offer a one-time purchase option
  • Fix issues with previously created playlists not showing up
  • Fix issues with not being able to listen to playlists

Learn Drums

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Drum Notes

Subscriptions8
  • Premium Monthly Subscription$5.991 Month
  • Premium Monthly Subscription$7.991 Month
  • Premium Yearly Subscription$42.991 Year
Show 5 more
  • Premium Yearly Subscription1 Year trial$42.991 Year
  • Premium Monthly Subscription$44.996 Months
  • Premium yearly Subscription$49.991 Year
  • Premium yearly subscription14 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Drumap PRO Yearly Offer1 Year trial$49.991 Year
One-time2
  • Samba on Drum set workshop$5.99
  • Music Capoeria Workshop$6.99
6 purchases

Learn Drums

Subscriptions5
  • Learn Drums-Monthly Trial$8.991 Month
  • drum+beats+bass$11.491 Month
  • Learn to Play Drum$24.996 Months
Show 2 more
  • Learn Drums-Yearly Trial$29.991 Year
  • Drums- Easy Lessons6 Months trial$39.996 Months
One-time1
  • 7 days premium$2.99

Questions

Is Drum Notes free?
Drum Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Learn Drums free?
Learn Drums is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Drum Notes or Learn Drums?
Drum Notes is rated higher. Drum Notes averages 4.6 out of 5 from 204 ratings, while Learn Drums averages 4.4 from 120 ratings.
Do Drum Notes or Learn Drums have ads?
Drum Notes shows ads; Learn Drums does not.
Which is updated more often, Drum Notes or Learn Drums?
Drum Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, and Learn Drums every 2 weeks. Most recently, Drum Notes was updated on September 30, 2026 and Learn Drums on September 29, 2026.

Other comparisons