# Drum Notes vs InstaDrum

The clearest difference is ads: InstaDrum at none against Drum Notes's shown. InstaDrum also leads on ratings volume (1.8K vs 204). Drum Notes's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, rating, review sentiment 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 InstaDrum sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 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 InstaDrum. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: InstaDrum has 1.8K ratings behind it against 204, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 57% of Drum Notes's written reviews are positive against 62% of InstaDrum's.

Drum Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, InstaDrum every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Drum Notes | InstaDrum |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (204 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drum-notes-beats-and-notation/id1493160348/reviews) | **[4.7 (1.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/instadrum-be-a-drummer-now/id1589890234/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 204 | **1.8K** |
| Positive reviews | 57.4% of reviews | **62.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 133 MB | 79 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [UPBEAT STUDIO](https://appshunter.io/developer/1755215567) | [Xiaoyezi Beijing Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1271694597) |

## 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 |


### InstaDrum

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/instadrum-be-a-drummer-now/id1589890234)

Learn to play drums with interactive, game-like lessons. This app supports electronic drums and offers a virtual drum option for those without a set. Progress from single notes to full songs with a wide music selection.

**Highlights:** Interactive drum lessons, Game-like learning structure, Supports electronic drums (Bluetooth/cable), On-screen virtual drum, Wide song selection, Progressive skill building, Real drum notation and sheet music

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 Month | $19.99 | per month |
| 3 Months | $49.99 | per 3 months |
| 6 Months | $74.99 | per 6 months |
| 12 Months | $99.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great fun and effective self learning app
- 🚀 Friendly for drum beginners
- 🚀 Awesome!
- 🚀 Fantastic - Auto Adjusts to your speed!!!
- 👍 Love this app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Doesn't work
- 🐛 Connectivity issue
- 🔒 No beat and no songs, useless.
- 💰 I want to play without pay
- 🐛 Average

**Reported bugs**

- Doesn't work
- Connectivity issue
- Cannot map hi hat
- Paid for plan but app doesnt work with all edrums
- Need help with hi hat

**Requested features**

- More songs pls
- Needs more songs
- there needs to be a way to slow down the tempo with the play alongs so someone can learn a new technique & get the muscle memory down, then can speed it back up
- Needs more free music


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Drum Notes free?

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

### Is InstaDrum free?

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

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

InstaDrum is rated higher. Drum Notes averages 4.6 out of 5 from 204 ratings, while InstaDrum averages 4.7 from 1.8K ratings.

### Do Drum Notes or InstaDrum have ads?

Drum Notes shows ads; InstaDrum does not.

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

Drum Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, and InstaDrum every 2 months. Most recently, Drum Notes was updated on September 21, 2026 and InstaDrum on September 23, 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.*