# Drum Notes vs Tambu

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Tambu at 100% against Drum Notes's 56%. Tambu also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Drum Notes's advantage is ratings volume (207 vs 2). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Drum Notes sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Tambu sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.00 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Tambu holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Drum Notes has 207 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of Drum Notes's written reviews are positive against 100% of Tambu's.

Drum Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, Tambu every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Drum Notes | Tambu |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (207 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drum-notes-beats-and-notation/id1493160348/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tambu/id6449235682/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **207** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 56.3% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 133 MB | 92 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [UPBEAT STUDIO](https://appshunter.io/developer/1755215567) | [Tambu Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1688272734) |

## 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


### Tambu

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tambu/id6449235682)

This app serves as a digital notebook for musicians to store practice materials, record sessions, and monitor progress. It allows users to plan practice routines, organize their music library, and review past sessions to identify areas for improvement.

**Highlights:** Digital practice notebook, Record audio clips, Track practice progress, Plan practice sessions, Organize music library, Log session details

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Early Adopter - Monthly | $1.00 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Drum Notes free?

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

### Is Tambu free?

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

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

Tambu is rated higher. Drum Notes averages 4.6 out of 5 from 207 ratings, while Tambu averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Drum Notes or Tambu have ads?

Drum Notes shows ads; Tambu does not.

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

Drum Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, and Tambu every 9 days. Most recently, Drum Notes was updated on October 9, 2026 and Tambu on September 24, 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.*