# Drum Notes vs Mubamba

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mubamba at none against Drum Notes's 10. Mubamba also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (13.4 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Drum Notes sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Mubamba asks for nothing beyond the download.

Drum Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, Mubamba fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Drum Notes | Mubamba |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (207 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drum-notes-beats-and-notation/id1493160348/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **207** | — |
| Positive reviews | 56.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 133 MB | 26 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [UPBEAT STUDIO](https://appshunter.io/developer/1755215567) | [Olio Digital Labs Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/995031091) |

## 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


### Mubamba

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mubamba/id6733216578)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Drum Notes free?

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

### Is Mubamba free?

Mubamba is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Drum Notes or Mubamba have ads?

Drum Notes shows ads; Mubamba does not.

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

Drum Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, and Mubamba fortnightly. Most recently, Drum Notes was updated on October 9, 2026 and Mubamba on October 4, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*