# Drum Notes vs Beat Blocks

The clearest difference is price: Drum Notes at Free against Beat Blocks's $1.99. Drum Notes also leads on ratings volume (207 vs 8) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 weeks). Beat Blocks's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ads (none vs shown). On device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Drum Notes is free to download; Beat Blocks costs $1.99 up front. Drum Notes sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Beat Blocks asks for nothing beyond the download.

Beat Blocks holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Drum Notes has 207 ratings behind it against 8, 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 83% of Beat Blocks's.

Drum Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, Beat Blocks every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on October 14, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Drum Notes | Beat Blocks |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $1.99 |
| Rating | [4.6 (207 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drum-notes-beats-and-notation/id1493160348/reviews) | **[4.9 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beat-blocks-rhythm-practice/id6764073025/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **207** | 8 |
| Positive reviews | 56.3% of reviews | **83.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 133 MB | 26 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [UPBEAT STUDIO](https://appshunter.io/developer/1755215567) | [Charles Sekel](https://appshunter.io/developer/1895626013) |

## 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


### Beat Blocks

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beat-blocks-rhythm-practice/id6764073025)

Master your musical timing with this interactive rhythm trainer. Create endless custom drills, receive real-time feedback, and practice with immersive musical notation. Ideal for musicians of all skill levels looking to improve their rhythm.

**Highlights:** Infinite rhythm drill creation, Custom beat editor, Real-time accuracy feedback, Immersive musical notation, Advanced mode for complex rhythms, Customizable themes and sound kits

**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 Beat Blocks free?

Beat Blocks costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Drum Notes or Beat Blocks?

Beat Blocks is rated higher. Drum Notes averages 4.6 out of 5 from 207 ratings, while Beat Blocks averages 4.9 from 8 ratings.

### Do Drum Notes or Beat Blocks have ads?

Drum Notes shows ads; Beat Blocks does not.

### Which is updated more often, Drum Notes or Beat Blocks?

Drum Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, and Beat Blocks every 5 weeks. Most recently, Drum Notes was updated on October 14, 2026 and Beat Blocks on October 14, 2026.

---

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