Comparison

Drum Notes vs Drum Tuner

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

Drum Tuner

This app helps musicians tune their drums by listening to the pitch of the drumhead through the device's microphone. It provides visual feedback on how sharp or flat the pitch is and guides users on adjusting tension rods for an even, resonant tone.

Highlights
  • Pitch detection via microphone
  • Visual tuner with Hz and sharp/flat indicator
  • Lug map for tension rod adjustments
  • Preset pitch ranges for different drum types
  • Even-tuning readout across all lugs
  • Step-by-step tuning guide
Features
Read full description

Tune your drums by ear, the easy way. Drum Tuner listens through your microphone, reads the pitch of the head every time you strike it, and shows you exactly how to even out each lug for a clear, resonant tone. Pick the drum and strike the center. The app shows the detected pitch in Hz, while the needle uses the active reference: the exact Kit target when one is selected, otherwise the nearest note. The preset's suggested range remains a separate starting reference. WHAT YOU GET • Tuner mode — strike the head and instantly see its pitch in Hz, plus how sharp or flat it sits, with a steady-reading meter so you know when it's locked in. • Lug map mode — a circular map of every tension rod around the drum. Tap near each lug, record it, and see at a glance which lugs read sharp (loosen) or flat (tighten) versus the average. • Drum presets — snare, rack tom, floor tom and kick, each with a suggested pitch range so you start in the right ballpark. • Even-tuning readout — the spread in cents across all lugs, so you can dial them in until the whole head sings as one. • Tuning guide — step-by-step help on seating a fresh head, working in a star pattern, and getting a clear, even tone. FOR EVERY DRUMMER Whether you're changing heads for the first time or fine-tuning a pro kit, Drum Tuner takes the mystery out of tuning. Beginners get clear guidance; experienced drummers get a fast lug-evener they'll reach for at every head change. HOW IT WORKS Pitch is detected on-device from the microphone. Strike one clear note at a time in a quiet room. When reading a lug, strike near that lug and rest a finger lightly in the center to reduce center resonance and better isolate the lug pitch.

Screenshots

Drum Notes4 screens
Drum Tuner3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Drum Notes at 4.6 against Drum Tuner's 3.9. Drum Notes also leads on review sentiment (56% vs 33%) and ratings volume (208 vs 48). Drum Tuner's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, ads and iOS requirement 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. Drum Tuner asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Drum Notes holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 208 and 48 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of Drum Notes's written reviews are positive against 33% of Drum Tuner's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Drum Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, Drum Tuner every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Drum Notes versus Drum Tuner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDrum NotesDrum Tuner
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (208 ratings) — better3.9 (48 ratings)
Positive reviews56.3% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings208 — better48
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size133 MB54 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperUPBEAT STUDIOheekyung moon

Customer experience

Drum Notes

All ratings207 ratings
Positive92.3%
Neutral3.4%
Negative4.3%
Written reviews48 reviews
Positive56.3%
Neutral18.8%
Negative25.0%

Drum Tuner

All ratings45 ratings
Positive68.9%
Neutral4.4%
Negative26.7%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral33.3%
Negative33.3%

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

Drum Tuner

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
None

Drum Tuner

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Drum Notes free?
Drum Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Drum Tuner free?
Drum Tuner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Drum Notes or Drum Tuner?
Drum Notes is rated higher. Drum Notes averages 4.6 out of 5 from 208 ratings, while Drum Tuner averages 3.9 from 48 ratings.
Do Drum Notes or Drum Tuner have ads?
Both Drum Notes and Drum Tuner show ads.
Which is updated more often, Drum Notes or Drum Tuner?
Drum Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, and Drum Tuner every 3 days. Most recently, Drum Notes was updated on October 24, 2026 and Drum Tuner on October 25, 2026.

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