Drum Notation by Beat Note vs Beatlii
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Drum Notation by Beat Note
Create, practice, and share drum music notation with ease. This app transforms sequenced beats into professional sheet music, offering tools for composition, transcription, and interactive teaching. Enhance your drumming journey with customizable practice sessions and high-quality export options.
- Sequencer to notation conversion
- Compose and transcribe drum beats
- Customizable practice sessions
- Interactive teaching tools
- High-quality PDF and image export
- Multiple notation voicing options
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Beat Note — Drum Notation for Drummers, Teachers, and Content Creators The fastest way to write, hear, practice, and share drum notation. Built by a drummer, for drummers. FOR DRUMMERS — FROM YOUR HEAD TO THE PAGE IN SECONDS You have a groove idea. Beat Note gets it down before you lose it. Tap the sequencer grid to build beats. Watch them turn into clean, professional drum notation in real time. Hit play and hear exactly what you wrote — at any tempo, with a click track, on loop. - Transcribe songs to check your ear and lock in what you hear - Compose your own grooves, fills, and exercises from scratch - Count in with a visual on-screen "1, 2, 3, 4" so your eyes and ears are ready together - Use Beat Note as your in-ear metronome during rehearsals — your beats, not just clicks "Been waiting a long time for an app like this. Clearly built by a drummer." — App Store review FOR TEACHERS — WRITE IT, PLAY IT, SEND IT What used to take 30 minutes in a desktop notation program now takes 2 minutes on your phone or iPad. Write exercises on the fly — during the lesson, not after it. Play back the notation so students hear exactly how it should sound. Share a link so they can listen at home. Export a PDF they can print and bring to the kit. - Use the sequencer as a live music whiteboard, in person or online - Build a library of exercises organized by tag, ready for any student - Send a shareable link or export a high-quality PDF in one tap "What would normally take 30 minutes on a computer has become 2 minutes from my mobile device. My students love it." — App Store review FOR CONTENT CREATORS — PROFESSIONAL NOTATION VIDEOS, IN MINUTES Export your beat as an animated MP4 — portrait for Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts, or landscape for YouTube and Vimeo. Choose 720p, 1080p, or 4K. Pick a color theme. Preview before you export. PDF, PNG, WAV or AAC audio, shareable link, and animated MP4 — all from one app. NOTATION THAT LOOKS RIGHT Professional drum notation, consistent across every format you export. What you see on screen is what your students get in the PDF, what your followers see in the video, and what you hear in playback. - All standard drums, cymbals, and articulations - Subdivisions from 8th notes to 32nd notes, plus triplets, quintuplets (5s), and septuplets (7s) - Common and compound time signatures, including 6/8, 9/8, and 12/8 - Linear, split hands/feet, or split drums/cymbals voicing - Sticking annotations (R, L) - Single-measure repeat symbol (%) — renders automatically when measures repeat ORGANIZE AND DISCOVER - Tags, search, and sort to manage your beat library - Discover tab: curated educational beats for all skill levels - Beat templates to get started fast - Customize tempo, click track, count-in, and timer MADE BY A DRUMMER, SHAPED BY THE COMMUNITY Beat Note was built by me — an independent developer with 35+ years behind the kit. But the direction comes from the community. Every major feature on the roadmap has been voted on, requested, and refined by drummers, teachers, and creators just like you. Join the conversation at roadmap.beat-note.app — vote on upcoming features, share ideas, and see what's coming next. I'm here to make sure it all comes together into something that actually works. Premium subscription required for full access. Educator and Creator tiers available. Free trial included. Payment is charged through your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription auto-renews unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period via iTunes Account Settings. Terms and Privacy Policy: https://www.beat-note.app/privacy-and-terms
Beatlii
Learn to play the drums with interactive lessons and real-time feedback. Connect your electronic drum kit and explore diverse music genres. Track your progress and compete with others.
- Universal E-Drum Support (Bluetooth/Cable)
- Diverse Music Genre Courses
- Note Highway & Sheet Music Learning Styles
- Instant Performance Feedback
- Activity & Progress Tracking
- Leaderboards & Community Sharing
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Welcome to Beatlii - A New and Fun Way to Learn to Play the Drums! Beatlii offers an exciting way to learn how to play the drums. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned drummer, our app provides a dynamic and enjoyable learning experience designed just for you. Why Beatlii? Universal E-Drum Support: Connect your electronic drum kit in seconds! Beatlii makes it easy to set up your drum kit via Bluetooth or cable. We support almost every model of electronic drum kit from top brands like Alesis, Aerodrums, Roland, Donner, Yamaha, Millenium, NUX, Simmons, and more. Check out the full list at our supported devices directory on our website: https://beatlii.com/pages/supported-devices Courses: Dive into a diverse selection of courses created by professional drummers across various music genres. From rock to jazz, hip-hop to blues, our expert-curated lessons cater to drummers of all tastes and skill levels. Learning Style: Choose your preferred learning style! Follow the rhythmic flow of our innovative Note Highway, where notes cascade down the screen. Alternatively, embrace the classic charm of traditional music notation with our Sheet Music feature, allowing you to read along seamlessly. Instant Feedback: Perfect your skills with instant feedback while playing. Our app evaluates your performance in real-time, highlighting areas of improvement and celebrating your achievements. Experience the joy of progress with every beat you play! Activity Tracking: Stay motivated with our activity tracking system. Monitor your playing time, celebrate your day streaks, and assess your progress over time. We analyse your timing accuracy and dynamic consistency, empowering you to refine your technique with each practice session. Leaderboards: Compete, climb, and conquer! Challenge yourself and other users to reach the top of the rankings. Connect and Share: Join our community! Share your achievements and activities with friends and fellow users. Join Beatlii Today! Terms and Conditions: https://beatlii.com/pages/terms-and-conditions Privacy Notice: https://beatlii.com/pages/privacy-notice
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Drum Notation by Beat Note at 83% against Beatlii's 34%. Drum Notation by Beat Note also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.0) and ads (none vs shown). Beatlii's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Drum Notation by Beat Note sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $6.69 per month and Beatlii sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Drum Notation by Beat Note holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 83 and 174 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of Drum Notation by Beat Note's written reviews are positive against 34% of Beatlii's.
Drum Notation by Beat Note ships an update every 9 days, Beatlii monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Drum Notation by Beat Note | Beatlii |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (83 ratings) — better | 4.0 (174 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 83.3% of reviews — better | 33.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 83 | 174 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 87 MB | 203 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kick Snare Hat Apps, LLC | Musora Media Inc. |
Customer experience
Drum Notation by Beat Note
Beatlii
Bugs and requests
Drum Notation by Beat Note
Reported bugs
8 issues- Preview rarely matches notes on staff
- Sometimes doesn't play any notes
- Sounds not always appropriate for instrument voicing
- Editing measures is inconvenient
- Free trial charged immediately
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- iCloud data sync issues for subscription confirmation
- Not stable in loopings, slow delay on first note
- Measure lines on PDFs too thick and close
Requested features
27 requests- 7/8 time signature support
- Syncing between devices
- Web version
- Native Mac/Windows apps
- Add text or notes to notations
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- Cowbell instrument
- More drum samples and pitch control
- Ability to work on spaces longer than a measure
- Add 32nd notes
- Duplicate multiple bars at once
- Copy/paste large sections
- Option to drag duplicated bars to the end
- Add melody track
- More instrument options
- Ability to manage volumes of different instruments
- Add quintuplets and sextuplets to a bar
- Add repetition options for measures
- Add text to music sheets
- Improve loop stability and reduce delay
- Allow monthly subscription option
- More free beats/unlimited free version
- Add sticking for grace notes
- More advanced editing options for multiple bars
- Improve PDF export readability
- Add virtual drum kit for accessibility
- AI-powered automatic notation
- Auto-sync to track
Beatlii
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Drum Notation by Beat Note
- Educator Tier Monthly (No Trial)$6.691 Month
- Creator Tier Monthly (No Trial)$13.491 Month
- Educator Tier Annual (No Trial)$59.991 Year
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- Educator Tier Annual + Free Trial7 Days trial$59.991 Year
- Creator Tier Annual + Free Trial7 Days trial$119.991 Year
Beatlii
- Monthly Plan$4.991 Month
- Monthly Plan14 Days trial$7.991 Month
- Monthly Plan1 Month trial$9.991 Month
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- Monthly Plan7 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Monthly Plan14 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Monthly Plan7 Days trial2 variants$14.991 Month
- Monthly Plan$14.991 Month
- Annual Plan7 Days trial$59.991 Year
- Annual Plan14 Days trial2 variants$99.991 Year
- Annual Plan1 Year trial3 variants$99.991 Year
- Annual Plan7 Days trial2 variants$99.991 Year
- Lifetime$249.99
Questions
Is Drum Notation by Beat Note free?
Is Beatlii free?
Which has better reviews, Drum Notation by Beat Note or Beatlii?
Do Drum Notation by Beat Note or Beatlii have ads?
Which is updated more often, Drum Notation by Beat Note or Beatlii?
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