Drum Notation by Beat Note vs InstaDrum
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
InstaDrum
Learn to play drums with interactive lessons and popular songs. This app offers step-by-step guidance, instant feedback, and game-like challenges for all skill levels. Play on screen or with electronic drums, and build your rhythm and coordination.
- Step-by-step drum lessons
- Instant feedback on playing
- Play along with popular songs
- Game-like practice challenges
- Learn with on-screen or electronic drums
- Progress tracking and performance scores
- Standard drum notation support
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Learn to play drums with songs you love. InstaDrum guides you from your first beat to more advanced rhythms with step-by-step guidance, instant feedback, and game-like practice. No experience needed to get started. Here's how InstaDrum works: - Watch first, then try See each move demonstrated before you play. Practice one skill at a time, then put the pieces together in a complete rhythm or song. Clear demonstrations help you take that first step. - Level up, step by step Follow a clear learning path with bite-sized lessons and game-like challenges. Complete exercises to unlock the next step, build on what you've learned and work toward more advanced rhythms at your own pace. - Build drum skills through play Practice steady beats, accurate timing and hand-foot coordination through varied, interactive exercises. Follow colorful fruit cues, rhythm grids and dot-based notation to see what to hit and when, while playing along with music. - Choose how you learn songs Each song offers multiple difficulty levels, so you can find a challenge that suits you. Jump straight into playing, or practice its rhythm patterns in sections before putting them together in the full song. - Get feedback on your playing See instant feedback as you play. Review your accuracy after exercises and your performance score after a song. Use the results to spot what needs practice and decide where to focus next. Here's why people love InstaDrum: - Music that keeps practice fresh Explore 2,000+ songs across a range of styles, including music by Billie Eilish and Linkin Park, with more on the way. Discover different musical styles throughout the course and find new favorites to play. - Music-reading skills you can use Go beyond colorful cues with standard drum notation and full-length sheet music. Practice following drum parts as you play, and build music-reading skills you can bring to practice outside the app. - Start with or without drums Play on any electronic drums, or tap the on-screen virtual drums on your phone. Explore rhythms and start learning without a kit, with another way to practice when you're away from your drums. Whether you're looking for a new hobby, trying drumming before buying a kit, or already playing and looking for more songs to learn, InstaDrum gives you a place to start and keep growing. Questions or feedback? We'd love to hear from you. Get in touch through the "Feedback" option in the app. Privacy Policy: https://www.instadrum.com/instadrum_privacy_policy.html User Agreement: https://www.instadrum.com/instadrum_user_agreement.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Drum Notation by Beat Note at every 9 days against InstaDrum's every 2 months. Drum Notation by Beat Note also leads on review sentiment (83% vs 63%). InstaDrum's advantage is ratings volume (1.9K vs 88). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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 InstaDrum sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Drum Notation by Beat Note against 4.7 for InstaDrum. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: InstaDrum has 1.9K ratings behind it against 88, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 83% of Drum Notation by Beat Note's written reviews are positive against 63% of InstaDrum's.
Drum Notation by Beat Note ships an update every 9 days, InstaDrum every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 11, 2026.
| Parameter | Drum Notation by Beat Note | InstaDrum |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (88 ratings) | 4.7 (1.9K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 82.8% of reviews — better | 62.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 88 | 1.9K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| 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 | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 83 MB | 102 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kick Snare Hat Apps, LLC | Xiaoyezi Beijing Technology Co., Ltd. |
Customer experience
Drum Notation by Beat Note
InstaDrum
User reviews
Drum Notation by Beat Note
From 88 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🚀 Quick and efficient notation
- 🎶 Great sound playback
- 💡 Excellent for teaching and learning
- ✍️ Simple to write exercises and ideas
Room to improve
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 💸 High annual cost
- 🆓 Limited free version
- 🚫 No one-time purchase option
- 🤔 Subscription model makes little sense to some
InstaDrum
From 1.9K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great fun and effective self learning app
- 🚀 Friendly for drum beginners
- 🚀 Awesome!
- 🚀 Fantastic - Auto Adjusts to your speed!!!
- 👍 Love this app
Room to improve
- 🐛 Doesn't work
- 🐛 Connectivity issue
- 🔒 No beat and no songs, useless.
- 💰 I want to play without pay
- 🐛 Average
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
InstaDrum
Reported bugs
14 issues- Doesn't work
- Connectivity issue
- Cannot map hi hat
- Paid for plan but app doesnt work with all edrums
- Need help with hi hat
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- App not working
- Doesn't work
- It has only 7th stage opened, Not afterwards.
- Pizzaman
- Loading
- Failure to launch
- Not switchable
- Doesn't work with my new Roland kit, support lacking
- 不能识别同时击打时的Hihat
Requested features
4 requests- More songs pls
- Needs more songs
- there needs to be a way to slow down the tempo with the play alongs so someone can learn a new technique & get the muscle memory down, then can speed it back up
- Needs more free music
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
InstaDrum
- 1 Month1 Month trial$19.991 Month
- 3 Months$49.993 Months
- 6 Months$74.996 Months
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- 12 Months$99.991 Year
Questions
Is Drum Notation by Beat Note free?
Is InstaDrum free?
Which has better reviews, Drum Notation by Beat Note or InstaDrum?
Do Drum Notation by Beat Note or InstaDrum have ads?
Which is updated more often, Drum Notation by Beat Note or InstaDrum?
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