Comparison

Drum Notation by Beat Note vs The Gnome

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

About

The Gnome

This app is a powerful practice and rehearsal tool designed to improve rhythmic accuracy and technique. It offers advanced features like polyrhythm generation, customizable sound sets, and pattern sequencing for detailed click track creation. Users can also experiment with rhythmic feels and receive real-time feedback on their timing.

Highlights
  • Process-oriented rhythmic practice
  • Flexible click track creation
  • Polyrhythm generation with 4 channels
  • Customizable sound sets and beep generation
  • Step sequencer for rhythmic patterns
  • Real-time timing accuracy feedback
  • Tempo and time automation
Features
Read full description

The Gnome is a powerful practice and rehearsal tool. The Gnome provides process-oriented features that help strengthen your internal pulse, refine your sense of rhythmic feel, and build technique. You can also use The Gnome to build click tracks with flexible meter representation, full tempo automation, and scalable playback speed. - The simple Home Screen provides easy access to the most basic Gnome functions. If you just need a basic metronome, you’ll find it here. - The intuitive, DAW-like Mixer screen includes four channels that can each be assigned to a different rhythmic rate (subdivision), making it a snap to subdivide a beat, or generate polyrhythms. - The intermittent clicks feature allows The Gnome to play for a number of counts, and then rest in silence for a number of counts. You can also easily alternate back and forth between two Gnome channels, making it extremely easy to practice switching between two different rhythmic subdivisions (triplets to sixteenths, for instance). - The Sound Set Editor allows you to assign each of the four channels one or more of the over 250 sounds from the built-in Sound Library, or any sound file(s) you share to the app. You can even generate your own customized beep sounds with assignable frequency, waveform, and simple envelope settings (fade-in, length, fade-out). The sonic possibilities of The Gnome are virtually limitless. - The Pattern Editor is a simple yet powerful step sequencer that allows each channel of The Gnome to play rhythmic patterns. There are 32 patterns available to each of the four Gnome channels, and each 'step' of a pattern can be assigned to a specific sound in that channel's Sound Set, as well as its own dynamic level. - The Meter Builder allows you to quickly create Gnome patterns to represent common time signatures. - The Pattern Sequencer allows you to combine a channel’s 32 patterns in any order you wish. The “Global Pattern Sequencer” on Channel 1 allows for the creation of full click tracks with automated and fully scalable tempo changes, and is capable of triggering patterns on the other channels through the “Pattern Link” feature. The Pattern Sequencer is designed to be usable in individual practice as well as ensemble rehearsals. - The innovative Groove Editor allows you to define precise rhythmic feels by altering the proportions of the subdivisions within a beat. Add a touch of shuffle to a rhythm, explore rhythmic feels from around the world, or use the Groove Editor as a springboard for rhythmic experimentation. - The fun and unique Timing Gauge uses the microphone to assess the user's rhythmic accuracy, providing realtime visual and statistical feedback on your rhythmic tendencies. Quick calibration and customizable settings ensure accurate and meaningful readings. - The Tempo Ramp provides simple tempo and time automation. In Continuous Mode, you can gradually speed up toward a 'peak' tempo, hold that tempo for a specified length of time (measured in either seconds, or beats) and then slow back down to the starting tempo. In Stair Step mode, The Gnome will hold the specified tempo for the specified amount of time (again, measured in seconds or beats) and then increment toward a goal tempo or time. - It is easy to save and organize Gnome Preset files, so any settings you wish can be recalled with one tap. Create a series of practice routines, settings for different exercises or pieces, or even create presets for your students. Presets can be shared very easily. The Gnome also features an audio export function, making it possible to generate .m4a or .wav files of the app’s audio output. - The Gnome features a built-in contextual help system, providing instant access to full documentation simply by swiping inward from the left side of the screen. The help system always provides documentation for the screen you are currently viewing, so you can always learn more about any feature of the app on-demand.

Screenshots

Drum Notation by Beat Note4 screens
The Gnome4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Drum Notation by Beat Note at Free against The Gnome's $4.99. Drum Notation by Beat Note also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (87 vs 13). The Gnome's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). On 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

Drum Notation by Beat Note is free to download; The Gnome costs $4.99 up front. Drum Notation by Beat Note sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $6.69 per month. The Gnome asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

The Gnome holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Drum Notation by Beat Note has 87 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of Drum Notation by Beat Note's written reviews are positive against 100% of The Gnome's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Drum Notation by Beat Note ships an update every 9 days, The Gnome every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Drum Notation by Beat Note versus The Gnome: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDrum Notation by Beat NoteThe Gnome
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating4.6 (87 ratings)5.0 (13 ratings) — better
Positive reviews82.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings87 — better13
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.6 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size89 MB116 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKick Snare Hat Apps, LLCBrian Mueller

Customer experience

Drum Notation by Beat Note

All ratings87 ratings
Positive88.5%
Neutral4.6%
Negative6.9%
Written reviews122 reviews
Positive82.8%
Neutral7.4%
Negative9.8%

The Gnome

All ratings13 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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
Show 3 more
  • 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
Show 22 more
  • 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

The Gnome

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Drum Notation by Beat Note

Subscriptions5
  • Educator Tier Monthly (No Trial)$6.691 Month
  • Creator Tier Monthly (No Trial)$13.491 Month
  • Educator Tier Annual (No Trial)$59.991 Year
Show 2 more
  • Educator Tier Annual + Free Trial7 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Creator Tier Annual + Free Trial7 Days trial$119.991 Year
None

The Gnome

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Drum Notation by Beat Note free?
Drum Notation by Beat Note is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Gnome free?
The Gnome costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Drum Notation by Beat Note or The Gnome?
The Gnome is rated higher. Drum Notation by Beat Note averages 4.6 out of 5 from 87 ratings, while The Gnome averages 5.0 from 13 ratings.
Do Drum Notation by Beat Note or The Gnome have ads?
Neither Drum Notation by Beat Note nor The Gnome shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Drum Notation by Beat Note or The Gnome?
Drum Notation by Beat Note ships an update every 9 days, and The Gnome every 2 months. Most recently, Drum Notation by Beat Note was updated on October 17, 2026 and The Gnome on October 4, 2026.

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