Comparison

Drum Notation by Beat Note vs Shedtracks

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

Shedtracks

Practice drums with premium, Grammy-produced drumless tracks. Explore over 600 songs across various genres to improve your timing, groove, and musicality. Ideal for home practice, content creation, and live performance preparation.

Highlights
  • Premium drumless tracks
  • 600+ songs across multiple genres
  • Improve timing, groove, and musicality
  • Build custom playlists
  • Search by BPM, genre, time signature
  • Content creation tools
Read full description

Play-along with premium drumless tracks created by Grammy Award-winning producers and musicians. Trusted by 100,000+ drummers worldwide. Just sit down and play along to premium drumless tracks. No setup. No Uploading. Simply grab your sticks, press play, and prepare to be inspired. Shedtracks is the ultimate drumming app designed to help you start practicing and playing with real musicians. Experience tracks that feel like you’re on stage at the biggest performances in the world, from Grammy-level productions to Super Bowl-style arrangements. These aren’t basic loops or generic karaoke tracks. Every track is crafted by real musicians and producers to sound like real songs, music you can feel, perform, and create with. What Makes Shedtracks Different • Play premium drumless tracks that feel like real performances • Improve timing, chops, groove, and musicality naturally • Use drumless backing tracks to create your own sound and identity • Experience Billboard-style arrangements—not generic practice loops • Built for drummers who want to sound like they’re on stage—not in a practice room Massive Library of Drumless Tracks Explore 600+ premium drumless practice tracks across multiple styles: Pop • R&B • Gospel • Funk • Hip Hop • Jazz • Fusion • Rock and more Build playlists. Save favorites. Search by BPM, genre, time signature, and more. Find the perfect play-along track for your style and skill level. Built For Real Drummers Everything You Need In One App • Drumless tracks • Play-along tracks • Loops and practice tools • New music added regularly Whether you're practicing at home, creating content, or preparing for live performance, Shedtracks helps you grow faster—and actually enjoy the process. Create Content with Shedtracks. The best drum videos all have one thing in common: great drumless tracks. With Shedtracks, you can create better content, grow your following, and open the door to new opportunities—just like thousands of drummers already are. What Producers Are Saying: "Shedtracks brings musicians together from all over the world through powerful playalongs. This platform will help develop some of the finest musicians globally." James Gabriel Multi-Platinum Producer — Meghan Trainor, Jennifer Lopez, Celine Dion "Shedtracks is a global platform I’m proud to be part of. It gives creatives the freedom to express themselves and grow at every level." Justin Raines 2x GRAMMY Award-Winning Bassist — Ne-Yo, Israel Houghton, Musiq Soulchild Download Shedtracks and start playing with premium drumless backing tracks today. https://www.shedtracks.com/policies/terms-of-service

Screenshots

Drum Notation by Beat Note4 screens
Shedtracks4 screens

Verdict

The call

Drum Notation by Beat Note and Shedtracks both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 92% of Shedtracks's written reviews are positive against 83% of Drum Notation by Beat Note's. Drum Notation by Beat Note's advantage is ratings volume (88 vs 16). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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 Notation by Beat Note sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $6.69 per month and Shedtracks sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $10.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Drum Notation by Beat Note against 4.6 for Shedtracks. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Drum Notation by Beat Note has 88 ratings behind it against 16, 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 92% of Shedtracks's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Drum Notation by Beat Note ships an update every 9 days, Shedtracks every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Drum Notation by Beat Note versus Shedtracks: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDrum Notation by Beat NoteShedtracks
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (88 ratings)4.6 (16 ratings)
Positive reviews82.8% of reviews92.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings88 — better16
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 11 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size81 MB39 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKick Snare Hat Apps, LLCShedtracks LLC

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%

Shedtracks

All ratings16 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral6.3%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive92.3%
Neutral7.7%
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

Shedtracks

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
4 purchases

Shedtracks

Subscriptions4
  • Basic$10.991 Month
  • Pro7 Days trial$15.991 Month
  • Basic Annual7 Days trial$109.001 Year
Show 1 more
  • Pro Annual7 Days trial$159.001 Year

Questions

Is Drum Notation by Beat Note free?
Drum Notation by Beat Note is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shedtracks free?
Shedtracks is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Drum Notation by Beat Note or Shedtracks?
Drum Notation by Beat Note and Shedtracks are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 88 and 16 ratings respectively.
Do Drum Notation by Beat Note or Shedtracks have ads?
Neither Drum Notation by Beat Note nor Shedtracks shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Drum Notation by Beat Note or Shedtracks?
Drum Notation by Beat Note ships an update every 9 days, and Shedtracks every 11 days. Most recently, Drum Notation by Beat Note was updated on October 29, 2026 and Shedtracks on October 31, 2026.

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