Comparison

Drum Notation by Beat Note vs Drum Coach

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

Drum Coach

Features
Read full description

DrumCoach is a focused practice tool for drummers, built around a sample-accurate metronome and a set of practice modes that cover timing, reading, grooves, rudiments, and ear training. METRONOME Tap tempo, adjustable subdivisions (quarter, eighth, triplet, sixteenth, and more), accent control, count-in, and randomized or alternating mutes to test your internal clock. RHYTHM READING A library of notated reading exercises across five levels of difficulty, plus a random sight-reading generator that keeps producing new patterns so you never memorize the answer. GROOVES Over 50 drum grooves across rock, funk, reggae, ska, dancehall, reggaeton, cumbia, and merengue, shown as a step grid or a scrolling note highway, with optional groove playback. RUDIMENTS 18 rudiments from the PAS 40 International Drum Rudiments standard, with adjustable tempo and accents, shown as sticking cards so you can see exactly what to play. STICK CONTROL 40 classic stick control exercises with rep counting and auto-advance, for building endurance and hand control. DICTATION Ear-training exercises: listen to a rhythm or a drum fill, try to play it back from memory, then reveal the notation to check yourself. Fills are transcribed directly from a published drumming method book. PRACTICE LOG Every session is tracked automatically, broken down by day and by practice mode, so you can see exactly where your practice time is going. No account, no subscription, no ads. Just a metronome and a set of practice tools built to keep time precisely.

Screenshots

Drum Notation by Beat Note4 screens
Drum Coach4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Drum Coach at none against Drum Notation by Beat Note's 5. Drum Coach also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 9 days). Drum Notation by Beat Note's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 26.5). On price, ads and device support 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. Drum Coach asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Drum Notation by Beat Note ships an update every 9 days, Drum Coach every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Drum Notation by Beat Note versus Drum Coach: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDrum Notation by Beat NoteDrum Coach
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (83 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews83.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings83 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better26.5
Further details — not scored
Size87 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKick Snare Hat Apps, LLCDavid Munoz

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

Drum Coach

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

Drum Coach

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 Drum Coach free?
Drum Coach is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Drum Notation by Beat Note or Drum Coach have ads?
Neither Drum Notation by Beat Note nor Drum Coach shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Drum Notation by Beat Note or Drum Coach?
Drum Notation by Beat Note ships an update every 9 days, and Drum Coach every 2 days. Most recently, Drum Notation by Beat Note was updated on September 19, 2026 and Drum Coach on September 10, 2026.

Other comparisons