Comparison

Donner Play vs Melodics

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

Head to head
About

Donner Play

Learn and create music with interactive lessons and tools. Connect to Donner instruments for real-time feedback, practice with various songs, and access professional masterclasses. This app supports your musical journey from beginner to advanced.

Highlights
  • Real-time instrument interaction
  • Song practice with e-drum
  • Music creation with synthesizer
  • Berklee-certified masterclasses
  • Practice tools (tuner, metronome)
Read full description

Donner Play, the best one for you to change the way to learn and create music. With Donner series instruments, it kick starts your musical journey easier. 1. Seamless interaction with Donner instruments provides real-time feedback to improve your playing efficiently. 2. Play various songs with the Backbeat e-drum to challenge yourself, or create and arrange music easily with the MEDO portable synthesizer in seamless sync with your gear. 3. Berklee-certified masterclasses covering drums, digital pianos, guitar/bass, and MIDI production offer you structured, professional music training. 4. The built-in toolset includes tuner, chord finder, metronome and more to support efficient practice and performance. Whether you're just starting or already progressing, Donner Play is your go-to place for learning, improving, and creating music.

About

Melodics

Learn drums with interactive lessons and instant feedback on any drum kit or practice pad. Improve your rhythm and technique with structured exercises and a vast song library. Practice anytime, anywhere, and track your progress with this comprehensive drumming companion.

Highlights
  • Interactive drum lessons
  • Instant feedback on playing
  • Works with acoustic/electronic drums & practice pads
  • 500+ lessons and songs
  • Progress tracking tools
  • Structured learning system
Read full description

Learn drums with the only drum app that syncs with any drum kit and gives you instant feedback on your playing. Whether you use acoustic drums, electronic drums, or just a practice pad, Melodics offers interactive drum lessons that help you improve every time you play. Our fun, step-by-step drum learning system, designed by pro players, caters to all skill levels. Plus, access a wide range of drum songs across rock, pop, metal, jazz, and more. Real drumming, real feedback, real results - all from your phone. HOW IT WORKS Melodics uses your iPhone’s built-in mic and smart audio tech to recognize your drum kit or practice pad - no extra gear required. Just calibrate your drum set-up and the app will give immediate insights on every beat. For electronic drum kits, connect easily via Bluetooth or wired options. Follow the setup instructions in the app to get going. Whether you're working on your first drum beat on a pad or tightening up your fills across the whole drum kit, you’ll be building better habits from day one. STICK WITH IT, GET RESULTS With Melodics, drum practice becomes something you look forward to - not a chore. Just 10 minutes a day can lead to serious improvement. Choose from 500+ drum lessons, featuring a huge range of drum content: drum rudiments, drum grooves, drum fills, drum drills, and drum songs for all levels. Use practice tools to slow things down, loop tricky parts, and track your progress. It’s like having a drum tutor or drum trainer in your pocket. WHY CHOOSE MELODICS - With Melodics, you're 6x more likely to improve than with traditional drum learning methods. - It is the only drum app that provides feedback on your playing, on all drum setups (acoustic, electronic or practice pad) - Our catalog covers everything from fundamental drum techniques to advanced rhythmic patterns. - You’ll start learning drums through structured lessons, and get playing your favourite songs in no time. - Build speed, strength, and control with focused warm-ups, drum rudiments, and exercises. - You can practice anytime, anywhere, on any surface with just a pair of drum sticks! - Join a global community of passionate drummers, all growing together. WHAT PRO DRUMMERS SAY ABOUT MELODICS "I wish I’d had Melodics when I was learning drums!" - Butch Vig - Award-winning producer of Nevermind, drummer for Garbage. "Melodics is a great tool for learning songs. It allows people to see what they might have been missing when listening to improve accuracy" - Ilan Rubin - Drummer for Nine Inch Nails, Angels & Airwaves, and solo artist. "Melodics is one of the best innovative tools to keep you in the practice room and having fun doing so." - KJ Sawka - Grammy-nominated drummer & producer, Pendulum DRUM TEACHERS OR STUDENTS Melodics works great alongside a drum tutor to help you maintain consistent practice and more easily showcase areas for improvement. It also compliments video learning platforms such as Drumeo, Drum Coach, Mikeslessons or ArtOfDrumming, by giving the addition of real-time feedback so you truly know how well you’re playing. How the subscription works: - Melodics offers 20 drum lessons free to all users. - To keep going, subscribe to unlock the full catalog of 500+ drum lessons & songs. - Choose a monthly or annual plan. - Manage your subscription in the Account section of the app. Support: We’re dedicated to giving you the best drumming experience possible. If you have any questions or suggestions, visit: https://melodics.com/support Join the Melodics drumming community: https://www.instagram.com/melodicshq/ https://www.youtube.com/@MelodicsDrumVault https://www.facebook.com/melodicshq/ https://www.tiktok.com/@melodicsdrumvault https://discord.gg/melodics https://www.reddit.com/r/Melodics/ For more info, check out our privacy policy & terms of use at: https://melodics.com/legal Happy drumming!

Screenshots

Donner Play4 screens
Melodics4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Melodics at 4.7 against Donner Play's 2.5. Melodics also leads on review sentiment (57% vs 29%) and ratings volume (587 vs 22). Donner Play's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Melodics sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $34.99 per month. Donner Play asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Melodics holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Melodics has 587 ratings behind it against 22, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 29% of Donner Play's written reviews are positive against 57% of Melodics's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Donner Play ships an update monthly, Melodics weekly. Both last shipped on September 21, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Donner Play versus Melodics: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDonner PlayMelodics
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.5 (22 ratings)4.7 (587 ratings) — better
Positive reviews29.4% of reviews56.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings22587 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size154 MB94 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperDonner LLCMelodics Limited

Customer experience

Donner Play

All ratings22 ratings
Positive31.8%
Neutral4.5%
Negative63.6%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive29.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative70.6%

Melodics

All ratings587 ratings
Positive91.0%
Neutral4.4%
Negative4.6%
Written reviews53 reviews
Positive56.6%
Neutral17.0%
Negative26.4%

Bugs and requests

Donner Play

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Melodics

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • Explore section always resets to Grade 1
  • MIDI device connection feedback needed
  • Snare drum not working
  • App restarts when in the middle of a lesson
  • App stops playing to headphones or won't pick up microphone
Show 6 more
  • App reacts to ambient noise
  • Timing is off, missing notes even when calibrated
  • Inaccurate note recognition (e.g., kick vs. snare)
  • Half of the songs and lessons do not work
  • UI doesn't work near the edges of the screen
  • Menus are confusing and navigation is difficult

Requested features

19 requests
  • Full iPad support
  • Add Donner Ded-80 support
  • Left-handed option
  • More well-known artists/songs
  • Chinese version of the app
Show 14 more
  • Sheet music notations/tabs option
  • Setting for more demanding note precision
  • Auto BPM to go above lesson BPM
  • Tagging feature for skills
  • Easier way to heart songs
  • Path to learning regular drum notation
  • Consider dynamics in lessons
  • Allow users to enter and save own phrases
  • More instrument options (snare, bells)
  • Improve UI and menu navigation
  • Add more songs and lessons
  • Improve MIDI device connection feedback
  • Make scoring system more straightforward
  • Fix issues with Explore section resetting to Grade 1

In-app purchases

None

Donner Play

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Melodics

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription$34.991 Month
  • Annual Subscription$179.991 Year

Questions

Is Donner Play free?
Donner Play is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Melodics free?
Melodics is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Donner Play or Melodics?
Melodics is rated higher. Donner Play averages 2.5 out of 5 from 22 ratings, while Melodics averages 4.7 from 587 ratings.
Do Donner Play or Melodics have ads?
Neither Donner Play nor Melodics shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Donner Play or Melodics?
Donner Play ships an update monthly, and Melodics weekly. Most recently, Donner Play was updated on September 21, 2026 and Melodics on September 21, 2026.

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