Comparison

Additive Drum Machine vs NotePulse

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

Head to head
About

Additive Drum Machine

Create unique drum beats with additive rhythm and traditional drum machine functionality. Design sequences of any length and structure, easily switching steps on and off to craft complex patterns. Ideal for practicing odd meters and exploring diverse rhythmic structures.

Highlights
  • Additive rhythm concept
  • Traditional drum machine interface
  • Customizable sequence length
  • Step sequencing
  • Odd meter support
  • Symmetrical and asymmetrical rhythms
Features
Read full description

With Additive Drum Machine you can create drum beats using the concept of “additive rhythm” in combination with the sounds and ease of use of a traditional drum machine. Construct step sequences of any length and structure by the chaining of "long" and "short" beats. Then switch on and off individual steps to create a drum pattern. Whether used as a practice tool or composition sketchpad, its intuitive interface allows you to easily make drum patterns that use odd meters, symmetrical and asymmetrical rhythmic structures, and various subdivisions of the pulse. With Additive Drum Machine your musical imagination is the limit.

About

NotePulse

Features
Read full description

NotePulse transforms MIDI files into an interactive visual learning experience, helping you connect the music you hear with piano keys and traditional musical notation. Watch notes approach a full 88-key piano keyboard in the synchronized Notes view, or switch to the Live Grand Staff to follow the performance as written music. Keyboard and Score modes help you understand where each note belongs on both the staff and the instrument. Features include: • Synchronized MIDI playback, animated notes, piano keyboard, and grand staff • Live Grand Staff with Keyboard and Score viewing modes • Multi-track playback using SoundFont instruments • General MIDI instrument playback and per-track instrument selection • Adjustable playback speed for focused practice • A–B looping for repeating difficult sections • Track controls for mute, solo, volume, pan, transpose, color, and instrument selection • Left- and right-hand guidance • Score quantization and adjustable staff presentation • Support for user-selected MIDI and compatible SoundFont files • Online MIDI catalog with downloadable songs for offline use • Downloadable NotePulse Sound Library • Session import and export • Adaptive layouts for iPhone and iPad • Built-in starter music for getting started immediately NotePulse is designed for musicians, students, educators, and anyone interested in exploring how MIDI performances translate into piano movement and traditional musical notation. Import your own MIDI files through the Files app, explore downloadable music from the NotePulse catalog, or use the included starter collection. NotePulse remembers your practice settings, track configuration, visualization preferences, instrument selections, loops, and playback position for individual MIDI files. Your imported MIDI, SoundFont, and session files are processed locally on your device. Online catalog content and the NotePulse Sound Library are downloaded only when needed. No account is required. See the Music. Feel the Pulse.

Screenshots

Additive Drum Machine4 screens
NotePulse4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: NotePulse at every 10 days against Additive Drum Machine's every 15 months. NotePulse also leads on price ($0.99 vs $2.99). Additive Drum Machine's advantage is iOS requirement (14.5 vs 17.0). On ads, in-app purchases 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

Additive Drum Machine costs $2.99 and NotePulse $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Additive Drum Machine ships an update every 15 months, NotePulse every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Additive Drum Machine versus NotePulse: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAdditive Drum MachineNotePulse
Price$2.99$0.99 — better
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 15 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.5 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGiovanny BermudezNoorcon Inc.

In-app purchases

None

Additive Drum Machine

No in-app purchases

None

NotePulse

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Additive Drum Machine free?
Additive Drum Machine costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is NotePulse free?
NotePulse costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Additive Drum Machine or NotePulse have ads?
Neither Additive Drum Machine nor NotePulse shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Additive Drum Machine or NotePulse?
Additive Drum Machine ships an update every 15 months, and NotePulse every 10 days. Most recently, Additive Drum Machine was updated on October 24, 2026 and NotePulse on October 31, 2026.

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