Comparison

Bloom vs Drambo

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

Head to head
About

Bloom

Create unique melodies and elaborate patterns by simply tapping the screen. This generative music player offers an infinite selection of compositions and accompanying visualizations, even when left idle. It's a musical instrument, composition, and artwork all in one.

Highlights
  • Create melodies by tapping
  • Generative music player
  • Visualizations
  • 12 mood settings
  • Adjustable delay
  • Shake to clear
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Developed by ambient pioneer Brian Eno and musician / software designer Peter Chilvers, Bloom explores uncharted territory in the realm of applications for the iPhone and iPod touch. Part instrument, part composition and part artwork, Bloom's innovative controls allow anyone to create elaborate patterns and unique melodies by simply tapping the screen. A generative music player takes over when Bloom is left idle, creating an infinite selection of compositions and their accompanying visualisations. "Bloom is an endless music machine, a music box for the 21st century. You can play it, and you can watch it play itself." - Brian Eno Features - 12 different mood settings - Random mood shuffle - Adjustable delay - Shake to clear - Evolve when idle - Sleep Timer Recommended for headphones or external speakers. “Bloom Raises the Bar for Musical iPhone Apps… if you're a fan of ambient music or music in general, you'll be wanting to get it right now” - Gizmodo “A relaxing alternative to just about anything else you can do with an iPhone” Wired “Hypnotic and ludicrously addictive” - Guardian

About

Drambo

This app offers a flexible sound design experience, allowing users to build beats, create synthesizers, and process audio with effects. Its innovative modular system simplifies connections and organization, making it suitable for both beginners and experienced musicians. It functions as a standalone application or a plugin within a DAW.

Highlights
  • Modular sound design
  • Intuitive cable-less connections
  • Advanced sequencer
  • Standalone and AUv3 plugin
  • Over 140 modules
  • Polyphonic stereo processing
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

"Drambo changes the face of iOS music apps." Cult of Mac Drambo is your all-in-one sound laboratory that adapts to your workflow: build beats as a groovebox, design synths, or transform audio with effects, standalone or inside your favorite DAW. At the core of Drambo is a fresh approach to modular design that makes creating with modules easy, fun, and accessible. Connections happen automatically as you add or move modules, so there are no messy cables to slow you down. The interface adapts to your workflow, generating modulation controls when you need them, and even lets modules contain other modules for perfect organization. You’re always free to override the automatic connections, but most of the time, you can just dive in, experiment, and shape sounds without getting tangled in wires. Use a deep and innovative sequencer to compose patterns and whole tracks, for production or live performance. Go beyond simple looping sequences with parameter locking, conditional step components, parameters automation and powerful scene morphing. Drambo works equally well as a self-contained standalone app or audio unit plugin with audio and MIDI connectivity as an AUV3 instrument, audio effect and MIDI effect. You can use Drambo as • A Complete Studio: Produce entire tracks and perform live in a self-contained, multitrack environment. • An Endless modular playground, that allows you to build, modify and store custom instruments and effects. For instance: build a custom synth, sample and resample, build a Theremin using a gyroscope module, or turn your table into a playable surface, by processing microphone input with physical modelling modules. • An Advanced MIDI Sequencer: Control hardware or AUv3 instruments. Generate custom MIDI CC messages or send modulation signals to physical modular synths via DC-coupled interfaces. • The Ultimate AUv3 Plugin: Load Drambo inside other DAWs as an instrument, audio effect, or MIDI processor. Replace dozens of standard plugins by building your own complex modular delays, reverbs, decimators, or modulators in seconds. • A Unified Audio-Visual Studio (Drambo Visual IAP): Arts united. Step into another realm of modular visual synthesis to build complex generative video art, or seamlessly patch your audio and visual engines together for deeply integrated performances. Features: • Polyphonic, stereo processing and audio-rate modulation. All signals are equal. Up to 16 voices per modular instrument rack. • Unique modular concept: cable-less, drag'n'drop, color coding dynamic interface, automatic connections, and customizable compact, rack views. • Directional flow makes Drambo routing and patching straightforward. Signal flows only left to right, so there are no instant feedback routings in Drambo. Delayed feedback is possible using certain modules. • Simple and clean interface, that scales to every size and device orientation • Over 140 modules available, such as: oscillators, samplers, physical modelling modules, LFOs, envelope generators, filters, audio effects, mixers, MIDI processors, sequencers and math functions. (Includes a macro oscillator based on the famous Eurorack Plaits module, with 24 synth engines) • Custom modular racks that can be nested, with presets at the track, rack, and module level. • Clip launcher / song arrager. • 16-tracks, polyphonic sequencer with parameter locks, automation and step components. 8 dedicated step sequence editor types, piano-roll, powerful automation designer with drawing modes and cubic Bezier curves. • Audio Units hosting ( standalone app only ) • Morph groups: you can morph many parameters using a single slider. • Available as a standalone app, AUv3 instrument, effect and MIDI effect. • MIDI and Ableton Link support Drambo is all about control. Control things that other apps don’t even give you access to. Visit the BeepStreet page for help and tutorials, and Patchstorage for community content.

Screenshots

Bloom4 screens
Drambo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Bloom at $3.99 against Drambo's $24.99. Bloom also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 5). Drambo's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 11 months) and ratings volume (325 vs 99). On rating, review sentiment, ads and chart position 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

Bloom costs $3.99 and Drambo $24.99 up front. Drambo sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Bloom asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Bloom against 4.8 for Drambo. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 99 and 325 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 84% of Bloom's written reviews are positive against 87% of Drambo's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bloom ships an update every 11 months, Drambo monthly. Both last shipped on October 15, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Bloom versus Drambo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBloomDrambo
Price$3.99 — better$24.99
Rating4.8 (99 ratings)4.8 (325 ratings)
Positive reviews84.5% of reviews86.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings99325 — better
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#72#71 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB144 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOpal LimitedBeepStreet

Customer experience

Bloom

All ratings99 ratings
Positive93.9%
Neutral3.0%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews618 reviews
Positive84.5%
Neutral5.0%
Negative10.5%

Drambo

All ratings325 ratings
Positive94.8%
Neutral2.2%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews225 reviews
Positive86.7%
Neutral3.1%
Negative10.2%

User reviews

Bloom

From 99 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌟 Fantastic
  • 🎨 Beautiful
  • 🧘‍♀️ Relaxing
  • 👨‍🎨 Creative
  • 🎶 Mesmerizing

Room to improve

  • 🔇 High frequencies prevent relaxation
  • 🔇 Harsh/imbalanced sounds
  • 🔇 Limited sound variety
  • 🔇 Lack of recording/export function
  • 🔇 Crashes on iOS 8/11

Drambo

From 325 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Incredibly powerful and flexible
  • 🎨 Endless creative possibilities
  • 👍 Intuitive and well-designed interface
  • 🔧 Modular synth capabilities
  • 🎛️ Excellent sequencing and groove box features

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and stability issues
  • 🔒 Limited undo/redo functionality
  • 🔊 Audio export issues (pitch/tempo problems)
  • 🔀 Lack of dedicated audio track support

Bugs and requests

Bloom

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes on iOS 8/11 updates
  • Stops working in background
  • High notes cause issues for some users

Requested features

7 requests
  • Add more sound options/instruments
  • Implement recording and export capabilities
  • Add sleep timer and background playback
  • Improve low-end sound quality
  • Introduce MIDI support
Show 2 more
  • Expand sound manipulation options (pitch bending, sustain, etc.)
  • Add visual customization (blurred edges, etc.)

Drambo

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Audio cutting out after 5 minutes of use
  • Presets and patches not loading properly
  • Incompatibility with certain iOS devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Stem/track export functionality
  • MIDI CC learn and external control
  • Ableton Link support
  • More parameter control and modulation options
  • Improved piano roll and sequencing tools

In-app purchases

None

Bloom

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

Drambo

One-time5
  • Granular extension$4.99
  • Waves extension$4.99
  • Formants extension$4.99
Show 2 more
  • DSP extensions 1$4.99
  • Visual extension$14.99

Questions

Is Bloom free?
Bloom costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Drambo free?
Drambo costs $24.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Bloom or Drambo?
Bloom and Drambo are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 99 and 325 ratings respectively.
Do Bloom or Drambo have ads?
Neither Bloom nor Drambo shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bloom or Drambo?
Bloom ships an update every 11 months, and Drambo monthly. Most recently, Bloom was updated on October 15, 2026 and Drambo on October 15, 2026.
Which is more popular, Bloom or Drambo?
Bloom currently peaks at #72 in the App Store charts, and Drambo at #71. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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