# iReal Pro vs AKI Drum Machine

The clearest difference is price: iReal Pro at $21.99 against AKI Drum Machine's $39.99. iReal Pro also leads on ratings volume (11K vs 1) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). AKI Drum Machine's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and review sentiment (100% vs 83%). On rating, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

iReal Pro costs $21.99 and AKI Drum Machine $39.99 up front. iReal Pro sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. AKI Drum Machine asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for iReal Pro against 5.0 for AKI Drum Machine. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iReal Pro has 11K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 83% of iReal Pro's written reviews are positive against 100% of AKI Drum Machine's.

iReal Pro ships an update every 3 weeks, AKI Drum Machine every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | iReal Pro | AKI Drum Machine |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$21.99** | $39.99 |
| Rating | [4.9 (11K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ireal-pro/id298206806/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aki-drum-machine/id6762681788/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **11K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 83.3% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#5** | — |
| Size | 179 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 16.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Technimo LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/298206809) | [ALEKS ENTERPRISES LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1894960209) |

## What reviewers say

### iReal Pro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ireal-pro/id298206806)

**Currently charting:** #5 Top Paid · Music, #40 Top Paid, #128 Top Grossing · Music (US App Store)

This app provides a virtual band accompaniment for musicians to practice with, offering realistic sounding instruments and a variety of styles. It also functions as a digital chord chart book, allowing users to create, edit, and share their own song charts.

**Highlights:** Virtual band accompaniment, Create, edit, and share chord charts, Thousands of downloadable songs, Chord diagrams and scale recommendations, Practice exercises and transposition, Export charts and audio, Cloud synchronization

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Blues style backing tracks | $6.99 | one-time |
| Salsa style backing tracks | $6.99 | one-time |
| Brazilian backing tracks | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app for practicing and reading charts
- 👍 Versatile with ability to change keys, tempos, and styles
- 👍 Excellent community and support
- 🚀 Efficient for gigs and rehearsals
- 👍 Indispensable tool for jazz musicians

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Issues with chord voicings and playback
- 🔧 Limited editing capabilities
- 🔧 Clunky interface for some users
- 💰 Expensive for some users

**Reported bugs**

- Occasional skipping or timing issues with playback
- Trouble with registration and login process
- Compatibility issues with newer devices or operating systems

**Requested features**

- Add ability to write rhythm notation
- Integrate with Real Books
- Improve sound quality and add more instrument options
- Add melodies and lyrics support
- Improve chord editing and customization


### AKI Drum Machine

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aki-drum-machine/id6762681788)

This app provides professional-grade, hands-on drum backing for musicians, songwriters, and performers. It allows importing MIDI drum styles, triggering song sections live, and customizing drum sounds. Enjoy real-time tempo control and flexible MIDI connectivity for a portable rhythm solution.

**Highlights:** Playable beat sections (Intros, Variations, Fills, Endings), Import MIDI drum styles from Yamaha/Korg, Assign custom drum sounds (SF2 import), Real-time tempo control with multi-tempo support, MIDI input/output and controller support, Background audio playback, Visual metronome and multi-meter support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is iReal Pro free?

iReal Pro costs $21.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is AKI Drum Machine free?

AKI Drum Machine costs $39.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, iReal Pro or AKI Drum Machine?

AKI Drum Machine is rated higher. iReal Pro averages 4.9 out of 5 from 11K ratings, while AKI Drum Machine averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do iReal Pro or AKI Drum Machine have ads?

Neither iReal Pro nor AKI Drum Machine shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, iReal Pro or AKI Drum Machine?

iReal Pro ships an update every 3 weeks, and AKI Drum Machine every 3 months. Most recently, iReal Pro was updated on October 30, 2026 and AKI Drum Machine on October 25, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*