Comparison

Drum Kits vs MACHINE DRUM

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

Head to head
About

Drum Kits

Transform your device into a portable drum machine and recording studio. Easily create beats, grooves, and song arrangements with intuitive controls and a wide variety of instrument sounds. Export your creations as high-quality audio files.

Highlights
  • Portable drum machine
  • Beat sequencer
  • Recording studio
  • 16 professional drum kits
  • Song arrangement tools
  • AIFF and AAC/M4A export
  • Real-time beat editing
Features
Read full description

Turn your iPhone or iPad into a powerful portable drum machine, beat sequencer, and recording studio. Designed for beginners and professional musicians alike, Drum Kits makes it incredibly easy to create rhythms, grooves, and complete song arrangements with nothing more than your fingertips. Simply tap the screen to build beats instantly. No complicated setup, no steep learning curve — just fast, intuitive music creation. Featuring 16 unique instruments, Drum Kits gives you a huge range of styles and sounds, including Hip Hop, Rock, Drum & Bass, Jazz, House, Techno, Electronic, Percussion, Steel Drums, Brushes, Congas, and more. Whether you’re producing electronic tracks, practicing rhythms, writing songs, or jamming with friends, Drum Kits gives you the tools to create anywhere. Drum Kits includes: * 16 professional drum kits * 50 built-in sample rhythms * 10 demo songs * Real-time beat editing * Humanise timing control for natural grooves * Song arrangement tools * High-quality stereo playback * AIFF and AAC/M4A export Explore included rhythm styles such as Hip Hop, Disco, Rock, Jazz, Salsa, Merengue, Techno, House, Drum & Bass, and more — or create your own completely original beats from scratch. The powerful song mode lets you combine multiple rhythms into complete arrangements with intros, verses, choruses, and breakdowns. Adjust repeat counts, organize sequences, and build full tracks directly inside the app. When your music is ready, export your creations as high-quality audio files for sharing, recording, or importing into apps like GarageBand and other DAWs. Drum Kits is perfect for: * Songwriters * Music producers * DJs * Drum students * Singers needing backing tracks * Live performers * Anyone who loves creating beats Despite its powerful features, Drum Kits stays fast, clean, and easy to use. Beginners can start making rhythms in minutes, while experienced musicians can create complex layered grooves and full song structures. Use headphones, Bluetooth speakers, AirPods, or studio monitors for immersive stereo sound wherever you play. Whether you’re sketching ideas on the go, practicing timing, building backing tracks, or producing your next song, Drum Kits gives you a complete rhythm production studio that fits in your pocket. Install Drum Kits today and start creating professional beats anytime, anywhere.

About

MACHINE DRUM

This app offers a minimalist drum machine and sound design lab for creating beats and audio. It features a tactile step sequencer, custom kick sound designer, and the ability to record and manipulate custom samples. Professional DSP effects and genre-inspired templates are also included to enhance creativity.

Highlights
  • Tactile 16-pad step sequencer
  • Custom kick sound designer with dual-oscillator engine
  • Record and manipulate custom samples
  • DSP effects including Delay, Reverb, and Bitcrusher
  • Frequency filters (LP, BP, HP)
  • Hardware and genre-inspired presets
Features
Read full description

MACHINE DRUM: Minimalist Drum Machine & Sound Design Lab Experience beatmaking stripped of clutter. MACHINE DRUM combines retro hardware aesthetics with clean, modern minimalism, giving you a distraction-free canvas built purely to support your creativity and professional grade audio expression. Every knob, slider, instrument and effect has been crafted for visual simplicity and self expression, letting you stay locked in the flow whether sketching rhythms on the go or sculpting intricate synthesis in the studio. TACTILE 16-PAD STEP SEQUENCER Build loops instantly with an intuitive, hardware-style pad grid. Tap steps to program rhythms, control tempo (BPM), and fine-tune levels. Solo or mute individual tracks to build dynamic build-ups and drops live. CUSTOM KICK SOUND DESIGNER Stop relying on generic samples. Synthesize your own signature kicks with a dedicated, dual-oscillator sound engine: • Envelope (ADSR): Fine-tune Attack, Decay, Sustain, & Release using a live visual envelope graph. • FM Synthesis: Dial in punchy transients using FM Depth, FM Speed, and Base Pitch controls. • LFO Modulation: Add rich movement and texture. Route the LFO to Pitch, Filter, Level, or Pan RECORD CUSTOM SAMPLES Record real-world sounds instantly using your iPhone's microphone. Pitch, trim, and swap custom samples into any track pad in real time. Perfect for integrating vocal chops, ambient hits, or custom percussion. DSP EFFECTS & FREQUENCY FILTERS Sculpt your final output mix with professional audio processing: • Delay, Reverb and Bitcrusher: Add analog-style warmth, drive, and grit to glue your beats together. • Frequency Filter: Switch between Low Pass (LP), Band Pass (BP), and High Pass (HP) modes with dedicated Cutoff and Resonance sliders. PRESETS & LEGENDARY GENRE TEMPLATES Load instantly playable song templates and legendary drum machine styles to jumpstart your inspiration: • Explore hardware profiles like the TR-808, TR-909, Linn LM-1, and MPC60. • Load curated song setups inspired by Classic Hip Hop, EDM and Synthwave

Screenshots

Drum Kits4 screens
MACHINE DRUM4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Drum Kits at 15.6 against MACHINE DRUM's 26.2. On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 Kits sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and MACHINE DRUM sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Drum Kits versus MACHINE DRUM: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDrum KitsMACHINE DRUM
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews47.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 101 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size31 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMakayama.comNathan Burazer

Customer experience

Drum Kits

Written reviews21 reviews
Positive47.6%
Neutral23.8%
Negative28.6%

MACHINE DRUM

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Drum Kits

One-time1
  • Premium Version$3.99
1 purchases

MACHINE DRUM

One-time1
  • MACHINE DRUM PRO$9.99

Questions

Is Drum Kits free?
Drum Kits is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MACHINE DRUM free?
MACHINE DRUM is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Drum Kits or MACHINE DRUM have ads?
Neither Drum Kits nor MACHINE DRUM shows ads.

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