theDrumDictionary vs Drum Notation by Beat Note
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
theDrumDictionary
This app is a comprehensive resource for drummers and musicians to expand their rhythmic knowledge. It features all standard rudiments and a large collection of drum set beats with adjustable tempo audio and notation. An integrated metronome and practice tracking tools make it an ideal practice companion.
- 40 standard snare drum rudiments
- Over 100 drum set beats
- Tempo-adjustable audio examples
- Integrated metronome
- Practice time tracking
- Customizable beat lists
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"If you’re looking for a great resource to develop and maintain your beat vocabulary and rudimental proficiency, this is a great place to start." - Modern Drummer theDrumDictionary is a great tool for drummers, band leaders, producers, or anyone looking to learn more about drums. It includes all 40 standard snare drum rudiments and over 100 full drum set beats in a variety of styles. For each example, there is notation and tempo-adjustable audio. theDrumDictionary also includes a built-in metronome, making it a great all-in-one practice tool. For Practice: • Make the most of your practice time with the built-in metronome • Adjust the tempo of the example audio to help learn those tricky parts or to push your skill to the next level of speed • Keep track of your time spent practicing each beat or rudiment Lists: • Create a list of your favorite beats in different styles • Create lists for what you'd like to practice • Drum instructors, create a separate list for each of your students theDrumDictionary is also great for non-drummers who are interested in knowing a little about drums: band leaders who want to communicate better with their drummer, musicians who want to program realistic drum parts in their songs, and the list goes on... Entries include • All 40 standard snare drum rudiments • Over 100 drum set beats in a variety of styles: Rock, Jazz, World, Funk and more Contacts: • @GigBagApps • support@GigBagApps.com, for support, questions, suggestions • www.GigBagApps.com
Drum Notation by Beat Note
Create, practice, and share drum music notation with ease. This app transforms sequenced beats into professional sheet music, offering tools for composition, transcription, and interactive teaching. Enhance your drumming journey with customizable practice sessions and high-quality export options.
- Sequencer to notation conversion
- Compose and transcribe drum beats
- Customizable practice sessions
- Interactive teaching tools
- High-quality PDF and image export
- Multiple notation voicing options
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Beat Note — Drum Notation for Drummers, Teachers, and Content Creators The fastest way to write, hear, practice, and share drum notation. Built by a drummer, for drummers. FOR DRUMMERS — FROM YOUR HEAD TO THE PAGE IN SECONDS You have a groove idea. Beat Note gets it down before you lose it. Tap the sequencer grid to build beats. Watch them turn into clean, professional drum notation in real time. Hit play and hear exactly what you wrote — at any tempo, with a click track, on loop. - Transcribe songs to check your ear and lock in what you hear - Compose your own grooves, fills, and exercises from scratch - Count in with a visual on-screen "1, 2, 3, 4" so your eyes and ears are ready together - Use Beat Note as your in-ear metronome during rehearsals — your beats, not just clicks "Been waiting a long time for an app like this. Clearly built by a drummer." — App Store review FOR TEACHERS — WRITE IT, PLAY IT, SEND IT What used to take 30 minutes in a desktop notation program now takes 2 minutes on your phone or iPad. Write exercises on the fly — during the lesson, not after it. Play back the notation so students hear exactly how it should sound. Share a link so they can listen at home. Export a PDF they can print and bring to the kit. - Use the sequencer as a live music whiteboard, in person or online - Build a library of exercises organized by tag, ready for any student - Send a shareable link or export a high-quality PDF in one tap "What would normally take 30 minutes on a computer has become 2 minutes from my mobile device. My students love it." — App Store review FOR CONTENT CREATORS — PROFESSIONAL NOTATION VIDEOS, IN MINUTES Export your beat as an animated MP4 — portrait for Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts, or landscape for YouTube and Vimeo. Choose 720p, 1080p, or 4K. Pick a color theme. Preview before you export. PDF, PNG, WAV or AAC audio, shareable link, and animated MP4 — all from one app. NOTATION THAT LOOKS RIGHT Professional drum notation, consistent across every format you export. What you see on screen is what your students get in the PDF, what your followers see in the video, and what you hear in playback. - All standard drums, cymbals, and articulations - Subdivisions from 8th notes to 32nd notes, plus triplets, quintuplets (5s), and septuplets (7s) - Common and compound time signatures, including 6/8, 9/8, and 12/8 - Linear, split hands/feet, or split drums/cymbals voicing - Sticking annotations (R, L) - Single-measure repeat symbol (%) — renders automatically when measures repeat ORGANIZE AND DISCOVER - Tags, search, and sort to manage your beat library - Discover tab: curated educational beats for all skill levels - Beat templates to get started fast - Customize tempo, click track, count-in, and timer MADE BY A DRUMMER, SHAPED BY THE COMMUNITY Beat Note was built by me — an independent developer with 35+ years behind the kit. But the direction comes from the community. Every major feature on the roadmap has been voted on, requested, and refined by drummers, teachers, and creators just like you. Join the conversation at roadmap.beat-note.app — vote on upcoming features, share ideas, and see what's coming next. I'm here to make sure it all comes together into something that actually works. Premium subscription required for full access. Educator and Creator tiers available. Free trial included. Payment is charged through your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription auto-renews unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period via iTunes Account Settings. Terms and Privacy Policy: https://www.beat-note.app/privacy-and-terms
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: theDrumDictionary at none against Drum Notation by Beat Note's 5. theDrumDictionary also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.7) and iOS requirement (8.4 vs 15.6). Drum Notation by Beat Note's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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
Both are free to download. Drum Notation by Beat Note sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $6.69 per month. theDrumDictionary asks for nothing beyond the download.
theDrumDictionary holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 45 and 83 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 76% of theDrumDictionary's written reviews are positive against 83% of Drum Notation by Beat Note's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
theDrumDictionary ships an update every 2 months, Drum Notation by Beat Note every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | theDrumDictionary | Drum Notation by Beat Note |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (45 ratings) — better | 4.7 (83 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 76.3% of reviews | 83.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 45 | 83 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.4 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 33 MB | 87 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hawks Hill Software, LLC | Kick Snare Hat Apps, LLC |
Customer experience
theDrumDictionary
Drum Notation by Beat Note
User reviews
theDrumDictionary
From 45 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Excellent learning tool for drummers of all levels
- 🎵 High-quality audio samples and clear sound
- 📚 Comprehensive collection of 40 rudiments
- 🎯 Easy-to-use interface and navigation
- 📖 Visual notation paired with audio playback
Room to improve
- 🐛 Audio quality degrades when changing tempo
- ⏸️ App stops playing when phone sleeps
- 🔊 Bass drum not distinctive enough in mix
- 📊 Limited number of beats per genre
- ⚠️ Some audio samples don't match notation
Drum Notation by Beat Note
From 83 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🚀 Quick and efficient notation
- 🎶 Great sound playback
- 💡 Excellent for teaching and learning
- ✍️ Simple to write exercises and ideas
Room to improve
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 💸 High annual cost
- 🆓 Limited free version
- 🚫 No one-time purchase option
- 🤔 Subscription model makes little sense to some
Bugs and requests
theDrumDictionary
Reported bugs
6 issues- App crashes on startup (older iOS versions)
- Uneven single stroke roll with extra hits/flams
- Audio warping when tempo changes
- App stops when device goes to sleep
- Inconsistent bass drum clarity
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- Notation mismatches with audio playback
Requested features
20 requests- Tempo/speed control for practice
- More beats and grooves across all genres
- Odd time signatures (5/8, 7/8, 9/4, 11/4, 6/8, 7/4)
- Highlighted note indicator during playback
- Video demonstrations of techniques
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- Drum fills and fill variations
- Background playback capability
- Practice history and progress tracking
- Ability to create custom beats
- Accelerating/decelerating metronome
- More complex and advanced patterns
- Sorting beats by practice time
- Export notation and beat lists
- Multi-user/student support
- Rudiments numbered in learning order
- Double bass drum beats
- Finger drumming exercises
- Sync across multiple devices
- Note highlighting (karaoke-style)
- Longer beat patterns
Drum Notation by Beat Note
Reported bugs
8 issues- Preview rarely matches notes on staff
- Sometimes doesn't play any notes
- Sounds not always appropriate for instrument voicing
- Editing measures is inconvenient
- Free trial charged immediately
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- iCloud data sync issues for subscription confirmation
- Not stable in loopings, slow delay on first note
- Measure lines on PDFs too thick and close
Requested features
27 requests- 7/8 time signature support
- Syncing between devices
- Web version
- Native Mac/Windows apps
- Add text or notes to notations
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- Cowbell instrument
- More drum samples and pitch control
- Ability to work on spaces longer than a measure
- Add 32nd notes
- Duplicate multiple bars at once
- Copy/paste large sections
- Option to drag duplicated bars to the end
- Add melody track
- More instrument options
- Ability to manage volumes of different instruments
- Add quintuplets and sextuplets to a bar
- Add repetition options for measures
- Add text to music sheets
- Improve loop stability and reduce delay
- Allow monthly subscription option
- More free beats/unlimited free version
- Add sticking for grace notes
- More advanced editing options for multiple bars
- Improve PDF export readability
- Add virtual drum kit for accessibility
- AI-powered automatic notation
- Auto-sync to track
In-app purchases
theDrumDictionary
No in-app purchases
Drum Notation by Beat Note
- Educator Tier Monthly (No Trial)$6.691 Month
- Creator Tier Monthly (No Trial)$13.491 Month
- Educator Tier Annual (No Trial)$59.991 Year
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- Educator Tier Annual + Free Trial7 Days trial$59.991 Year
- Creator Tier Annual + Free Trial7 Days trial$119.991 Year
Questions
Is theDrumDictionary free?
Is Drum Notation by Beat Note free?
Which has better reviews, theDrumDictionary or Drum Notation by Beat Note?
Do theDrumDictionary or Drum Notation by Beat Note have ads?
Which is updated more often, theDrumDictionary or Drum Notation by Beat Note?
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