theDrumDictionary vs Drum Trainer
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 Trainer
Learn, create, and play drum beats with this app. It offers tools to slow down or isolate parts of beats for easier learning, allows customization of drum kits, and features a community for sharing and discovering new rhythms. You can also adjust tempo, time signature, and velocity.
- Create custom drum beats
- Community beat sharing
- Adjust tempo and time signature
- Customize drum kits
- Slow down or solo beat parts
- Pre-made beat library
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Learn beats fast, create your own or try beats made by others in the community. By soloing out or slowing down parts of the beat, you can learn it step by step until it sticks! You change how you want to see the beat, then play after it in full screen. You can also upload and download beats with others from the community. Features in the app: - Create your own beats. - Download or upload beats to the community. - Change time signature. - Change velocity on each hit. - Increase and decrease tempo. - Learn new beats from a pre-made beat library. - Zoom and pan for better focus. - Customize your drum kit. - Change different views.
Screenshots
Verdict
theDrumDictionary and Drum Trainer both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 76% of theDrumDictionary's written reviews are positive against 50% of Drum Trainer's. theDrumDictionary also leads on ratings volume (45 vs 2) and iOS requirement (8.4 vs 16.0). On price, rating, update cadence 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for theDrumDictionary against 5.0 for Drum Trainer. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: theDrumDictionary has 45 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 76% of theDrumDictionary's written reviews are positive against 50% of Drum Trainer's.
theDrumDictionary ships an update every 2 months, Drum Trainer every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | theDrumDictionary | Drum Trainer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (45 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 76.3% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 45 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 8.4 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 33 MB | 64 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hawks Hill Software, LLC | Erik Andresen |
Customer experience
theDrumDictionary
Drum Trainer
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 Trainer
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
theDrumDictionary
No in-app purchases
Drum Trainer
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is theDrumDictionary free?
Is Drum Trainer free?
Which has better reviews, theDrumDictionary or Drum Trainer?
Do theDrumDictionary or Drum Trainer have ads?
Which is updated more often, theDrumDictionary or Drum Trainer?
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