# Drum Beats vs Drum Pad Machine

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Drum Beats at none against Drum Pad Machine's 5. Drum Beats also leads on review sentiment (76% vs 63%). Drum Pad Machine's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 16 months) and ratings volume (674K vs 961). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Drum Pad Machine sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days. Drum Beats asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Drum Beats against 4.6 for Drum Pad Machine. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Drum Pad Machine has 674K ratings behind it against 961, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 76% of Drum Beats's written reviews are positive against 63% of Drum Pad Machine's.

Drum Beats ships an update every 16 months, Drum Pad Machine every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Drum Beats | Drum Pad Machine |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (961 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drum-beats/id353093075/reviews) | [4.6 (674K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drum-pad-machine-beat-maker/id1057968965/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 961 | **674K** |
| Positive reviews | **76.5% of reviews** | 63.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 16 months | **Every 3 months** |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | — | **#197** |
| Size | 10 MB | 230 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Alvin Yu](https://appshunter.io/developer/310457194) | [Easybrain Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1190815537) |

## What reviewers say

### Drum Beats

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drum-beats/id353093075)

This app offers a diverse collection of drum loops in various genres like funk, rock, reggae, and blues. It's designed to assist musicians of all levels during practice, jamming, or songwriting with features like adjustable speed and background audio.

**Highlights:** Funk, rock, reggae, blues drum beats, Seamless looping, Adjustable playback speed, Background audio support, Intuitive interface

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Solid drum beats
- 🎶 Useful for practice and jamming
- 💡 Diverse range of beats and genres
- 🎛️ Simple and intuitive interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Drum rolls make some beats unusable
- 🔊 Low audio output volume
- 🕰️ Lack of tempo/BPM controls
- 🔀 Difficulty navigating between beats

**Reported bugs**

- Beats not visible in dark mode
- Beats reset to original tempo when stopped

**Requested features**

- Add more beat styles (e.g. jazz, techno, Middle Eastern)
- Implement tempo/BPM controls
- Add ability to bookmark/favorite beats
- Display time signature and other beat metadata


### Drum Pad Machine

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drum-pad-machine-beat-maker/id1057968965)

**Currently charting:** #197 Top Free · Music (US App Store)

Create professional-quality music and unique tracks with a variety of styles and sound packs. Utilize instruments, FX, and sequencing for creative sound design. Learn through beat school lessons and share your creations instantly.

**Highlights:** Multiple music styles (Hip-hop, Trap, House, etc.), Professional sound packs, Drum and Piano instruments, Sequencing with tempo and EQ, Beat School lessons, Quick music sharing

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Drum Pad Machine Pro - Weekly | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Music Beat Maker Premium | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Drum Pad Machine Pro - Monthly | $14.99 | per month |
| Beatmaker Premium | $14.99 | per month |
| Drum Pad Machine Pro - Annual | $46.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🤩 Incredible music-making experience
- 👍 Easy to learn and use
- 🎶 Wide variety of music genres and beats
- 🎓 Helpful tutorials and lessons
- 🎧 High-quality sound samples

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤬 Excessive and repetitive ads
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🐛 Occasional glitches and crashes
- 🤔 Limited customization options
- ⏱️ Lessons and tutorials move too fast

**Reported bugs**

- Recordings sometimes stop unexpectedly
- Difficulty registering multiple button presses simultaneously
- Compatibility issues on older devices

**Requested features**

- Add a search function to find specific beats
- Allow users to create and share their own custom beats
- Implement a pause/resume feature for recordings
- Provide more granular control over tempo and timing


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Drum Beats free?

Drum Beats is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Drum Pad Machine free?

Drum Pad Machine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Drum Beats or Drum Pad Machine?

Drum Beats and Drum Pad Machine are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 961 and 674K ratings respectively.

### Do Drum Beats or Drum Pad Machine have ads?

Both Drum Beats and Drum Pad Machine show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Drum Beats or Drum Pad Machine?

Drum Beats ships an update every 16 months, and Drum Pad Machine every 3 months. Most recently, Drum Beats was updated on September 23, 2026 and Drum Pad Machine on September 25, 2026.

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