# Drumline vs Pocket Drums

The clearest difference is price: Pocket Drums at Free against Drumline's $4.99. Pocket Drums also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (50% vs 39%). Drumline's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and chart position (#26 vs unranked). On rating, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Pocket Drums is free to download; Drumline costs $4.99 up front. Drumline sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Pocket Drums sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.1 for Drumline against 4.0 for Pocket Drums. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.2K and 289 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 39% of Drumline's written reviews are positive against 50% of Pocket Drums's.

Drumline ships an update every 4 months, Pocket Drums every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Drumline | Pocket Drums |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.1 (1.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drumline/id357815924/reviews)** | [4.0 (289 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-drums/id522215628/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.2K** | 289 |
| Positive reviews | 39.2% of reviews | **50.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#26** | — |
| Size | 171 MB | 84 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [John Ostler](https://appshunter.io/developer/1279335874) | [Drum Starz](https://appshunter.io/developer/299477766) |

## What reviewers say

### Drumline

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drumline/id357815924)

**Currently charting:** #26 Top Paid · Music (US App Store)

This app offers a comprehensive virtual drumline experience with realistic sounds and instruments. It includes practice tools, tuning features, and engaging games to hone drumming skills. Designed for serious percussionists, it provides a professional marching experience on your mobile device.

**Highlights:** Realistic snare, tenor, bass, and cymbal sounds, Xylophone, marimba, and vibraphone instruments, Adjustable metronome with various modes, Drumhead tuning functionality, Memory and speed challenge games, Practice pad tools

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Memory Game | $0.99 | one-time |
| Pro Version | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app for practicing percussion
- 👍 Realistic drum and cymbal sounds
- 🥁 Variety of percussion instruments (snare, tenors, bass)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Unresponsive or inaccurate hit detection on drums
- 🔧 Bugs with certain drum sounds (e.g. buzzing tenors, incorrect bass pitches)
- 📱 Compatibility issues on newer phones
- 🤔 Confusing in-app purchase model

**Reported bugs**

- Drums not registering hits correctly
- Tenors and bass drums not playing proper pitches
- Cymbals not functioning as expected
- App crashing or not producing any sound

**Requested features**

- Add landscape mode for better playability
- Allow customization of drum tuning and sound
- Implement a metronome and ability to play along with music
- Add more advanced drumming techniques (rolls, diddles, etc.)


### Pocket Drums

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-drums/id522215628)

Experience realistic drumming with a virtual drum kit that fits in your pocket. This app offers responsive touch controls, high-fidelity drum sets, and various beats to help you play along. Learn rudiments with included videos and customize your sound with adjustable pitch, volume, and effects.

**Highlights:** Realistic touch-sensitive drum response, 15 high-fidelity recorded drum kits, 16 PlayAlong Beats and 20 music/drum beats, Basic drum rudiment videos, Adjustable pitch, sensitivity, volume, reverb, and delay, Multi-track recording and sharing capabilities

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove ads | $0.99 | one-time |
| Exporting | $0.99 | one-time |
| Kit Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Wraps | $0.99 | one-time |
| Snares | $0.99 | one-time |
| Full - Unlock everything | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎵 Realistic drum sounds and quality audio
- 👍 Great for drum practice and learning
- 🎯 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 🎸 Multiple drum kits and sound options
- 💰 Free app with useful features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📢 Excessive and intrusive advertisements
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezing
- 🔊 Occasional loud glitching sounds
- ⏱️ Timing issues and lag during fast playing
- 🎵 Poor drum sound quality in some kits

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when playing drums rapidly
- Glitching audio that stutters and repeats loudly
- App freezes when recording multiple times
- Screen stretches and becomes unresponsive
- App fails to open after updates

**Requested features**

- Double bass pedal for metal songs
- Reggae drum tones
- Splash and china cymbals
- Mix and match custom drum sets
- Built-in drumming lessons


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Drumline free?

Drumline costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Pocket Drums free?

Pocket Drums is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Drumline or Pocket Drums?

Drumline is rated higher. Drumline averages 4.1 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while Pocket Drums averages 4.0 from 289 ratings.

### Do Drumline or Pocket Drums have ads?

Pocket Drums shows ads; Drumline does not.

### Which is updated more often, Drumline or Pocket Drums?

Drumline ships an update every 4 months, and Pocket Drums every 2 months. Most recently, Drumline was updated on September 24, 2026 and Pocket Drums 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.*