iAmDrums vs Beat Station
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
iAmDrums
Create and play drum beats anytime, anywhere with a variety of drum kits. Features a loop maker for sequencing custom grooves and realistic drum feel with velocity and expression controls.
- Loop Maker Mode
- Create and sequence custom grooves
- Save grooves to KickStart library
- 20 diverse drum kits
- Velocity and expression controls
- Realistic drum feel
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It actually lets you play the drums. Not watch ads. iAmDrums is a real-feeling drum kit for iPhone and iPad. Open it and play: no ads, no subscription, no account, nothing else to buy. One price unlocks all 20 kits and every feature. SOUNDS LIKE REAL DRUMS Every kit responds to where you hit it: • Hit closer to the center for a louder beat, further out for a softer one • Hit the snare on the edge for a rim shot • Hit the center of the ride to ring the bell • Hit the center of the hi-hat for a pedal mute 20 KITS, ALL INCLUDED • Rock & band: Rock, Acoustic, Punk, Rage, Rebel, Radio, Blue • Electronic: House, Rave, Lo-Fi, Minimal, Trip Hop, 808, Analog, Industrial, Dub Step • Something different: Stomp, Orchestral, BeatBox, DrumCircle DRUMS IN YOUR POCKET For everyone who drums on everything: desks, knees, steering wheels. Long commute, time to kill, or a great beat just came on? Drum out the rhythms in your head, anywhere. MAKE YOUR OWN GROOVES Program a groove in Loop Maker, save it to your KickStart library, and play it back on any kit. PAY ONCE. NO ADS. NO TRACKING. No ads, ever. No subscription. No sign-in. We don't collect any data. Buy it once and it's yours. Tip: for the full punch of the kick and toms, play with headphones or external speakers.
Beat Station
This app provides a versatile drum machine for musicians, offering realistic drum sets and extensive loop libraries. It allows for real-time control of song sections and hands-free operation via a Bluetooth MIDI pedalboard, enhancing practice, production, and live performance.
- Realistic drum sets
- Extensive drum loop library
- Multiple control modes (Loop, Pedal, Song)
- Bluetooth MIDI pedalboard support
- Inter-App Audio and background audio
- Export songs as audio files
- MIDI implementation and DAW integration
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The Beat Station is a rhythm machine for practicing guitar, bass, keyboard, or any type of instrument, and also brings to production and live performance the ease of not requiring live drums and a drummer. You can control verse, chorus, transition, fill, intro, and outro sections using different modes of operation. Connect Bluetooth MIDI Pedalboard lets you control all sections hands-free. When you hear the rhythm patterns and start to control them live, it is truly like a versatile drummer playing along with you. LOOP MODE Easily play rhythm patterns with loop pads. Each rhythm style includes 12 rhythm patterns: intro, verse, chorus, six fills, two transitions, and outro. You can switch rhythm patterns in real-time as needed during your performance. PEDAL MODE You can use the Pedal mode to play rhythm patterns with four footswitches. By using a Bluetooth MIDI pedalboard, you can perform operational tasks without having to take your hands off of your instrument. SONG MODE You can connect rhythm patterns to create a complete drum track that's appropriate for your own song, and play it automatically. Features • 6 ultra-realistic drum sets • Over 1700 drum loops, 136 rhythm styles in 15 genres • Easily play rhythm patterns with three modes • Inter-App Audio support • Audio background mode • Export your songs as audio files • Full MIDI implementation • MIDI Controller support • MIDI Learn • Send MIDI to DAW or other apps • Ableton Link integration • Keep your projects up to date across all devices using iCloud -------- Beat Station Pro Subscription - Get All Genres of Rhythm (Over 1700 Drum Loops) - Unlimited Projects - Export Audio - MIDI Output • $2.99(USD)/Month • $22.99(USD)/Year Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at the confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions by going to your account settings on the App Store after purchase. PRIVACY POLICY: https://sonarmusic.app/beatstation/privacy/ TERMS OF USE: https://sonarmusic.app/beatstation/terms/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Beat Station at Free against iAmDrums's $3.99. Beat Station also leads on ratings volume (498 vs 15) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). iAmDrums's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.5). On review sentiment, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Beat Station is free to download; iAmDrums costs $3.99 up front. iAmDrums sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Beat Station sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
iAmDrums holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Beat Station has 498 ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 58% of iAmDrums's written reviews are positive against 64% of Beat Station's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
iAmDrums ships an update every 3 months, Beat Station every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | iAmDrums | Beat Station |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.9 (15 ratings) — better | 4.5 (498 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 58.0% of reviews | 63.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 15 | 498 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Subscription |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 50 MB | 209 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Rubotic, Inc. | Sonar Multimedia |
Customer experience
iAmDrums
Beat Station
User reviews
iAmDrums
From 15 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎵 High-quality, realistic drum sounds
- 👍 User-friendly interface design
- 🎨 Visually appealing graphics
- ⚡ Responsive drum pads
- 🎛️ Variety of drum kits available
Room to improve
- 🐛 Invisible/rendering drum kits (especially Trip Hop)
- ⏱️ Significant latency issues
- 🔇 No sound on some devices
- 🎯 Single-touch limitation (no multitouch)
- 🔧 Poor restore purchases functionality
Beat Station
From 498 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Intuitive interface
- 💡 Versatile beat options
- 🎸 Great for guitarists and musicians
- 🎧 Realistic drum sounds
Room to improve
- 🔒 Subscription-only model
- 🔒 Lack of one-time purchase option
- 🐛 Bugs and crashes
- 🔋 Battery drain issues
- 💸 Perceived as overpriced
Bugs and requests
iAmDrums
Reported bugs
13 issues- Trip Hop drum kit invisible but audio plays
- Drums not loading on download
- Black screen on iPhone 11 Pro
- Restore purchases button non-functional
- Purchased kits becoming locked after update
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- App crashes when selecting demo
- High hat making different noises during recording
- Latency/slow response time
- No sound output on certain devices
- App crashes when overwriting loops
- Incompatibility with iOS 6 and older devices
- Sequencer panel missing play button
- Double-kick and drum roll functionality broken
Requested features
15 requests- Left-handed drum kit option
- Extended bar/measure support (beyond 32 steps)
- Higher BPM limit (above 160)
- Additional cymbal types (China, Stack, Splash)
- Custom drum kit creation
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- More drum kit styles (metal, trap, EDM, techno)
- Double-tap drum roll support
- Adjustable drum kit layout
- Volume mixing in play mode
- Record mode without continuous playback
- Audio export functionality (.wav, AudioBus, IAA, MIDI support)
- Time signature customization (3/4 time, etc.)
- Start/stop/pause controls
- Ability to move drum sections for finger play
- Multiple sequence playback in succession
Beat Station
Reported bugs
4 issues- Subscription issues (unable to restore purchases)
- App freezing or closing unexpectedly
- Blank tutorial screens
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between beats
Requested features
5 requests- More beat variety (Latin, jazz, waltz, etc.)
- Ability to import custom drum samples
- Tempo and style changes within a song
- Midi export option
- Better tutorial and customer support
In-app purchases
iAmDrums
- Unlock All Kits$0.99
Beat Station
- Beat Station Pro (Monthly)7 Days trial$2.991 Month
- Beat Station Pro (Yearly)7 Days trial$22.991 Year
- Beat Station Pro (Lifetime)$59.99
Questions
Is iAmDrums free?
Is Beat Station free?
Which has better reviews, iAmDrums or Beat Station?
Do iAmDrums or Beat Station have ads?
Which is updated more often, iAmDrums or Beat Station?
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