# iAmDrums vs Beat Station

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | iAmDrums | Beat Station |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $3.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.9 (15 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iamdrums/id383799018/reviews)** | [4.5 (498 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beat-station-drum-machine/id1207156644/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 15 | **498** |
| Positive reviews | 58.0% of reviews | **63.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Size | 50 MB | 209 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Rubotic, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1569518836) | [Sonar Multimedia](https://appshunter.io/developer/992774946) |

## What reviewers say

### iAmDrums

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iamdrums/id383799018)

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.

**Highlights:** Loop Maker Mode, Create and sequence custom grooves, Save grooves to KickStart library, 20 diverse drum kits, Velocity and expression controls, Realistic drum feel

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock All Kits | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎵 High-quality, realistic drum sounds
- 👍 User-friendly interface design
- 🎨 Visually appealing graphics
- ⚡ Responsive drum pads
- 🎛️ Variety of drum kits available

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Invisible/rendering drum kits (especially Trip Hop)
- ⏱️ Significant latency issues
- 🔇 No sound on some devices
- 🎯 Single-touch limitation (no multitouch)
- 🔧 Poor restore purchases functionality

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


### Beat Station

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beat-station-drum-machine/id1207156644)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Beat Station Pro (Monthly) | $2.99 | per month |
| Beat Station Pro (Yearly) | $22.99 | per year |
| Beat Station Pro (Lifetime) | $59.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Intuitive interface
- 💡 Versatile beat options
- 🎸 Great for guitarists and musicians
- 🎧 Realistic drum sounds

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Subscription-only model
- 🔒 Lack of one-time purchase option
- 🐛 Bugs and crashes
- 🔋 Battery drain issues
- 💸 Perceived as overpriced

**Reported bugs**

- Subscription issues (unable to restore purchases)
- App freezing or closing unexpectedly
- Blank tutorial screens
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between beats

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is iAmDrums free?

iAmDrums costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Beat Station free?

Beat Station is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, iAmDrums or Beat Station?

iAmDrums is rated higher. iAmDrums averages 4.9 out of 5 from 15 ratings, while Beat Station averages 4.5 from 498 ratings.

### Do iAmDrums or Beat Station have ads?

Neither iAmDrums nor Beat Station shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, iAmDrums or Beat Station?

iAmDrums ships an update every 3 months, and Beat Station every 5 weeks. Most recently, iAmDrums was updated on October 26, 2026 and Beat Station on October 21, 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.*