Comparison

iAmDrums vs TripWave

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

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
Read full description

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.

About

TripWave

Features
Read full description

Turn your iPhone or iPad into a full-screen music visualizer. tripwave brings music to life with colorful, beat-reactive waves, tunnels, particles, liquid patterns, glowing shapes, and thousands of visual combinations. Choose a live radio station, react to sound through the microphone, or visualize audio playing on your device where supported. Explore live radio from around the world across genres including chillout, ambient, electronic, jazz, rock, classical, pop, dance, metal, trance, funk, reggae, and more. Save your favorite stations, add a custom stream or .pls playlist, switch stations quickly, and hide stations you do not want to see again. Privacy first: This app collects absolutely no data On iOS and iPadOS 27 or later, Listen to Device Audio lets the visualizer react to audio playing in another app. Select the source, approve the system's Share Entire Screen prompt, then play your music. tripwave processes the audio for visualization while discarding the captured screen frames. On iPad, Spotify listeners can open the Spotify source and select tripwave from Spotify's device picker on another device connected to the same local network. You can also use the microphone to make the visuals respond to nearby sound. Microphone access is requested only when you choose that source. Highlights: - Full-screen, beat-reactive music visualizations - Worldwide live internet radio - Device-audio visualization on iOS and iPadOS 27 or later - Microphone-reactive visualization - Spotify Connect receiver on iPad - Favorite, custom, and blocked-station controls - Manual visual switching and automatic change timers - Background radio playback - No tripwave account or registration required Pick a sound. Fill the screen. Make the music move.

Screenshots

iAmDrums4 screens
TripWave4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: TripWave at Free against iAmDrums's $3.99. TripWave also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1). iAmDrums's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

TripWave is free to download; iAmDrums costs $3.99 up front. iAmDrums sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. TripWave asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
iAmDrums versus TripWave: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriAmDrumsTripWave
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating4.9 (15 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews58.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings15 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size50 MB180 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperRubotic, Inc.Ajit Dhiwal

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
Show 8 more
  • 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
Show 10 more
  • 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

TripWave

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

iAmDrums

One-time1
  • Unlock All Kits$0.99
None

TripWave

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iAmDrums free?
iAmDrums costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is TripWave free?
TripWave is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do iAmDrums or TripWave have ads?
Neither iAmDrums nor TripWave shows ads.

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