Comparison

GarageBand vs Drum Pad Machine

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

Head to head
About

GarageBand

Transform your device into a portable recording studio. Create music with virtual instruments, record vocals and guitars, and mix multi-track songs. Explore a vast library of sounds and effects to produce professional-sounding tracks anywhere.

Highlights
  • Virtual instruments (keyboard, guitar, drums)
  • Multi-track recording (up to 32 tracks)
  • Live Loops for DJ-style creation
  • Sound Library for free instruments and loops
  • Virtual amps and stompbox effects
  • Smart Instruments for easy playing
  • Multi-Take Recording
Features
Read full description

GarageBand turns your iPad, and iPhone into a collection of Touch Instruments and a full-featured recording studio — so you can make music anywhere you go. And with Live Loops, it makes it easy for anyone to have fun creating music like a DJ. Use Multi-Touch gestures to play keyboards, guitars, and create beats that make you sound like a pro — even if you’ve never played a note before. Plug in a guitar or bass and play through classic amps and stompbox effects. Use a Touch Instrument, microphone, or a guitar to instantly record a performance, with support for up to 32 tracks. Use the Sound Library to download additional free instruments, loops, and sound packs created by some of the biggest producers in the world. And then share your song with friends and family. Live Loops. Make music like a DJ • Use Multi-Touch to tap and trigger a Live Loop cell or group of cells • Get started with templates or build your own grid from scratch with Apple Loops • Create custom loops by recording directly into a cell using any Touch Instrument • Use Remix FX to perform DJ-style effects • Tap record to capture your performance Play your iPad, and iPhone, like a musical instrument • Play a variety of musical instruments on the innovative Multi-Touch keyboard • Play and record using the Alchemy Touch Instrument • Build grooves inspired by classic electronic drum machines with the Beat Sequencer • Download free instruments, loops, and sound packs for GarageBand with the Sound Library • Capture any sound and apply studio-class effects • Recreate legendary guitar or bass rigs using virtual amps and stompboxes • Record performances from third-party music apps directly into GarageBand using Audio Unit Extensions* Drummer • Add virtual session drummers to your song, who take direction and play realistic grooves • Choose from acoustic, electronic drummers and percussionists** • Each character provides their own sound and the ability to create over a million realistic grooves and fills Sound like a virtuoso with Smart Instruments • Play an entire string orchestra using Smart Strings • Perform with Chord Strips and autoplay using any keyboard instrument • Groove with a variety of Smart Basses using upright, electric, and synth sounds • Strum chords or trigger autoplay patterns on an acoustic and electric Smart Guitar Create a song anywhere you go • Record, arrange, and mix your song with up to 32 tracks using Touch Instruments, audio recordings, and loops*** • Record multiple times over any song section and choose your favorite using Multi-Take Recording • Use professional mixing effects, including Visual EQ, Bitcrusher, and Overdrive • Recording, mixing and exporting a song can be done at 24-bit audio resolution • Trim and place musical regions exactly where you want them to play • Automate the volume and record the movement of controls on Touch Instruments • Add comments or lyric ideas to your song with an integrated notepad Share your songs • Keep your songs up to date across all devices using iCloud Drive • Create custom ringtones and alerts for your iPad, or iPhone • Share your songs using email or to social media sites like SoundCloud**** • Remotely add new tracks to your Logic Pro project from your iPhone, or iPad via iCloud * Requires compatible third-party Audio Unit Extensions apps from the App Store. ** Requires free download from GarageBand Sound Library. *** Multitrack recording requires a compatible third-party audio interface. **** Sharing to some social media sites may require apps like iMovie, Clips or other third-party apps

About

Drum Pad Machine

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
Currently charting
Read full description

Make your own music like a pro. Create sick beats, perfect and perform unique tracks! Features: • Great variety of music styles: Hip-hop, Drum & Bass, Trap, Dubstep, House, and many others; • Unique sound packs. Get access to professional-quality audio samples created by professional musicians and DJs; • Instruments & FX. Use Drum & Piano for creative sound designs; • Sequencing. Get studio effects including Tempo Regulation and EQ; • Beat School. Try the lessons for each sound pack to improvise freely; • Quick sharing. Share your music with the world. Enjoy this powerful, yet easy-to-use tool to get the best music experience! Drum Pad Machine Premium Drum Pad Machine Premium Subscription allows you to unlock all the sound packs, get new releases, and remove ads. Choose from different subscription options. Payment will be charged to Apple ID Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed by you and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to Apple ID Account Settings. For more information please visit the link https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202039. Unused portion of a free-trial period will be forfeited when a user decides to subscribe. EULA: https://easybrain.com/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://easybrain.com/policy.html

Screenshots

GarageBand4 screens
Drum Pad Machine4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Drum Pad Machine at 4.6 against GarageBand's 4.1. Drum Pad Machine also leads on chart position (#164 vs unranked) and ratings volume (675K vs 118K). GarageBand's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and ads (none vs shown). On price, review sentiment, update cadence 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

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Drum Pad Machine holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Drum Pad Machine has 675K ratings behind it against 118K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of GarageBand's written reviews are positive against 63% of Drum Pad Machine's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

GarageBand ships an update every 4 months, Drum Pad Machine every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
GarageBand versus Drum Pad Machine: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGarageBandDrum Pad Machine
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (118K ratings)4.6 (675K ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.8% of reviews63.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings118K675K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
Best chart rank—#164 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS27.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1.7 GB230 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperApple Inc.Easybrain Ltd

Customer experience

GarageBand

All ratings117,884 ratings
Positive75.7%
Neutral6.8%
Negative17.5%
Written reviews5,196 reviews
Positive60.8%
Neutral10.5%
Negative28.7%

Drum Pad Machine

All ratings674,050 ratings
Positive90.3%
Neutral4.7%
Negative5.0%
Written reviews2,304 reviews
Positive63.3%
Neutral8.5%
Negative28.3%

User reviews

GarageBand

From 118K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎹 Powerful music creation tools
  • 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
  • 🎨 Wide variety of instruments and sounds
  • 💰 Free to use with no ads
  • 🎶 Helps inspire and develop musical skills

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches causing crashes and data loss
  • ⏱️ Long download and optimization times
  • 🔇 Issues with audio recording and playback
  • 🔒 Requires latest iOS version to function
  • 💾 Takes up a lot of storage space

Drum Pad Machine

From 675K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Bugs and requests

GarageBand

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Sustain pedal issues causing incorrect playback
  • Recorded audio not saving or getting corrupted
  • Compatibility problems with iOS 11 and newer
  • Inconsistent behavior when editing and duplicating tracks
  • Delays and lags when using external audio apps

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more guitar, wind, and percussion instruments
  • Improve MIDI support and automation capabilities
  • Implement better mixing and mastering tools
  • Allow custom time signatures and tempo changes
  • Add a built-in tuner and metronome

Drum Pad Machine

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

4 requests
  • 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

In-app purchases

None

GarageBand

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

Drum Pad Machine

Subscriptions5
  • Drum Pad Machine Pro - Weekly3 Days trial$7.997 Days
  • Music Beat Maker Premium7 Days trial$7.997 Days
  • Drum Pad Machine Pro - Monthly$14.991 Month
Show 2 more
  • Beatmaker Premium7 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • Drum Pad Machine Pro - Annual$46.991 Year

Questions

Is GarageBand free?
GarageBand 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, GarageBand or Drum Pad Machine?
Drum Pad Machine is rated higher. GarageBand averages 4.1 out of 5 from 118K ratings, while Drum Pad Machine averages 4.6 from 675K ratings.
Do GarageBand or Drum Pad Machine have ads?
Drum Pad Machine shows ads; GarageBand does not.
Which is updated more often, GarageBand or Drum Pad Machine?
GarageBand ships an update every 4 months, and Drum Pad Machine every 3 months. Most recently, GarageBand was updated on October 31, 2026 and Drum Pad Machine on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons