Comparison

Drum School vs Beat Maker

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

Head to head
About

Drum School

This app is an advanced drum learning tool for musicians of all skill levels. It offers a vast library of grooves and exercises with detailed notation, high-quality audio, and video demonstrations. Users can practice at variable tempos, isolate individual drum parts, and track their progress through various styles.

Highlights
  • Extensive groove library with 300+ grooves
  • Detailed drum notation and high-quality audio
  • Variable tempo control (30-300 bpm)
  • Limb audio isolation for practice
  • Video performances with adjustable speed
  • 145 drum exercises including rudiments
  • Technique video demonstrations
Read full description

Advanced groove library and drum learning tool for all levels. Whether you're a beginner or a pro, Drum School is the perfect tool for advancing and expanding your skills. With a large selection of grooves, exercises and practice ideas, Drum School will continue to take you to the next level. It is also the perfect tool for easy access to a large library of professional sounding grooves for play along and as a reference library. Included styles: Rock, Rock'n Roll, Alternative Rock, Heavy Metal, Punk, Blues, RnB, Hip Hop, Funk, Reggae, Ska, Disco, Drum'n Bass, House, Techno, Country, Bluegrass, Jazz, Swing, Dixieland, Ragtime, Fusion, New Orleans, Tango, Bossa Nova, Samba, Afro Cuban, Soukous, Calypso, Waltz and many more. ~ Featured in Modern Drummer and DownBeat Magazine ~ Drum School is divided in five main sections: Grooves, Practice, Technique, Hits and Favorites. - GROOVES - This is the main section of Drum School with over 300 drum grooves in many different styles. Each groove comes with: - Standard drum notation with high quality graphics in portrait or landscape mode. - High quality audio made from real drum samples that loop for play along practice. - Variable tempo range of 30 to 300 bpm without any loss of audio quality. - Audio isolation of what each limb is playing, allowing the student to break down the groove into its basic components, learn them separately, and finally put them back together in various combinations. - Bass lines that help learning and experiencing the relationship between the drums and the bass in each style in a fun way. - High quality video performance by the author of the app, established and world renowned drummer, Ferenc Nemeth. The video speed can be adjusted and the more advanced grooves come with an extra video at a slower tempo. - Multiple drum fills that can be practiced individually or in conjunction with the groove in 2, 4 or 8 bar phrases. - Color coded indication of difficulty level from 1 (easy) to 6 (hard). - Ability to mark the groove as completed so you can better track your practice progress. - Detailed description of performance details, learning tips and historical notes about each style. - PRACTICE - The practice section includes 145 drum exercises divided into: Basic Rudiments, Rolls, Flams, Drags, Hand Exercises and Coordination. Each exercise comes with: - Standard drum notation with high quality graphics in portrait or landscape mode. - High quality audio made from real drum samples that loop for play along practice. - Variable tempo range of 30 to 300 bpm without any loss of audio quality. - Audio isolation of left and right hand. - High quality video demonstration with adjustable speed. - Detailed descriptions of performance details and learning tips. - TECHNIQUE - This section includes 12 video demonstrations of basic drum technique for hands and feet. Each video is accompanied by a detailed description and learning tips. - HITS - This section includes classic Pop, Rock and Funk hits. Each groove comes with the same features as the "Grooves" section. - FAVORITES - This is where you collect your favorite grooves and the ones you are currently working on. Visit the support website for a video demonstration.

About

Beat Maker

Create professional-quality music with an intuitive interface. Make beats, loops, and full tracks using a variety of sounds and instruments. Record, import, and export your creations easily.

Highlights
  • Create beats, loops, and tracks
  • 14 drum sounds and 75 instrument sounds
  • Record or import sounds
  • Layer up to 8 sounds per loop
  • Up to 10 channels per track
  • Export creations as sounds, loops, or tracks
Features
Read full description

Create music effortlessly and produce professional-quality tracks with ease. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro, this app is designed to help you make beats, loops, and tracks with minimal effort. PERFECT FOR EVERYONE: - Intuitive interface for quick beat creation - Powerful features for experienced musicians and producers KEY FEATURES: - Create beats, loops, and full tracks - Access 14 drum sounds and 75 instrument sounds - Preloaded with 7 loops and 2 tracks for instant inspiration - Record your own sounds or import .wav files - Layer up to 8 sounds in a loop - Use up to 10 channels in a track - Save and load an unlimited number of sounds, loops, and tracks - Set the tempo from 10 to 300 bpm for full control - Adjust the volume of each sound in a loop and each channel in a track - Export your creations as sounds, loops, or tracks - Merge multiple sound layers into one for cleaner mixes - Easily export your loops and tracks to share or remix Unlock your creativity with this simple yet powerful music-making tool and start producing your next hit today!

Screenshots

Drum School4 screens
Beat Maker4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Drum School at 89% against Beat Maker's 30%. Drum School also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (255 vs 28). Beat Maker's advantage is price ($3.99 vs $24.99) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). On update cadence, 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

Drum School costs $24.99 and Beat Maker $3.99 up front. Drum School sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Beat Maker asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Drum School holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Drum School has 255 ratings behind it against 28, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of Drum School's written reviews are positive against 30% of Beat Maker's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Drum School ships an update every 3 months, Beat Maker every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Drum School versus Beat Maker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDrum SchoolBeat Maker
Price$24.99$3.99 — better
Rating4.7 (255 ratings) — better4.4 (28 ratings)
Positive reviews89.0% of reviews — better30.0% of reviews
Number of ratings255 — better28
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.513 — better
Further details — not scored
Size291 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFerenc NemethMikhail Akopov

Customer experience

Drum School

All ratings252 ratings
Positive94.0%
Neutral2.0%
Negative4.0%
Written reviews301 reviews
Positive89.0%
Neutral4.7%
Negative6.3%

Beat Maker

All ratings28 ratings
Positive89.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.7%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive30.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative70.0%

Bugs and requests

Drum School

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Video freezing on slower devices
  • Occasional app crashes

Requested features

3 requests
  • More advanced beats and fills
  • Ability to create custom practice routines
  • Integration with music streaming services

Beat Maker

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Drum School

One-time2
  • Pop Rock Hits Vol.1$1.99
  • Funk Hits Vol.1$1.99
None

Beat Maker

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Drum School free?
Drum School costs $24.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Beat Maker free?
Beat Maker costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Drum School or Beat Maker?
Drum School is rated higher. Drum School averages 4.7 out of 5 from 255 ratings, while Beat Maker averages 4.4 from 28 ratings.
Do Drum School or Beat Maker have ads?
Neither Drum School nor Beat Maker shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Drum School or Beat Maker?
Drum School ships an update every 3 months, and Beat Maker every 2 months. Most recently, Drum School was updated on October 24, 2026 and Beat Maker on October 22, 2026.

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