Comparison

Drumgenius vs Jazz Licks

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

Head to head
About

Drumgenius

Explore an encyclopedia of drum grooves from Jazz to Rock, played by legendary drummers. Practice with expert virtual drummers to develop your time-feel and expand rhythmic knowledge. Includes a smart metronome with "clave" and "swing regulator" features.

Highlights
  • Encyclopedia of 500+ drum grooves
  • Play along with master drummers
  • Develop time-feel and rhythm knowledge
  • Stretchable and loopable drum loops
  • Smart Metronome with clave and swing regulator
  • Descriptions and discography references
Features
Read full description

Master your sense of time by practicing with a drum genius! Created after years of research by Mauro Battisti (experienced musician and specialist in the field), Drumgenius is the choice of top players and leading music academies. An ever-growing rhythm library to practice on — 500+ loops across 21 styles, reproducing real grooves by the best drummers and following authentic patterns of rhythms from around the world. The loop player is packed with dedicated functions that put you in full control of every practice session. In-depth descriptions and insights offer a deeper understanding of the world of rhythm. Plus, using Metrogenius, the smart built-in metronome — with a fully editable library of 9 meters + 22 clave patterns — you can explore everything from basic patterns to the most complex rhythmic cycles. Easy Organization & Backup: Personalize your library by renaming loops, creating custom groups, and starring favorites. Save different practice setlists into single backup files to switch setups whenever you need, restore in a single tap on new devices, or share with friends, students, and fellow musicians. THE LOOP LIBRARY IS CONSTANTLY GROWING AND CURRENTLY INCLUDES: Afro-Cuban — 65 Boogaloo — 9 Brazilian — 53 Caribbean — 22 Country — 4 Disco — 3 Funky — 24 Gospel — 5 Hip-Hop — 5 Jazz — 53 Jazz – 3/4 — 9 Jazz – Ballad — 7 Jazz – Straight 8ths — 10 Jazz – Two Feel — 10 Jungle/D&B — 3 Neo Soul — 3 New Orleans — 14 Odd Time Signatures — 46 Polymeters — 17 Pop — 12 R&B — 3 Rock — 26 Shuffle — 17 Swing Lab — 24 World — 65 12/8 — 7 LOOP PLAYER TOOLS: • Count-in: Activate it if you don't want to miss the one. • Clave: Activate it to hear the rhythm backbone. Perfect for navigating tricky rhythms with confidence. • Play X Cycles: Structure your practice session by setting the exact number of repetitions for each loop. • Internal Loop Recording: Record yourself over the loop. Track your progress and share the recordings with peers and teachers. • Silence Mode (Internalize the Time): Set intervals of silence while the tempo keeps running — the ultimate test of your internal clock. • Time Morph (Rhythmic Elasticity): Accelerate and decelerate the loop in a continuous cycle, training you to react to the tempo in real time. STAY MOTIVATED: • Weekly Goals: Set practice targets, track your consistency, and share your achievements with a tap. WHAT MUSICIANS SAY: ▶ "Mauro Battisti has made it possible for anyone to play along with the greatest drummers in the world, historical and contemporary, with the ability to alter tempo. Drumgenius is a great resource that can bring any player closer to the flame." — Dave Liebman ▶ "Drumgenius sounds very good; I find it very handy to practice my instrument with real drums pattern that I can have always with me in my phone: thanks Mauro for this App." — Dominique Di Piazza, electric bass player (John McLaughlin, Trilok Gurtu, Biréli Lagrène, Dennis Chambers) ▶ "Love this app: these loops sound fantastic! They are real drum loops — not MIDI or sequences — and they loop flawlessly. A fantastic groove reference for musicians of any kind." — Damian Erskine, electric bass player (Peter Erskine, The Jaco Pastorius Big Band, Gino Vannelli, Tony Furtado), studio musician, author, adjunct professor at Portland State University ▶ "Drumgenius is a world-class teaching aid that addresses a fundamental challenge to successful performance practice for any musician: it is a virtuoso educational work by a true musical virtuoso!" — Harold Danko, jazz pianist (Lee Konitz, Chet Baker, Thad Jones & Mel Lewis Big Band), composer, Professor of Jazz Studies & Contemporary Media at Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY, USA Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Jazz Licks

Practice jazz improvisation with scrolling sheet music, backing tracks, and automatic transposition for various instruments. Offers adjustable tempo, clef switching, and PDF export for sheet music.

Highlights
  • Melody Guide with sheet music sync
  • Backing tracks with drums
  • Automatic 12-key transposition
  • Variable tempo control
  • Clef switching (treble/bass)
  • PDF export for sheet music
  • Favorites registration
Features
Read full description

◆This is a one-time purchase app that lets you practice various jazz improvisation phrases with backing tracks. Fully compatible with transposing instruments such as trumpet and saxophone. 【Main Features】 ・Melody Guide:Phrases scroll along with the sheet music and backing, allowing you to practice in sync. Great for beginners too! ・Backing with Drums:The drum keeps the rhythm so you can focus on groove while practicing. ・Automatic 12-Key Transposition:Practice without worrying about keys, even for C, Eb, and Bb instruments. ・Variable Tempo:Easily change the tempo to various patterns via settings. ・Key Step Adjustment:Optimize difficulty by transposing up a half step, perfect fourth, or perfect fifth. ・Clef Switching:Switch between treble and bass clefs. The actual pitch follows accordingly. ・Backing Pattern Switching:Freely change styles like Swing or Bossa Nova to match the mood. ・Backing Only Playback:Practice improvisation realistically without the melody line. ・Favorites Registration:Collect your favorite phrases in one place for instant access. ・PDF Export:Convert phrases into sheet music PDFs for printing. ・Simple UI & Easy Operation:Minimalist design makes functions clear at a glance. ・More Phrases Coming Soon:Content will be expanded with updates. 【Recommended For】 ・Jazz beginners to advanced players ・Wind players who want to improve improvisation for big band or jam sessions ・Those who want to systematically learn standard jazz phrases ・Those who want to manage sheet music, backing, and tempo all in one app 【One-Time Purchase for Peace of Mind】 ・No additional payments or subscriptions ・Future phrase additions will also be provided for free

Screenshots

Drumgenius4 screens
Jazz Licks3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Drumgenius at Free against Jazz Licks's $12.99. Drumgenius also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.7) and ratings volume (232 vs 6). Jazz Licks's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). 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

Drumgenius is free to download; Jazz Licks costs $12.99 up front. Drumgenius sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Jazz Licks asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Drumgenius holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Drumgenius has 232 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Drumgenius's written reviews are positive against 62% of Jazz Licks's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Drumgenius ships an update weekly, Jazz Licks every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Drumgenius versus Jazz Licks: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDrumgeniusJazz Licks
PriceFree — better$12.99
Rating4.5 (232 ratings) — better3.7 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews76.4% of reviews — better61.9% of reviews
Number of ratings232 — better6
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB49 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperProjazz LabGENIT Inc.

Customer experience

Drumgenius

All ratings232 ratings
Positive84.9%
Neutral5.2%
Negative9.9%
Written reviews199 reviews
Positive76.4%
Neutral9.5%
Negative14.1%

Jazz Licks

All ratings6 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive61.9%
Neutral14.3%
Negative23.8%

Bugs and requests

Drumgenius

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Purchased loops disappearing
  • Inability to download/play some loops
  • Crashes when downloading loops

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more world rhythms and genres like Amapiano
  • Add more Tony Williams-style medium-uptempo swing tracks
  • Add ability to export/share loops
  • Add dark mode support
  • Improve organization and browsing of purchased loops

Jazz Licks

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Drumgenius

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly Pass$1.991 Month
One-time4
  • 10 credits pack$0.99
  • 50 credits pack$1.99
  • Infinite Credits pack$7.99
Show 1 more
  • Lifetime Access$12.99
None

Jazz Licks

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Drumgenius free?
Drumgenius is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Jazz Licks free?
Jazz Licks costs $12.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Drumgenius or Jazz Licks?
Drumgenius is rated higher. Drumgenius averages 4.5 out of 5 from 232 ratings, while Jazz Licks averages 3.7 from 6 ratings.
Do Drumgenius or Jazz Licks have ads?
Neither Drumgenius nor Jazz Licks shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Drumgenius or Jazz Licks?
Drumgenius ships an update weekly, and Jazz Licks every 6 days. Most recently, Drumgenius was updated on October 25, 2026 and Jazz Licks on October 24, 2026.

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