Comparison

Drumgenius vs RealPlay

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

RealPlay

Practice music with authentic backing tracks performed by professional musicians. Customize tempo, key, and mix for focused learning. Features over 100 standard chord progressions with an expanding library.

Highlights
  • Authentic backing tracks
  • 100+ standard chord progressions
  • Real-time tempo adjustment
  • Instrument isolation and mixing
  • Instant transposition to all keys
Features
Read full description

RealPlay lets you practice with real music—not midi tracks, AI, or loops. Play along with authentic backing tracks performed by world-class rhythm sections, featuring an expanding library of over 100 essential standard chord progressions. Easily customize your practice with real-time controls for tempo, key, and mix—so you can focus on exactly what you need. Features: • World-class rhythm sections • 100+ essential jazz standards and chord progressions (expanding library) • Real-time tempo adjustment • Instrument isolation and mixing (ideal for rhythm section players) • Instant transposition to all 12 keys Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Drumgenius4 screens
RealPlay4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: RealPlay at 4.7 against Drumgenius's 4.5. Drumgenius's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Drumgenius sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and RealPlay sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.29 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

RealPlay holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 230 and 164 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 76% of Drumgenius's written reviews are positive against 73% of RealPlay's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Drumgenius ships an update every 8 days, RealPlay every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Drumgenius versus RealPlay: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDrumgeniusRealPlay
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (230 ratings)4.7 (164 ratings) — better
Positive reviews76.4% of reviews — better73.2% of reviews
Number of ratings230 — better164
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB113 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperProjazz LabRealPlay LLC

Customer experience

Drumgenius

All ratings230 ratings
Positive84.8%
Neutral5.2%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews199 reviews
Positive76.4%
Neutral9.5%
Negative14.1%

RealPlay

All ratings164 ratings
Positive93.9%
Neutral2.4%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews41 reviews
Positive73.2%
Neutral12.2%
Negative14.6%

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

RealPlay

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
2 purchases

RealPlay

Subscriptions2
  • RealPlay Pro Monthly$3.291 Month
  • RealPlay Pro Yearly$21.991 Year

Questions

Is Drumgenius free?
Drumgenius is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is RealPlay free?
RealPlay is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Drumgenius or RealPlay?
RealPlay is rated higher. Drumgenius averages 4.5 out of 5 from 230 ratings, while RealPlay averages 4.7 from 164 ratings.
Do Drumgenius or RealPlay have ads?
Neither Drumgenius nor RealPlay shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Drumgenius or RealPlay?
Drumgenius ships an update every 8 days, and RealPlay every 5 days. Most recently, Drumgenius was updated on October 20, 2026 and RealPlay on October 22, 2026.

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