Comparison

StringMaster vs Go Drums

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

Head to head
About

StringMaster

This comprehensive music learning app offers tools for chord building, scale visualization, songwriting, and instrument tuning. It supports a wide range of instruments and provides features for both beginners and seasoned musicians.

Highlights
  • Chord building and detection
  • Scale visualization and playback
  • Songwriting tools
  • Chromatic tuner and metronome
  • Fretboard learning
  • Alternate tuning and capo support
  • Piano keyboard mapping
Features
Read full description

Introducing StringMaster, the original heart of the StringMaster family of applications that represent the pinnacle of advanced music applications for iPad and Mac, tailored for musicians ranging from relative beginners to seasoned guitarists. The StringMaster family has five versions catering to diverse needs with StringMaster providing most of the features of the Pro version, with the exception of Fretlight Guitar support and the Jam/MIDI capability, though in app upgrades are available for these features. Unlock a world of possibilities with support for chord building and detection, chord tones, scales, and songwriting, backed by a chromatic tuner, metronome, fretboard learning, flexible alternate tuning and capo support for any instrument in any orientation, and more. The StringMaster family boasts over 150,000 users and having held the #1 Music App position in 34 countries. It supports an array of instruments, from acoustic and electric guitars to bass guitars, banjos, mandolins, ukuleles, pianos, and even balalaikas. Dive into a rich sound library with distortion, reverb, or piano options for any instrument. Whether you're a guitarist, bassist, or multi-instrumentalist, StringMaster has you covered. Key features include chord building and detection, a comprehensive fretboard learning system, advanced songwriting tools, and flexible alternate tuning and capo support for any instrument in any orientation. StringMaster 4 introduces piano keyboard support, allowing seamless mapping of guitar chords to the piano keyboard. Explore the robust capabilities of StringMaster: * Play and discover chords and fingering with natural tones. * Display and play scales, including scale runs up the fretboard. * Visualize chord notes, suggested fingering, and Chord Tones. * Utilize the unique Note Finding capability to learn notes and their relative positions on the fretboard. * Benefit from the integrated Chromatic Tuner and Metronome, playable in the background. * Leverage StringMaster's chord-naming algorithms based on finger positions. * Unleash your creativity with the Song Writer, recommending chord progressions and facilitating songwriting. * Master instruments by comparing chords, patterns, and fingerings across a variety of instruments. * Output MIDI from played notes. Experience the next level of musical exploration and education with StringMaster – where versatility meets excellence. Join the global community of musicians who have made StringMaster their go-to app for musical innovation. Download StringMaster now and elevate your musical journey to new heights! Note that the App Purchase of StringMaster Pro includes full Fretlight Wireless support as well as the "Jam" capability.

About

Go Drums

Learn to play drums with interactive lessons and engaging games. Develop rhythm, timing, and drumming theory from beginner to pro. Practice on a virtual drum kit and track your progress.

Highlights
  • Interactive beat lessons
  • Engaging drum games
  • Free play mode on virtual drum kit
  • Progress tracking and statistics
  • Authentic drum sounds
Features
Read full description

Learn drums instantly from your mobile! Become a PRO DRUMMER and turn your fingertips into drumsticks with Go Drums! Discover the ultimate mobile drumming tutor and experience authentic drum lessons as you go from a beginner to pro! Learn drums, play games and feel the power of the beat like never before! Our intuitive drum lessons will teach you the knowledge and skills every drummer needs. You’ll improve your sense of rhythm, timing and learn the fundamentals of drumming theory. ~ Key Features ~ BEAT LESSONS. Learn drum beats in a variety of styles. DRUM GAMES. Play exciting drum games! FREE PLAY MODE. Learn drums on a real drum kit! MY STATS MODE. Complete progress tracking and statistics. ~ Beat Lessons ~ Go Drums is all about drumming education. Learn to drum beats in a variety of styles from reggae to hip-hop through to pop, rock or whatever genre you can think of! Follow our lesson plans and study different skills from different genres. Practice daily, make the most of our metronome, and you’ll be a world-class drummer in no time! ~ Drum Games ~ Drum games offer a host of various gaming experiences that are not only fun to play but teach you essential drumming skills to help you learn drums! Experience a variety of games that will train different areas from rhythm to tempo! The better you play, the higher your score. Continue to master your percussion skills as you unlock new challenges and become a better drummer! ~ Free Play Mode ~ In Free play mode, you’ll practice your drumming skills as well as experiment with various drums and rhythms with nothing more than a few taps! The intuitive design of Go Drums delivers an experience just like playing a real drum set, both in look and sound. Every sound used throughout Go Drums we record authentically. Every drum you hear is the real thing, played by a pro. ~ My Stats ~ Throughout each lesson, your score and your progress get tracked. Tracking and stats mean you’ll know what you need to do to become a better drummer! Are you struggling with timing? Go Drums will highlight this and suggest lessons that will help you improve. Play games, learn to drum and become a master of the sticks as you discover the ultimate drum app! Subscribe to Premium to enjoy exclusive content! Unlimited access to our Premium features include all lessons and genres. The app contains the following subscription options: - Weekly with a 3-day free trial at $9.99. - Monthly at $ 9.99; - Yearly at $ 29.99. - Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. - The account is charged for renewal within 24-hours before the end of the current period. - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user’s Account Settings after purchase. - The cost of renewal is equal to the value that “Apple’s App Store Matrix” determines as the equivalent of the subscription price in $USD. - Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication. Privacy Policy: https://gismart.com/privacy-policy/ Terms of Service: https://gismart.com/terms-of-service/

Screenshots

Go Drums4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Go Drums at Free against StringMaster's $14.99. Go Drums also leads on ratings volume (1.4K vs 24) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). StringMaster's advantage is review sentiment (80% vs 43%) and ads (none vs shown). On rating, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

Go Drums is free to download; StringMaster costs $14.99 up front. StringMaster sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Go Drums sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for StringMaster against 4.6 for Go Drums. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Go Drums has 1.4K ratings behind it against 24, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of StringMaster's written reviews are positive against 43% of Go Drums's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

StringMaster ships an update every 3 months, Go Drums monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
StringMaster versus Go Drums: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStringMasterGo Drums
Price$14.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (24 ratings) — better4.6 (1.4K ratings)
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews — better42.9% of reviews
Number of ratings241.4K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS13.013.0
Further details — not scored
Size172 MB219 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGreat Apptitude Pty LtdGismart Limited

Customer experience

StringMaster

All ratings23 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews35 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral5.7%
Negative14.3%

Go Drums

All ratings1,441 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral3.7%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive42.9%
Neutral3.6%
Negative53.6%

Bugs and requests

StringMaster

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Go Drums

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • App crashes frequently
  • Lessons get locked behind paywall

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add more song options
  • Improve drum labeling
  • Allow use with real drum sets

In-app purchases

2 purchases

StringMaster

One-time2
  • Fretlight Support$4.99
  • StringMaster Pro Upgrade$7.99
8 purchases

Go Drums

Subscriptions8
  • Full Access$9.991 Month
  • Premium Access3 Days trial$9.997 Days
  • Go Drums Premium$19.991 Year
Show 5 more
  • Go Drums Pro3 Days trial$29.993 Months
  • Go Drums Premium$29.991 Year
  • Go Drums Pro3 Days trial$49.996 Months
  • Go Drums Pro3 Days trial$79.991 Year
  • Go Drums Pro$79.991 Year

Questions

Is StringMaster free?
StringMaster costs $14.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Go Drums free?
Go Drums is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, StringMaster or Go Drums?
StringMaster is rated higher. StringMaster averages 4.7 out of 5 from 24 ratings, while Go Drums averages 4.6 from 1.4K ratings.
Do StringMaster or Go Drums have ads?
Go Drums shows ads; StringMaster does not.
Which is updated more often, StringMaster or Go Drums?
StringMaster ships an update every 3 months, and Go Drums monthly. Most recently, StringMaster was updated on October 12, 2026 and Go Drums on October 16, 2026.

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