PercussionTutor vs Polyrhythm
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PercussionTutor
Explore a vast library of world percussion rhythms and instruments. Learn through standard notation, videos, and practice tools like time-stretching and a metronome. Ideal for musicians, dancers, and rhythm enthusiasts seeking authentic global drumming traditions.
- Extensive library of world rhythms
- Individual drum track control
- Audio time-stretching
- Integrated metronome
- Standard notation and descriptions
- Instructional videos
- Authentic instrument sounds
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MODERN DRUMMER MAGAZINE (October 2015 issue): “This is a must-have for anyone wanting an encyclopedia of world percussion rhythms at their fingertips.” PercussionTutor is an educational app for dedicated world percussion enthusiasts. The app and its free companion book feature a unique library of world rhythms and instruments played by leading percussionists and drummers. A time stretching feature and a metronome give the users the option to practice at their own pace. NO IN-APP PURCHASES! Make sure to buy the app now and get all the future content for free. We will release updates on a regular basis adding new rhythms and videos. Damian Erskine (bassist, educator, writer for NoTreble.com): “PercussionTutor is truly fantastic and a blast to play along with”. (full review on NoTreble.com) Lincoln Goines (electric and acoustic bassist) writes: “This app is an engaging and informative way to check out the original funk. A great tool for musicians, dancers, and all lovers of rhythm”. Percussive Arts Society: “The interactive application is very thorough [...]. Navigation is simple and the layout is logical and easy to grasp.” PercussionTutor will allow you to approach South American, Caribbean and West African music in a different way. This app offers you more than a simple play-along. It includes standard notation, videos and specific claves. We also took the outmost care to capture the natural feeling of all those drumming traditions. For the batá rhythms we even developed a random playback engine that will simulate an actual batá performance. This app puts you in a live playing situation - just like you learned your mother language. You will sound more natural and more alive and you will awaken to new rhythmic possibilities. It's also a great tool for other musicians, dancers and performers who want to immerse themselves into centuries-old traditional languages. FEATURES: - Over 80 rhythms (some rhythms include a basic and a more advanced version) - Rhythms from Cuba, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Peru, West Africa, ... - ALL drums can be turned on and off individually - audio time-stretching feature - 59 videos - over 50 percussion instruments - Sheets of all the rhythms included in the app and in the free book - A description of all the rhythms - MORE RHYTMS COMING: we are working on a lot more content to be released on a regular basis! FEATURED MUSICIANS: * Louis Bauzo, performed with Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie, Paul Simon * Greg Askew, performed with Tito Puente * Luiz Ebert * Jérôme Goldschmidt, performed with Tito Puente, M. Santamaria & Chico O’Farrill * Marcos Napa, performed with Perú N. * M. Monaco, performed with Al Di Meola * Oswald Simmonds * Reynaldo Alcantara * Richard Byrd, performed with Babatunde Olatunji * Rudy Walker, performed with Pharaoh Saunders, Randy Weston * Victor Rendón, performed with M. Santamaria, Xavier Cugat Orchestra FEATURED RHYTHMS: **Cuba - Popular Music** - Afro - Bolero - Cha Cha Cha - Mozambique - Pachanga - Pilon - Salsa 1, 2, 3, 4 - Songo 1, 2 & 3 - Timba **Cuba - Folk Music** - Abakua Havana - Afra - Agüeito - Azogano Part 1, 2 - Columbia Part 1 - Conga - Guaguanco - Guiro - Iyesa - Makuta - Mozambique - Palo - Yambu - Yuca **Cuba - Batá Drums** - Lalubanche - Latopa - Ogun - Auguere (part 1) - Auguere (part 2) - Imbaloke - Babaluaye (part 1) - Babaluaye (part 2) - Kuru Kurubete - Ewe Masiboroñu - Borotitilawa - Dada - Oggue - Agayu Part 1,2,3 & 4 - Oferere - Ibejis - Akete Obba - Odudua - Iya Mase - Yacota - Ñongo - Chachalokafun - Iyesa - Echu - Olokun **Spain - Flamenco** - Bulerías - Soleá por Bulerías - Tangos **Brazil** - Baião - Bossa Nova - Samba Batucada - Samba Enredo - Samba Pagode - Samba Reggae - Xaxado **Dominican Republic** - Jaleo - Merengue - Pambiche **Puerto Rico** - Xica - Holandes & Holandes fast version - Plena **Peru** - Festejo - Zamacueca - Vals Peruano - Lando - Afro **West Africa** - Fanga - Saa - Lamban - Sounou
Polyrhythm
Master complex rhythms with this intuitive trainer. Visualize and practice polyrhythms by toggling beats, adjusting volumes, and setting tempo. Offers a variety of sounds for a personalized practice experience.
- Create and visualize polyrhythms
- Toggle individual beats
- Variety of sound options
- Independent rhythm volume control
- TAP tempo setting
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A simple and intuitive rhythm trainer to help you master complex polyrhythms. Core Features: - Create and visualize a wide range of polyrhythms - Toggle individual beats on or off to practice syncopation - Choose from a variety of sounds - Adjust the volume of the top and bottom rhythms independently - Set the tempo using the TAP button
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Polyrhythm at $4.99 against PercussionTutor's $14.99. PercussionTutor's advantage is update cadence (every 5 months vs every 31 months) and ratings volume (266 vs 64). On rating, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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
PercussionTutor costs $14.99 and Polyrhythm $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for PercussionTutor against 4.9 for Polyrhythm. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 266 and 64 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 90% of PercussionTutor's written reviews are positive against 95% of Polyrhythm's.
PercussionTutor ships an update every 5 months, Polyrhythm every 31 months. Both last shipped on October 18, 2026.
| Parameter | PercussionTutor | Polyrhythm |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $14.99 | $4.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.9 (266 ratings) | 4.9 (64 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 90.1% of reviews | 95.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 266 — better | 64 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months — better | Every 31 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #52 — better | #136 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 440 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | FunkyDrumTutor | Autumn Rock Software Development |
Customer experience
PercussionTutor
Polyrhythm
Bugs and requests
PercussionTutor
Reported bugs
9 issues- Metronome timing is 2 clicks ahead of actual rhythm
- Audio distortion when moderately increasing tempo
- Crashes with external USB audio interfaces (RME Babyface, RME Babyface Pro, Motu 828es)
- No audio output with some USB interfaces despite no crash
- App crashes when opening other apps
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- Audio loss when switching between audio apps
- Incorrect sheet music for Clave Tiñosa
- Transient smearing and rhythm attack blurring at very slow tempos
- Occasional app crashes during normal use
Requested features
18 requests- More Colombian rhythms (Cumbia, Bullerengue, Vallenato, Porro, Currulao, Mapale)
- Brazilian genres expansion (Choro, Forró, and variations)
- Individual volume controls for each instrument
- Visual playhead/bar indicator moving through sheet music in real-time
- Count-in before rhythm starts
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- Metronome function for all rhythms
- Tempo adjustment without pitch change (time-stretching)
- Higher tempo limits for certain rhythms
- Dominican Bachata rhythm
- West African dance rhythms
- 6/8 bell patterns and rhythms
- Puerto Rican rhythm corrections and additions (Cuembé, Yubá, Seis Corrido)
- Salsa 2-3 and 3-2 pattern variations
- Practice timer to track time per rhythm
- Better graphics and authentic instrument photos
- Integration with DAW apps like GarageBand
- Free trial version before purchase
- Middle Eastern percussion sounds
Polyrhythm
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
PercussionTutor
No in-app purchases
Polyrhythm
No in-app purchases
