PercussionTutor vs Guitar Cycles App
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
Read full descriptionHide full description
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
Guitar Cycles App
Explore chord voicings and inversions systematically across the entire guitar fretboard. This app visually guides you through harmonic cycles, helping you understand how chords transform without memorizing isolated shapes. Study offline and generate playable fingerings for various voicings.
- Explore harmonic cycles of any key
- Generate chord voicings (Drop 2, Drop 3, etc.)
- View chords on fretboard diagrams
- Calculate playable fingerings
- Offline study capability
Read full descriptionHide full description
Guitar Cycles walks you through the guitar's harmonic cycles: a visual, systematic way to explore chord voicings, inversions across the entire fretboard, instead of memorizing shapes in isolation. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Explore the harmonic cycles of any key and see how chords transform as you move across the neck • Generate voicings (Drop 2, Drop 3, Drop 2&4, Drop 2&3, and more) with an engine that calculates playable fingerings • View every chord on a clear fretboard diagram, with notes highlighted • Study offline, anywhere WHO IT'S FOR Built for guitarists who want to understand how chords actually move across the fretboard, whether you're just discovering theory or you teach and need ready-made visual material. No account required, no ads interrupting your practice. Terms of Use: https://www.guitarcycles.com/tos.ios.html Privacy Policy: https://www.guitarcycles.com/privacy.ios.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Guitar Cycles App at Free against PercussionTutor's $14.99. Guitar Cycles App also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 90%). PercussionTutor's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (267 vs 1). On rating, 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
Guitar Cycles App is free to download; PercussionTutor costs $14.99 up front. Guitar Cycles App sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $11.99 per year. PercussionTutor asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for PercussionTutor against 5.0 for Guitar Cycles App. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PercussionTutor has 267 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 90% of PercussionTutor's written reviews are positive against 100% of Guitar Cycles App's.
PercussionTutor ships an update every 5 months, Guitar Cycles App fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PercussionTutor | Guitar Cycles App |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $14.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.9 (267 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 90.1% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 267 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #191 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 440 MB | 42 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | FunkyDrumTutor | ENRICO DELL'AQUILA |
Customer experience
PercussionTutor
Guitar Cycles App
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
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- 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
Show 13 moreShow fewer
- 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
Guitar Cycles App
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
PercussionTutor
No in-app purchases
Guitar Cycles App
- Annual Premium License$11.991 Year
- Lifetime Premium License$22.99
Questions
Is PercussionTutor free?
Is Guitar Cycles App free?
Which has better reviews, PercussionTutor or Guitar Cycles App?
Do PercussionTutor or Guitar Cycles App have ads?
Which is updated more often, PercussionTutor or Guitar Cycles App?
Other comparisons















