# Pocket Drums vs Real Drums!

The clearest difference is rating: Real Drums! at 4.5 against Pocket Drums's 4.0. Real Drums! also leads on ads (none vs shown). Pocket Drums's advantage is ratings volume (290 vs 8) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pocket Drums sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and Real Drums! sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Real Drums! holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pocket Drums has 290 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 49% of Pocket Drums's written reviews are positive against 54% of Real Drums!'s.

Pocket Drums ships an update every 2 months, Real Drums! every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pocket Drums | Real Drums! |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (290 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-drums/id522215628/reviews) | **[4.5 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/real-drums/id918720013/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **290** | 8 |
| Positive reviews | 49.4% of reviews | **53.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 84 MB | 35 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | +9 | 4+ |
| Developer | [Drum Starz](https://appshunter.io/developer/299477766) | [Mooseok Bahng](https://appshunter.io/developer/843970427) |

## What reviewers say

### Pocket Drums

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-drums/id522215628)

Experience realistic drumming with a virtual drum kit that fits in your pocket. This app offers responsive touch controls, high-fidelity drum sets, and various beats to help you play along. Learn rudiments with included videos and customize your sound with adjustable pitch, volume, and effects.

**Highlights:** Realistic touch-sensitive drum response, 15 high-fidelity recorded drum kits, 16 PlayAlong Beats and 20 music/drum beats, Basic drum rudiment videos, Adjustable pitch, sensitivity, volume, reverb, and delay, Multi-track recording and sharing capabilities

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove ads | $0.99 | one-time |
| Exporting | $0.99 | one-time |
| Kit Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Wraps | $0.99 | one-time |
| Snares | $0.99 | one-time |
| Full - Unlock everything | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎵 Realistic drum sounds and quality audio
- 👍 Great for drum practice and learning
- 🎯 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 🎸 Multiple drum kits and sound options
- 💰 Free app with useful features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📢 Excessive and intrusive advertisements
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezing
- 🔊 Occasional loud glitching sounds
- ⏱️ Timing issues and lag during fast playing
- 🎵 Poor drum sound quality in some kits

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when playing drums rapidly
- Glitching audio that stutters and repeats loudly
- App freezes when recording multiple times
- Screen stretches and becomes unresponsive
- App fails to open after updates

**Requested features**

- Double bass pedal for metal songs
- Reggae drum tones
- Splash and china cymbals
- Mix and match custom drum sets
- Built-in drumming lessons


### Real Drums!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/real-drums/id918720013)

Experience a realistic drumming environment with customizable drum kits and extensive sound options. Arrange components, edit layouts, and utilize features like auto-rolling and motion sensor integration for an immersive playing experience. Record your own beats or explore pre-recorded tracks.

**Highlights:** Customizable drum kit arrangement, Multiple drum kit sounds, Auto drum rolling, Motion sensor integration, Record and save beats, Pre-recorded beats library, 3-D sound positioning

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pocket Drums free?

Pocket Drums is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Real Drums! free?

Real Drums! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Pocket Drums or Real Drums!?

Real Drums! is rated higher. Pocket Drums averages 4.0 out of 5 from 290 ratings, while Real Drums! averages 4.5 from 8 ratings.

### Do Pocket Drums or Real Drums! have ads?

Pocket Drums shows ads; Real Drums! does not.

### Which is updated more often, Pocket Drums or Real Drums!?

Pocket Drums ships an update every 2 months, and Real Drums! every 4 months. Most recently, Pocket Drums was updated on October 19, 2026 and Real Drums! on October 20, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*