Comparison

DM1 for iPhone vs iMPC for iPhone

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

Head to head
About

DM1 for iPhone

Transform your iPhone into a powerful beat-making machine with this advanced vintage drum machine. Create intricate rhythms with a step sequencer, play beats on drum pads, and apply a wide range of real-time effects. Easily compose songs and export your creations.

Highlights
  • 154 electronic drum kits
  • Step sequencer
  • Drum pads with quantized recording
  • Mixer with channel controls
  • Real-time FX trackpads
  • Song composer with timeline editing
  • Instrument mode for melodies
Read full description

DM1 is an advanced vintage Drum Machine. It turns your iPhone into a fun and creative beat making machine. Easy and fast to use, loaded with 154 superb electronic drum kits and beautiful hyper-realistic graphics, DM1 has been designed for a lot of instant fun. As electronic musicians ourselves, we, at Fingerlab, have developed DM1 with the intention of delivering the perfect mix between fun playability and powerful sonic capacities. We always keep in mind the importance of a beautiful design with the right balance of powerful abilities while avoiding clumsy, overbusy interfaces. Check our 154 electronic drum kits. 42 classic vintage drum kits plus 112 in-house produced electronic kits, edited and mastered at Fingerlab professional studio. DM1 offers 5 main sections: 1 - THE STEP SEQUENCER frees your imagination with a smart use of the multi-touch screen. Just turn on and off steps in your sequence with the tip of your fingers to create cool beats, or unexpected rhythms! 2 - THE DRUM PADS simply lets you play and record the beat that tickles your fingers. No need to be a first-class drummer, automatic quantize does the work for you. 3 - THE MIXER for quick and subtle sound mixing of your drum kits. Featuring settings for volume, pitch, sample length, custom drum kit element for each channel, mute and solo mode. 4 - THE FX TRACKPADS a creative FX trackpad to distort, modulate and transform your beats. The effects include: Overdrive, Delay, Reverb, Phaser, Formant, Dalek, Filter, Compressor, Envelope follower, Dub Delay, Texturizer, Robotizer, and Noise Gate. 5 - THE SONG COMPOSER allows you to quickly make a song with the beat patterns you have created. Just drag and drop the patterns onto the timeline. Fast and easy. Specifications: - Retina Display - Graphic design by Jonas Eriksson - Smart ergonomy for fast creativity and fun - 108 vintage and produced drum kits, mastered at in-house Fingerlab Sound Studios - 48 additional drum kits available with In-App Purchases - Instrument mode allowing to add bassline, chord and melody - 3 instruments: Piano, Korg MicroPreset and Cello Strings - 3 other instrument (Clavinet, Marimba, MiniLogue) are available with In-App Purchases - Step Sequencer with multi-touch matrix - Mixer page with pitch, length and level rotary controls, pan controls, and custom drum kit per channel - 9 Drum pads, quantized recording - FX Trackpad for real-time sonic destruction - 16 or 32 Steps per patterns - The Randomizer tool - Extra fast drum kit loading - Playable pattern selection for extra creativity - Mode song with intuitive editing - High-quality export to SoundCloud, DropBox, Email, iTunes shared folder, AudioCopy or any other apps - Audio background mode - Audiobus support - Import & Export your song project (DropBox, Mail, iTunes folder) - Full Midi implementation - Inter-App Audio support Watch DM1 video trailer on YouTube Fingerlab's channel: http://www.youtube.com/fingerlab Feel free to let us know what you think and what you'd like to see in the next DM1 update. Enjoy! Watch us : vimeo.com/ fingerlab Visit us : fingerlab.net Follow us : twitter.com/ fingerlab Contact us : contact@fingerlab.net Powered by Fingerlab http://www.fingerlab.net

About

iMPC for iPhone

Transform your iPhone into a powerful music production studio. Create beats with over 600 samples, editable programs, and sequences. Record, overdub, and apply built-in effects for endless creative possibilities.

Highlights
  • Over 600 samples
  • 47 editable programs
  • 80 editable sequences
  • Built-in sampler with mic, line-in, and turntable recording
  • Built-in effects (delay, bit crusher, compressor)
  • Export to MPC Software and share to social media
  • 16 Levels mode and Note Variation slider
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Turn your iPhone into an MPC with more than 600 samples, 47 editable programs, 80 editable sequences, and iconic MPC workflow. Need help? Have an issue or question? Please email us at support@retronyms.com. iMPC brings the look and feel of the classic Akai Pro MPC to your iPhone. iMPC includes everything you need to create a beat quickly and easily. With features including built-in effects, plus the ability to create new sequences and record and overdub beats, the possibilities are endless. The app’s built-in sampler can record samples three different ways: using the mic on the iPhone, using the line input on the iPhone, or using the multi-touch turntable interface in iMPC to record samples directly from iTunes or other music libraries. - Exclusive iMPC sound set and classic Akai Professional sound library - "3D Perform" controls -- use your iPhone's motion sensors to control parameters - Export tracks to MPC Software for use with MPC Renaissance and MPC Studio - Share on SoundCloud, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, or export to your computer - 16 Levels mode: 16 levels of attack, velocity, length, and tuning - Note Variation slider: adjust attack, velocity, length, and tuning as you play - Trim and categorize samples, undo takes and erase samples - Create new sequences, record and overdub beats - Live Sequence queuing for real-time performance and playback - Simple drag and drop program creation - Effects include delay, bit crusher, master compressor/limiter - Time correct: 1/8 note - 1/32T with variable swing - Note Repeat: 1/8 note - 1/32T timing, with latch - AudioCopy beats and sequences to compatible apps - AudioPaste samples from hundreds of compatible apps

Screenshots

DM1 for iPhone4 screens
iMPC for iPhone4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: DM1 for iPhone at 4.1 against iMPC for iPhone's 2.8. DM1 for iPhone also leads on review sentiment (73% vs 35%) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 6 months). iMPC for iPhone's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and chart position (#172 vs unranked). On ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

DM1 for iPhone costs $4.99 and iMPC for iPhone $6.99 up front. DM1 for iPhone sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. iMPC for iPhone asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

DM1 for iPhone holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 2.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 79 and 84 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of DM1 for iPhone's written reviews are positive against 35% of iMPC for iPhone's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DM1 for iPhone ships an update every 3 months, iMPC for iPhone every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
DM1 for iPhone versus iMPC for iPhone: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDM1 for iPhoneiMPC for iPhone
Price$4.99 — better$6.99
Rating4.1 (79 ratings) — better2.8 (84 ratings)
Positive reviews73.3% of reviews — better35.0% of reviews
Number of ratings7984 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#172 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.68.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size253 MB79 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFingerlabAkai Professional

Customer experience

DM1 for iPhone

All ratings79 ratings
Positive75.9%
Neutral5.1%
Negative19.0%
Written reviews341 reviews
Positive73.3%
Neutral12.6%
Negative14.1%

iMPC for iPhone

All ratings84 ratings
Positive36.9%
Neutral16.7%
Negative46.4%
Written reviews246 reviews
Positive35.0%
Neutral15.0%
Negative50.0%

User reviews

DM1 for iPhone

From 79 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💎 Best drum machine app
  • 🎨 Great variety of drum sounds and kits
  • 🎚️ Intuitive and easy to use interface
  • 🔊 High-quality sound
  • 💰 Excellent value for money

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
  • 📱 Compatibility problems on newer devices
  • 🔋 Battery drain
  • 🔇 Lack of individual track export
  • 🕰️ Inaccurate tempo and timing

iMPC for iPhone

From 84 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Classic MPC feel
  • 👍 Intuitive interface
  • 🎨 Good sound quality
  • 💰 Affordable price

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes
  • 🔀 Unreliable sample playback
  • 🚫 Inability to delete samples
  • 🤖 Outdated and unresponsive UI

Bugs and requests

DM1 for iPhone

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes on launch
  • Audio distortion and glitches
  • Sync and timing issues when exporting to other apps
  • Unresponsive controls and UI elements

Requested features

7 requests
  • Add support for more time signatures (3/4, 5/4, etc.)
  • Implement Ableton Link for better sync with other apps
  • Allow importing and using custom samples
  • Add more effects and per-channel processing
  • Implement a save/revert function to avoid losing progress
Show 2 more
  • Improve tempo controls with finer adjustment and tap tempo
  • Provide individual track export options

iMPC for iPhone

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes when editing samples
  • Playback issues with iOS 9 and later
  • Bluetooth connectivity problems

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add song mode to link sequences
  • Implement Audiobus support
  • Improve sample chopping and editing
  • Allow importing samples from cloud storage

In-app purchases

1 purchases

DM1 for iPhone

One-time1
  • All Packs$3.99
None

iMPC for iPhone

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is DM1 for iPhone free?
DM1 for iPhone costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is iMPC for iPhone free?
iMPC for iPhone costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, DM1 for iPhone or iMPC for iPhone?
DM1 for iPhone is rated higher. DM1 for iPhone averages 4.1 out of 5 from 79 ratings, while iMPC for iPhone averages 2.8 from 84 ratings.
Do DM1 for iPhone or iMPC for iPhone have ads?
Neither DM1 for iPhone nor iMPC for iPhone shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DM1 for iPhone or iMPC for iPhone?
DM1 for iPhone ships an update every 3 months, and iMPC for iPhone every 6 months. Most recently, DM1 for iPhone was updated on September 29, 2026 and iMPC for iPhone on September 28, 2026.

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