DM1 for iPhone vs BeatSeq
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
BeatSeq
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BeatSeq is a 16-step drum sequencer for Apple Watch and iPhone. Build beats on your wrist. Edit on your phone. Export to your DAW. THE RADIAL SEQUENCER Your 16 steps wrap around the watch face. Tap any step to fire it. Turn the crown to set BPM. Swipe between 9 voices — kick, snare, hi-hat, tom, crash, clap, rim, bell, and sampler. PER-STEP CONTROL Hold any step to go deeper. Set ratchet (×2/×3/×4 sub-hit rolls), probability gate (100/75/50/25%), or accent — per step, per voice. 4 BANKS · SONG MODE Each drum gets 4 independent banks — A, B, C, D — each with its own pattern and length. Chain up to 8 banks in Song Mode to build a full arrangement. 7 GROOVE PACKS Jungle, house, garage, Euclidean, and more. Generate a full kit or drop individual voices in. Play it as-is or use it as a starting point. 9-VOICE MIXER Dial in volumes on the iPhone or straight from the watch. EXPORT WAV, stems, or MIDI. One tap, straight to your DAW. SYNC Build on your watch. Sync to iPhone. Export and go. Designed for beatmakers, producers, and anyone who wants to sketch ideas anywhere — then take them further.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BeatSeq at none against DM1 for iPhone's 1. BeatSeq also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 months) and price ($2.99 vs $4.99). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
DM1 for iPhone costs $4.99 and BeatSeq $2.99 up front. DM1 for iPhone sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. BeatSeq asks for nothing beyond the download.
DM1 for iPhone ships an update every 3 months, BeatSeq every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | DM1 for iPhone | BeatSeq |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | $2.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.1 (80 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 73.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 80 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 253 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Fingerlab | Imran Azizuddin |
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
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- Improve tempo controls with finer adjustment and tap tempo
- Provide individual track export options
BeatSeq
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
DM1 for iPhone
- All Packs$3.99
BeatSeq
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is DM1 for iPhone free?
Is BeatSeq free?
Do DM1 for iPhone or BeatSeq have ads?
Which is updated more often, DM1 for iPhone or BeatSeq?
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