Comparison

EarWizard vs Soft Drummer

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

Head to head
About

EarWizard

This app trains your ear and improves memory by having you repeat chord sequences that increase in length. As you progress, visual cues fade, forcing reliance on auditory memory. It offers multiple difficulty levels and modes for musicians of all skill levels.

Highlights
  • Chord sequence repetition
  • Progressive difficulty levels
  • Visual cues fade with skill
  • Multiple musical modes
  • Endless play mode
  • Speed control
Features
Read full description

Wizdom Music announces EarWizard, created by Jordan Rudess and Felipe Peña. EarWizard trains your ear while improving your memory skills. Repeat back a sequence of chords which gets longer with each round of play. As you improve your skills, the visuals disappear and you will have to depend on your EAR! Start off in EASY mode with only a few chords on screen and with practice, you will ultimately reach the hardest level where you will have seven chords on screen and be playing against the clock! Whether you are a novice or a trained musician, EarWizard will surely keep you entertained and challenged. Features: Three levels - Easy, Normal and Hard Start with three chords in a key and go up to seven! Features fun Jordan videos playing each chord Five different diatonic modes-presented in three keys Endless Mode for continuos play in any level Speed control-Slow to Lightspeed Chart that allows you to hear and see the note spelling of all chords in the selected key Wizardly video rewards Coming soon: Game Center support Additional sounds and more videos

About

Soft Drummer

This app provides natural acoustic drum sounds and improvises musically with warm grooves for various genres. It offers multi-track MIDI export, live pad performance, and synchronization with other apps. Create rhythmic structures for songs quickly and control parameters via MIDI.

Highlights
  • Natural acoustic drum sounds
  • Improvise musically
  • Multi-track MIDI export
  • Live performance pads
  • Ableton Link synchronization
  • MIDI control and output
  • Song mode for rhythmic structures
Features
Read full description

Soft Drummer is your subtle session drummer, and now it works as an AUv3 plugin inside GarageBand, AUM, Loopy Pro or your favourite DAW. It doesn't loop. It improvises. With brushes, hot rods and hands, Soft Drummer generates warm, musical grooves for ballads, soft pop, jazz and latin, adapting in real time like a real session player. No patterns. No repetition. AUv3 Use Soft Drummer as a plugin in any AUv3 host. Send and receive grooves between Soft Drummer, Pop Drummer and iBassist. Sync everything in real time. SOUND More than 50 multilayer sounds with 3 hit types (ghost, accented, drag/open) × 3 Round Robin alternating samples for natural, authentic feel. 4 playing styles: Brushes, Hot Rods, Hands and Mallets. 4 Effects: Compressor/Gate, EQ, Delay and Reverb with individual track control. LIVE PERFORMANCE 8 assignable Live Pads for fills, intros and endings, playable live or with any MIDI controller (iRig Blueboard and 4-button compatible). Ableton Link sync for tight integration with your setup. SONG MODE Build your song structure in seconds. Arrange rhythmic sections and let Soft Drummer follow your song from intro to outro. MIDI MIDI Out, MIDI Sync (Legacy, recommended Ableton Link), Sound Module (Play individual sounds by MIDI In). ⏺ Assignable MIDI controls (default mapping): - Transport: Play: G2 · Fill: C2 · Fill + Play/Stop: A2 · Tap Tempo: Bb2 - LivePads: Pads 1–8: C1–G1 · Load LivePad: C3 · Previous LivePad: Db3 · Next LivePad: D3 · Select LivePad Set: Eb3 · Fill on LivePad Change: E2 - Performance: Toggle Hats/Ride: Db2 · Fill + Toggle Hats/Ride: D2 · Toggle Snare: Eb2 · Crash Cymbal: B2 · Random: B1 - Songs: Previous: Gb2 · Next: Ab2 - Continuous controls: Jam: CC1 · Intensity: CC2 · Master Volume: CC7 · Swing: CC11 · Progression: CC12 · Tempo Fader: CC20 · Reverb: CC91 - Sound selection: Bank: CC32 · Rhythm: CC0 · Soundset: Program Change All assignments are user-remappable. Note octave naming follows the Logic / Cubase / Ableton / Pro Tools convention (middle C = C3) and is adjustable in MIDI Setup → OCTAVE REFERENCE. Tempo Fader is standalone-only (host-driven in AUv3). EXPORT Multi-Track or Full Mix export in seconds. Audio, MIDI or with Effects , your choice. TRY FOR FREE Soft Drummer is free to explore for 7 days with access to all features. Some actions are limited during the trial (exports, random grooves, sound changes and bars per session). After the trial, keep playing with more limitations. Unlock everything with a one-time purchase, no subscription.

Screenshots

EarWizard4 screens
Soft Drummer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Soft Drummer at 4.7 against EarWizard's 3.4. Soft Drummer also leads on review sentiment (91% vs 53%) and ratings volume (512 vs 20). EarWizard's advantage is iOS requirement (7.0 vs 16). On price, update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. EarWizard sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Soft Drummer sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Soft Drummer holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Soft Drummer has 512 ratings behind it against 20, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 53% of EarWizard's written reviews are positive against 91% of Soft Drummer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

EarWizard ships an update every 6 weeks, Soft Drummer every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
EarWizard versus Soft Drummer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEarWizardSoft Drummer
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.4 (20 ratings)4.7 (512 ratings) — better
Positive reviews53.5% of reviews91.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings20512 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS7.0 — better16
Further details — not scored
Size173 MB814 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWizdom Music LLCLumbeat

Customer experience

EarWizard

All ratings20 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral15.0%
Negative35.0%
Written reviews86 reviews
Positive53.5%
Neutral9.3%
Negative37.2%

Soft Drummer

All ratings512 ratings
Positive93.9%
Neutral3.5%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews609 reviews
Positive91.3%
Neutral4.4%
Negative4.3%

Bugs and requests

EarWizard

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Soft Drummer

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Song mode issues, including crashes and missing features
  • Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions and devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add support for time signatures beyond 4/4
  • Improve MIDI integration and control
  • Implement audio/MIDI export options
  • Provide preset management and organization

In-app purchases

2 purchases

EarWizard

One-time2
  • EarWizard instruments pack #1$0.99
  • Unlock all content$1.99
7 purchases

Soft Drummer

One-time7
  • Big & Low$3.99
  • Presence$3.99
  • Raw Brush$3.99
Show 4 more
  • Tight Control$3.99
  • Clayton$4.99
  • Joe$4.99
  • Soft Drummer Full Access$22.99

Questions

Is EarWizard free?
EarWizard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Soft Drummer free?
Soft Drummer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, EarWizard or Soft Drummer?
Soft Drummer is rated higher. EarWizard averages 3.4 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while Soft Drummer averages 4.7 from 512 ratings.
Do EarWizard or Soft Drummer have ads?
Neither EarWizard nor Soft Drummer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, EarWizard or Soft Drummer?
EarWizard ships an update every 6 weeks, and Soft Drummer every 3 weeks. Most recently, EarWizard was updated on October 16, 2026 and Soft Drummer on October 15, 2026.

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