# Drum vs spectwhirl

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Drum at 80% against spectwhirl's 33%. Drum also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.0). spectwhirl's advantage is price ($4.99 vs $14.99) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 7 months). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Drum costs $14.99 and spectwhirl $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Drum holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 5 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of Drum's written reviews are positive against 33% of spectwhirl's.

Drum ships an update every 7 months, spectwhirl every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Drum | spectwhirl |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $14.99 | **$4.99** |
| Rating | **[4.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drum-80/id6444686683/reviews)** | [4.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spectwhirl/id6471030896/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 5 | 5 |
| Positive reviews | **80.0% of reviews** | 33.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Size | 7 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Genuine Soundware](https://appshunter.io/developer/1560880481) | [Alexey Nadzharov](https://appshunter.io/developer/729549192) |

## What reviewers say

### Drum

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drum-80/id6444686683)

This app recreates the distinctive sound of early 1980s electronic drum modules combined with sampled real cymbal sounds. It offers a virtual analog engine for drum synthesis and a separate engine for realistic cymbal playback, providing a unique sonic palette for music production.

**Highlights:** Virtual analog engine for 80s drum sounds, Sampled real cymbal sounds, Dual sound engines for drums and cymbals, Multiple output options, Built-in effects (limiter, delay, reverb), Unlimited program storage

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### spectwhirl

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spectwhirl/id6471030896)

This audio effect app transforms input sound into new textures and bell-like tones by extracting and manipulating sinewave components. It offers advanced control over delay lines, frequency shifting, and filtering, with gesture recording for parameter automation.

**Highlights:** Sinewave component extraction and grouping, Delay lines with feedback, Frequency shifter and sample-and-hold effects, Configurable filtering, Gesture recording for automation, Scene saving and management

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Drum free?

Drum costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is spectwhirl free?

spectwhirl costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Drum or spectwhirl?

Drum is rated higher. Drum averages 4.8 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while spectwhirl averages 4.0 from 5 ratings.

### Do Drum or spectwhirl have ads?

Neither Drum nor spectwhirl shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Drum or spectwhirl?

Drum ships an update every 7 months, and spectwhirl every 5 weeks. Most recently, Drum was updated on October 24, 2026 and spectwhirl on October 24, 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.*