Comparison

Drum vs VAPolyFM

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

Head to head
About

Drum

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
Read full description

Please note: 1) This App comes with an AUv3 plugin extension. 2) To play the cymbal samples, a separate download (free, in-app) of ~180 MB is required. The App also works without the cymbal samples. INSTRUMENT BACKGROUND We all know and use electronic drums today, but at the beginning of the 80's the first electronic drums were a real novelty that revolutionized not only the sound of music of those years, but also the workflow in the recording studio. Many producers preferred to record the sound of electronic drums rather than acoustic drums because it saved time and money, avoiding having to mount microphones, find the right positions, spend hours equalizing and correcting the recorded material. With an electronic drum set it was quicker: it was enough to connect the cables and maybe find the right sound for the song, which was a perfect scenario especially for many low-cost productions, for example those of pop music. The first electronic drums were completely analog, they generated the sounds of the drums using only a few elements such as an oscillator and a white noise generator, plus a couple of envelopes and a filter. The sound wasn't exactly realistic but it was peculiar, and perfect for creating certain sounds never heard before. The downside was that electronic drums could only generate the sound of drums but not cymbals. For this reason, the sound of real cymbals was recorded alongside the sound of electronic drums. This kind of setup was also used live quite often. It was common to see a drummer on stage playing the typical hexagonal pads but combined with a set of real cymbals. GSi Drum-80 reproduces that exact scenario. It contains two separate sound engines that can play at the same time. One engine recreates the sounds of the famous electronic drum module known as the Simmons SDS-V (very similar to the later SDS-8 model); at the same time, the exclusive GSi WLF Engine plays a multi-sample of real cymbals recorded exclusively for Drum-80. Main features - Virtual Analog Engine based on the famous SDS-V drum module - Optional VCO phase reset - Supports multiple outputs (one stereo mix, six individual drum synth channels, one stereo channel for Cymbals) - Sampled Cymbal sounds (Hi-Hat, Ride, 4 Crashes, 3 Splashes) provided by the exclusive GSi WLF Engine - Full Polyphony - Separate section with adjustments for Cymbal sounds (tuning, leveling and EQ) - Stereo 1176-Style Limiter - Stereo Delay effect - Stereo Reverb effect - Built-in programmer with unlimited Programs - Embedded user's manual - Available as Stand-alone application and audio plugin (AUv3 for iPad) - Very low CPU and RAM usage Visit home page for audio and video demos.

About

VAPolyFM

Create music with a versatile hybrid synthesizer offering both FM and virtual analog subtractive synthesis. Explore a wide range of effects, a built-in sequencer, and extensive MIDI support. Save and share projects seamlessly across iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Highlights
  • FM synthesizer with 6 operators
  • Virtual analog subtractive synthesizer
  • Built-in effects (delay, chorus, reverb)
  • Sequencer with piano roll editor
  • AudioUnit Extension (AUv3) support
  • Ableton Link and MIDI 2.0 support
  • iCloud Drive project sharing
Features
Read full description

VAPolyFM is a hybrid polyphonic synthesizer for iPhone, iPad and Mac. It features FM synthesizer and subtractive synthesizer. It operates as a stand alone or as an AudioUnit Extension (AUv3). Stand Alone supports Ableton Link, MIDI and audio file export. FM synthesizer features 6 operators and 32 algorithm and it is inspired by FM synthesizers of the 1980’s. Virtual analog subtractive synthesizer features two oscillators, resonant high pass filter, resonant low pass filter and two ADSR envelopes per voice. Built-in Effects include delay, chorus, flanger, reverb, eq and compressor. VAPolyFM also includes sequencer which features piano roll editor and parameter automation. Project files can be saved in iCloud Drive, so that the project can be accessed from iPhone, iPad or Mac. - Main Features - FM Synthesizer. 6 operators and 32 algorithm. Virtual analog subtractive synthesizer. Maximum 8 voice polyphony. it depends on performance of the device it is running. Built-in effects and sequencer. Support MIDI 2.0 Support Audio Unit Extension (AUv3) Works on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Support iCloud Drive to share project files between the platforms. Audio Export. Linear PCM format (AIFF, WAV and CAF) and compressed format (AAC) Support Ableton Link, Bluetooth MIDI, MIDI In / Out. Includes 139 Factory Presets - System Requirements - A13 Fusion or above is recommended. AudioUnit Extension (AUv3) requires host application which support AudioUnit Extension. AudioUnit Extension is supported by Apple Logic and Apple Garage Band on iOS and macOS. For any other DAW, it depends on the application and some of them don’t support AudioUnit Extension. Sound may be distorted if CPU of the device doesn't have enough power. If it happens reduce number of voices.

Screenshots

Drum3 screens
VAPolyFM4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Drum at 80% against VAPolyFM's 17%. Drum also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and update cadence (every 7 months vs every 17 months). VAPolyFM's advantage is price ($3.99 vs $14.99). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Drum costs $14.99 and VAPolyFM $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Drum holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 6 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of Drum's written reviews are positive against 17% of VAPolyFM's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Drum ships an update every 7 months, VAPolyFM every 17 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Drum versus VAPolyFM: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDrumVAPolyFM
Price$14.99$3.99 — better
Rating4.8 (5 ratings) — better4.5 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews — better16.7% of reviews
Number of ratings56 — better
Update frequencyEvery 7 months — betterEvery 17 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS11.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGenuine SoundwareRyo Togawa

Customer experience

Drum

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

VAPolyFM

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive16.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

None

Drum

No in-app purchases

None

VAPolyFM

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Drum free?
Drum costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is VAPolyFM free?
VAPolyFM costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Drum or VAPolyFM?
Drum is rated higher. Drum averages 4.8 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while VAPolyFM averages 4.5 from 6 ratings.
Do Drum or VAPolyFM have ads?
Neither Drum nor VAPolyFM shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Drum or VAPolyFM?
Drum ships an update every 7 months, and VAPolyFM every 17 months. Most recently, Drum was updated on November 3, 2026 and VAPolyFM on October 30, 2026.

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