# Shaker Box vs Drum Notes

The clearest difference is rating: Drum Notes at 4.6 against Shaker Box's 2.5. Drum Notes also leads on review sentiment (57% vs 23%) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 18 months). Shaker Box's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Shaker Box sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Drum Notes sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Drum Notes holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Drum Notes has 204 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 23% of Shaker Box's written reviews are positive against 57% of Drum Notes's.

Shaker Box ships an update every 18 months, Drum Notes every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shaker Box | Drum Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shaker-box/id667486112/reviews) | **[4.6 (204 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drum-notes-beats-and-notation/id1493160348/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **204** |
| Positive reviews | 22.7% of reviews | **57.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 18 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 8 MB | 133 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Steven Barnegren](https://appshunter.io/developer/632311869) | [UPBEAT STUDIO](https://appshunter.io/developer/1755215567) |

## What reviewers say

### Shaker Box

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shaker-box/id667486112)

This app transforms your iPhone into a musical instrument, offering a variety of shaker sounds. Explore different playing modes, including shake, tap, and loop, to create rhythms and beats.

**Highlights:** Playable music shakers, Shake, tap, and loop modes, Professionally recorded sounds, Precise shaking recognition, Support for 4/4 and 3/4 time signatures

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock All Shakers | $1.99 | one-time |


### Drum Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drum-notes-beats-and-notation/id1493160348)

Create, share, and practice percussive music scores with an intuitive editor. Explore a global community of drummers and percussionists, access thousands of beats, and utilize practice tools. Ideal for musicians, teachers, and bands of all levels.

**Highlights:** Intuitive score editor for drum set and percussion, Explore and learn from community-shared beats and rhythms, Practice tools including metronome and rhythm trainer, Organize rhythms, arrangements, and exercises, Create and share drum exercises for students, Export scores as audio or image formats

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly Subscription | $5.99 | per month |
| Premium Monthly Subscription | $7.99 | per month |
| Premium Yearly Subscription | $42.99 | per year |
| Premium Yearly Subscription | $42.99 | per year |
| Premium Monthly Subscription | $44.99 | per 6 months |
| Premium yearly Subscription | $49.99 | per year |
| Premium yearly subscription | $49.99 | per year |
| Drumap PRO Yearly Offer | $49.99 | per year |
| Samba on Drum set workshop | $5.99 | one-time |
| Music Capoeria Workshop | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great for writing ideas
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 👍 Good for exercises
- 👍 Useful for drummers
- 👍 Good for students

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- 🐛 Unstable on iPad
- 🐛 Accents not working
- 🐛 Subscription cost too high
- 🐛 Limited free version

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes constantly
- App crashes on iPad
- Accents don't work after saving
- Beta score writing features don't work
- App freezes on loading screen

**Requested features**

- Add whole note bass drum roll
- Increase save space
- Add MIDI export
- Add feature to play individual instruments by tapping
- Improve marching percussion sounds


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Shaker Box free?

Shaker Box is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Drum Notes free?

Drum Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Shaker Box or Drum Notes?

Drum Notes is rated higher. Shaker Box averages 2.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Drum Notes averages 4.6 from 204 ratings.

### Do Shaker Box or Drum Notes have ads?

Drum Notes shows ads; Shaker Box does not.

### Which is updated more often, Shaker Box or Drum Notes?

Shaker Box ships an update every 18 months, and Drum Notes every 2 weeks. Most recently, Shaker Box was updated on September 28, 2026 and Drum Notes on September 30, 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.*