Pop Drummer vs Sonel
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pop Drummer
This app provides realistic acoustic drum sounds and editable grooves for musicians and creators. It offers multiple drummer styles, live performance pads, and extensive customization options for creating and performing pop rhythms. Supports AUv3 and standalone use.
- Realistic acoustic drum kits
- Editable and customizable grooves
- Multiple drummer styles
- Live performance pads
- AUv3 and standalone compatibility
- MIDI control and export
- Song arrangement mode
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Pop Drummer is your new virtual drummer for practicing, creating, and performing pop rhythms like never before. Designed for musicians, producers, and creators who want real acoustic drum sounds, loops, and total control, now with long-awaited AUv3 support. Discover authentic acoustic drum kits and fully editable grooves that play with the nuance and feel of a real drummer. Whether you’re rehearsing, jamming at home, or performing live, Pop Drummer becomes your personal drummer, tight, dynamic, and always ready to jam. Key Features: Standalone & AUv3 Compatible – Use Pop Drummer inside your favorite DAW or as a standalone app. Pop Drum Grooves – Hundreds of preloaded grooves organized by feel, making it easy to find and customize the perfect rhythm. Three drummers in one: Gover (Smooth Pop Precision), Cindy (Creative Flow), and Beaton (Raw British Energy). Each drummer brings a unique feel to improvisations, jams, and fills, no matter which rhythm you choose. Enjoy more variety and flexibility in your grooves. Switch styles to match your music or spark new ideas. Live Pads – Trigger fills, switch grooves, and jam in real time with on-screen pads or MIDI controls. Customizable Midi Controls - Assign any function to your MIDI controller for a personalized workflow. Easily adapt Pop Drummer to your studio setup or live rig. Jam – Add human feel and spontaneity to your grooves with dynamic variations and perfectly timed fills that match the groove’s feel. Jam Effects – Reverb and delay that jam with you, adding color and movement as they evolve with your chosen intensity. Drum Kit Customizable – A visual drum layout lets you select and mix acoustic sounds to create your perfect kit. AUv3 Sound Module – Use Pop Drummer as a professional drum sound source inside any AUv3-compatible host. Trigger its acoustic kits from your own MIDI tracks or electronic drum pads for ultimate flexibility. Send Reverb – Apply individual reverb to each drum element for precise space and depth control. Song Mode – Easily arrange full song structures using custom parts, combining grooves, jam levels, and jam effects for dynamic, expressive compositions. Humanize Velocity – Add natural dynamics and realistic human feel to every groove. Rhythm Editor – Create and tweak your own beats quickly. Export MIDI & Audio – Instantly export your grooves as full mix or multi-track audio, and get MIDI files to use your own sounds in any setup. Native iOS Instrument – Fully optimized for iPhone and iPad. Ableton Link – Sync effortlessly with other lumbeat drummers, apps and devices over Wi-Fi for tight, tempo-locked jamming and recording. Try for Free Pop 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 limited features. Unlock the Full Version with a one-time purchase, no subscription. Studio Mix is sold separately.
Sonel
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Sonel turns the songs and skills you're working on into practice goals. Every session has a purpose. Every minute is tracked. How it works Add what you're practicing. Each goal gets its own vinyl record that fills up as you put in the time. Pick a goal, start the timer, and focus. Practice tools built in Metronome, audio recording, and video recording live inside the session. No app switching. No distractions. Track everything Review past sessions with notes and recordings. See what you practiced, how long, and what got better. Build streaks and hit milestones as your hours add up. Built for real musicians Guitar, piano, bass, drums, whatever you play. Best for musicians who want their practice time to actually count. Terms of Service: https://sonel.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://sonel.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Sonel at every 6 days against Pop Drummer's fortnightly. Pop Drummer's advantage is iOS requirement (16 vs 18.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Both are free to download. Pop Drummer sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Sonel sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Pop Drummer ships an update fortnightly, Sonel every 6 days. Both last shipped on November 8, 2026.
| Parameter | Pop Drummer | Sonel |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (252 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 91.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 252 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 16 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 366 MB | 84 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Lumbeat | Tremolo Labs Inc |
Bugs and requests
Pop Drummer
Reported bugs
1 issue- MIDI not working with some apps
Requested features
2 requests- Tap tempo MIDI control
- Cross-stick MIDI control
Sonel
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Pop Drummer
- Studio Mix$8.99
- Pop Drummer Full Access$22.99
Sonel
- Sonel Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
- Sonel Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year
Questions
Is Pop Drummer free?
Is Sonel free?
Do Pop Drummer or Sonel have ads?
Which is updated more often, Pop Drummer or Sonel?
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