Comparison

Tone Workshop vs MACHINE DRUM

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

Head to head
About

Tone Workshop

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Tone Workshop is an instrument that can play various waveforms. Supports a rich set of instrument waveforms, pitch adjustment, and chord combinations. Allows for a customizable music keyboard to create a unique instrument. 【Waveform Performance】 Supports waveform performance with long press and simultaneous playback of multiple waveforms. 【Rich Instruments】 Supports a variety of instruments and drum waveforms. 【Pitch Adjustment】 Supports custom pitch adjustments and chord combinations. 【Custom Keyboard】 Allows for custom keyboard definitions with support for 4 keyboard zones. 【Keyboard Schemes】 Supports management of multiple keyboard schemes, allowing for storage, sharing, and switching of keyboards. 【Paid Membership Features】 - Unlock all instruments/tones - More instruments bar - Keyboard management 【Activate Paid Membership】 Paid members are available as a subscription or as a permanent activation Membership Service Agreement: https://toneworkshop-serviceagreement.mysxl.cn/

About

MACHINE DRUM

Create unique beats with a minimalist drum machine and sound design lab. Synthesize custom kick drums, record your own samples, and sculpt your sound with professional DSP effects. Explore genre templates to jumpstart your creativity.

Highlights
  • Tactile 16-pad step sequencer
  • Custom kick sound designer with dual-oscillator engine
  • Record custom samples with microphone
  • DSP effects (Delay, Reverb, Bitcrusher)
  • Frequency filters (LP, BP, HP)
  • Genre templates inspired by legendary drum machines
Features
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MACHINE DRUM: Minimalist Drum Machine & Sound Design Lab Experience beatmaking stripped of clutter. MACHINE DRUM combines retro hardware aesthetics with clean, modern minimalism, giving you a distraction-free kit built purely to support your creativity and studio grade audio expression. Every knob, slider, instrument and effect has been crafted for visual simplicity and self expression, letting you stay locked in the flow whether sketching rhythms on the go or sculpting intricate synthesis in the studio. TACTILE 16-PAD STEP SEQUENCER Build loops instantly with an intuitive, hardware-style pad grid. Tap steps to program rhythms, control tempo (BPM), and fine-tune levels. Solo or mute individual tracks to build dynamic build-ups and drops live. CUSTOM KICK SOUND DESIGNER Stop relying on generic samples. Synthesize your own signature kicks with a dedicated, dual-oscillator sound engine: • Envelope (ADSR): Fine-tune Attack, Decay, Sustain, & Release using a live visual envelope graph. • FM Synthesis: Dial in punchy transients using FM Depth, FM Speed, and Base Pitch controls. • LFO Modulation: Add rich movement and texture. Route the LFO to Pitch, Filter, Level, or Pan RECORD CUSTOM SAMPLES Record real-world sounds instantly using your iPhone's microphone. Pitch, trim, and swap custom samples into any track pad in real time. Perfect for integrating vocal chops, ambient hits, or custom percussion. DSP EFFECTS & FREQUENCY FILTERS Sculpt your final output mix with professional audio processing: • Delay, Reverb and Bitcrusher: Add analog-style warmth, drive, and grit to glue your beats together. • Frequency Filter: Switch between Low Pass (LP), Band Pass (BP), and High Pass (HP) modes with dedicated Cutoff and Resonance sliders. PRESETS & LEGENDARY GENRE TEMPLATES Load instantly playable song templates and legendary drum machine styles to jumpstart your inspiration: • Explore hardware profiles like the TR-808, TR-909, Linn LM-1, and MPC60. • Load curated song setups inspired by Classic Hip Hop, EDM and Synthwave

Screenshots

Tone Workshop4 screens
MACHINE DRUM4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: MACHINE DRUM at every 2 weeks against Tone Workshop's every 2 months. Tone Workshop's advantage is device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.4). On price, 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. Tone Workshop sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and MACHINE DRUM sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tone Workshop ships an update every 2 months, MACHINE DRUM every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Tone Workshop versus MACHINE DRUM: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTone WorkshopMACHINE DRUM
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size69 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer嘉欣 胡Nathan Burazer

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Tone Workshop

Subscriptions3
  • monthly subscription$0.991 Month
  • quarterly subscription$1.993 Months
  • annual subscription$4.991 Year
One-time1
  • 专业版永久激活$9.99
1 purchases

MACHINE DRUM

One-time1
  • MACHINE DRUM PRO$9.99

Questions

Is Tone Workshop free?
Tone Workshop is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MACHINE DRUM free?
MACHINE DRUM is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Tone Workshop or MACHINE DRUM have ads?
Neither Tone Workshop nor MACHINE DRUM shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tone Workshop or MACHINE DRUM?
Tone Workshop ships an update every 2 months, and MACHINE DRUM every 2 weeks. Most recently, Tone Workshop was updated on November 8, 2026 and MACHINE DRUM on November 10, 2026.

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