Comparison

Drum Journal vs Drums

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

Head to head
About

Drum Journal

This app provides real-time feedback on your drumming practice using your device's microphone. It allows you to slow down or loop sections of YouTube drum videos and automatically tracks your practice sessions to help you monitor progress.

Highlights
  • Microphone-based sticking feedback
  • YouTube video playback with speed control
  • Section looping for practice
  • Automatic practice session tracking
  • Community-shared exercises
  • Progress monitoring and streaks
Features
Read full description

Your exercises, your lessons, your rudiments: one list, ready to go. Drum Journal remembers where you left off, keeps the tempo, and gets out of your way. Press start, practice. YOUR ROUTINE, READY TO GO Open the app. The routine you built is queued, timed, and ready to run. Warm-up, rudiments, the YouTube lesson you're working on, laid out the way you want them. No deciding what to play tonight. REAL FEEDBACK ON YOUR TIMING The built-in sticking coach uses your device's microphone to hear you play on a practice pad. Real feedback on your timing, dynamics, and consistency, built into your routine, not a separate tool. PLAY TO A GROOVE, NOT JUST A CLICK Pick a mood and a backing track plays behind the metronome, automatically matched to your tempo. Rudiment practice stops feeling clinical and starts sounding like a room. LEARN ANY SONG AT YOUR OWN SPEED Drop any YouTube drum lesson into your routine. Slow it down, loop the hard bar, mark the section that's killing you. Drum Journal sits on your music stand and stays out of your way. SEE HOW YOU'RE GETTING BETTER Every session logs automatically. Streaks, time on each rudiment, whether your timing is tightening week over week. Show up daily and watch the data confirm what your hands already feel. EXERCISES FROM OTHER DRUMMERS Browse exercises shared by other drummers. Pick what fits your level, drop it into your routine. FREE TO PRACTICE. PRO TO SEE IF IT'S WORKING. Everything you need to build and run your routine is free: exercises, the sticking coach, YouTube practice, streaks, session logs, and background music in the Drift mood. Drum Journal Pro unlocks advanced analytics — see whether your timing is actually tightening, whether one hand plays inconsistent flams, whether your routine is moving the needle. Pro also unlocks the full background-music mood pack, per-exercise history, community sharing, and data export. The practice is simple. Showing up is hard. Drum Journal makes showing up the easy part. SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS Drum Journal Pro is available as a monthly, annual, or lifetime subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel subscriptions in your Apple ID account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial, if offered, is forfeited upon purchasing a subscription. Privacy Policy: https://drumjournal.com/privacy Terms of Use: https://drumjournal.com/terms

About

Drums

Learn and practice drum grooves and rudiments with a variety of visual aids and real drum sounds. Record yourself playing along and share your performances. Features include a weekly groove, practice lists, and a speed trainer.

Highlights
  • Library of real drum grooves and rudiments
  • Multiple visual aids: step grid, notation, note highway
  • Rudiment training for pad or kit
  • Record and share performances
  • Groove of the Week and curated collections
  • Hands-free practice list playback
  • Speed trainer and tempo control
Features
Read full description

Practice drums with a library of real grooves and rudiments, on your kit or on a practice pad. Pick grooves from rock, funk, punk and jazz, build a practice list, and play along with real drum sounds. Follow each groove the way that suits you: a step grid, standard drum notation, or a note highway that shows every hit before it lands. RUDIMENTS ON A PAD OR THE KIT Work through essential rudiments, from single and double strokes to paradiddles and the paradiddle-diddle, with the sticking written under every note and separate R and L lanes. All you need is a practice pad and a pair of sticks. RECORD A TAKE Film yourself playing along with the notation, grid or highway moving under the camera, then save it or share it to TikTok, Reels or Shorts. Count in up to 4 bars so you have time to get from the phone to the kit, and nudge the timing so every note lines up. PRACTICE THAT KEEPS YOU MOVING • Groove of the Week: a new featured groove every week • Collections: Start Here, Ghost Notes, Tom Grooves, Rudiments and more • Play All: run your whole list by repeats or by the clock, hands free • Speed trainer: step the tempo up as you go • Metronome, count-in, tempo control, and mute or solo any drum New grooves and collections arrive without an app update.

Screenshots

Drum Journal4 screens
Drums4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Drum Journal at 9 against Drums's 3. On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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. Drum Journal sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Drums sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Drum Journal against 5.0 for Drums. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 3 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Drum Journal ships an update weekly, Drums every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Drum Journal versus Drums: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDrum JournalDrums
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (9 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings9 — better3
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size105 MB34 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperPorath ConsultingPETER ANTHONY SCHUSTER

Customer experience

Drum Journal

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Drums

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Drum Journal

Subscriptions4
  • Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Pro Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Pro Annual$34.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Pro Yearly7 Days trial$34.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$69.99
3 purchases

Drums

One-time3
  • Small Tip$0.99
  • Medium Tip$2.99
  • Large Tip$4.99

Questions

Is Drum Journal free?
Drum Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Drums free?
Drums is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Drum Journal or Drums?
Drum Journal and Drums are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 9 and 3 ratings respectively.
Do Drum Journal or Drums have ads?
Neither Drum Journal nor Drums shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Drum Journal or Drums?
Drum Journal ships an update weekly, and Drums every 10 days. Most recently, Drum Journal was updated on October 31, 2026 and Drums on November 9, 2026.

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