Comparison

ChordBloom 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

ChordBloom

Features
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ChordBloom turns music theory into a garden. Chords bloom as petals around the key you're in — tap to hear them, wander to neighboring keys, and watch harmony make sense visually. EXPLORE HARMONY BY TOUCH Diatonic chords, the circle of fifths, relative and parallel keys, tritone substitutions, modal interchange — each view lays the theory out as petals you can play. Long-press to cycle extensions (7ths, 9ths, 13ths), choose close, open, or spread voicings, and phrase chords as blocks, strums, or arpeggios. REAL SYNTHESIS, ON DEVICE A full SuperCollider synth engine runs right on your phone alongside classic synth voices — warm pads, plucks, bells, keys, and ambient textures. Every note is synthesized live, and it all works completely offline. AI IMPROVISATION Let the built-in improviser play melodies over your chord changes while you drive the harmony. SAVE YOUR PROGRESSIONS Collect chords into palettes and build progressions you can come back to. MIDI OUTPUT — OPTIONAL UNLOCK Turn ChordBloom into a chord controller for your whole studio: a one-time in-app purchase unlocks BLE MIDI to hardware synths and CoreMIDI to DAWs and other iOS music apps. No account. No ads. No data collected.

About

MACHINE DRUM

This app offers a minimalist drum machine and sound design lab for creating beats and audio. It features a tactile step sequencer, custom kick sound designer, and the ability to record and manipulate custom samples. Professional DSP effects and genre-inspired templates are also included to enhance creativity.

Highlights
  • Tactile 16-pad step sequencer
  • Custom kick sound designer with dual-oscillator engine
  • Record and manipulate custom samples
  • DSP effects including Delay, Reverb, and Bitcrusher
  • Frequency filters (LP, BP, HP)
  • Hardware and genre-inspired presets
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 canvas built purely to support your creativity and professional 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

ChordBloom3 screens
MACHINE DRUM4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: ChordBloom at every 4 days against MACHINE DRUM's monthly. 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. ChordBloom sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and MACHINE DRUM sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ChordBloom ships an update every 4 days, MACHINE DRUM monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
ChordBloom versus MACHINE DRUM: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChordBloomMACHINE DRUM
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJames HurlbutNathan Burazer

In-app purchases

1 purchases

ChordBloom

One-time1
  • MIDI Output$4.99
1 purchases

MACHINE DRUM

One-time1
  • MACHINE DRUM PRO$9.99

Questions

Is ChordBloom free?
ChordBloom 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 ChordBloom or MACHINE DRUM have ads?
Neither ChordBloom nor MACHINE DRUM shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ChordBloom or MACHINE DRUM?
ChordBloom ships an update every 4 days, and MACHINE DRUM monthly. Most recently, ChordBloom was updated on October 28, 2026 and MACHINE DRUM on October 25, 2026.

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