Comparison

Tempo vs Sight Pocket

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

Head to head
About

Tempo

Features
Read full description

The fastest way to write and save drum notation. Capture the bar you keep coming back to. Every drummer has that one part. The one that slows you down. The one you repeat over and over. Tempo lets you pull it out, keep it with you, and actually nail it. Built for real practice - Quickly input drum notation (including cymbals) - Save bars for later - Export and share as clean images - Play back and hear what you've written - Follow along for that consistent practice experience Perfect for: - Drummers working through tricky sections - Teachers sharing bite-sized exercises - Capturing ideas without friction No clutter. No learning curve. No timelines. No full compositions. Just fast, focused notation when you need it. Terms and conditions for Tempo Premium: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Sight Pocket

Develop true sight-reading skills with daily, unique drum exercises. Customize difficulty, practice with auto-playback and groove modes, and utilize practical drum notation. Ideal for drummers preparing for performances or seeking to improve reading abilities.

Highlights
  • Daily unique drum exercises
  • Customizable note values and difficulty
  • Auto-playback of exercises
  • Groove mode with background rhythm
  • Practical drum notation support
  • Unlimited exercise generation (Premium)
Features
Read full description

Sight-reading. In your pocket. Read. Listen. Play. Sight Pocket is a sight-reading and music-reading practice app for drummers. Tap Generate to create a new chart, read the notation, listen to the playback, and play it yourself. Customize your exercises and revisit your favorites to make reading part of your daily practice. ā–  A New Chart. A New Challenge. Generate a new exercise at the tap of a button. Bring fresh material into your usual practice routine and work on reading rhythms as you encounter them. ā–  Practice That Fits Your Level Choose note values, rests, markings, and difficulty to suit your needs. Work on patterns you find challenging or try rhythms you want to explore next. ā–  Hear What You Read Play back a generated chart to check how the written rhythm sounds. Use the playback as a reference while you practice. ā–  Read Beyond the Notes Bring the markings you encounter in performance into your daily practice: repeat signs, ties, accents, dynamic markings, and first and second endings. ā–  Keep the Groove. Read the Hits. In Groove Mode, practice reading just the hits while playing a basic beat. Work on reading within the flow of a groove. ā–  Save Your Favorites. Play Them Again. Revisit previously generated charts in History, and save your favorites for another session. Return to an exercise you want to review and practice it again. ā–  Take Your Charts Beyond the Screen With Premium, save your charts as images or export them as PDFs for personal practice and drum lessons. ā–  From Practice to Performance Designed from a drummer's perspective, Sight Pocket brings practical reading exercises to your daily practice, concert band and big band preparation, and drum lessons. ā–  Free Plan • Generate up to 5 exercises per day. • Image saving and PDF export are not included. ā–  Premium Plan $2.99 per month. • Unlimited exercise generation • Save charts as images • Export charts as PDFs • Access to all future features and updates Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://tabitoozaki.github.io/sightpocket-privacy/

Screenshots

Tempo3 screens
Sight Pocket4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sight Pocket at none against Tempo's 1. Tempo's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 6 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Tempo sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $14.99 per year. Sight Pocket asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tempo ships an update every 5 days, Sight Pocket every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 6 level
Tempo versus Sight Pocket: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTempoSight Pocket
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.115.1
Further details — not scored
Size78 MB70 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDean Hetheringtontabito ozaki

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Tempo

Subscriptions1
  • Premium$14.991 Year
None

Sight Pocket

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Tempo free?
Tempo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sight Pocket free?
Sight Pocket is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Tempo or Sight Pocket have ads?
Neither Tempo nor Sight Pocket shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tempo or Sight Pocket?
Tempo ships an update every 5 days, and Sight Pocket every 6 weeks. Most recently, Tempo was updated on September 30, 2026 and Sight Pocket on September 23, 2026.

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