Comparison

Tempo vs Drumr Notate

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

Drumr Notate

Create and share drum music compositions quickly. This app offers a comprehensive set of notation tools for various drum instruments, allowing you to hear your music and export it as a PDF or MusicXML file. It integrates with a practice tool for enhanced learning.

Highlights
  • Compose drum music with detailed notation
  • Multiple instrument palettes (Drum Kit, Marching Snare, Tenors, Bassline)
  • Playback with built-in drum sounds
  • Export scores as PDF and MusicXML
  • Integrates with Drumr for interactive practice
  • Keyboard shortcuts and intuitive interface
Features
Read full description

Notation software made exclusively for drums. Write kit and drumline parts quickly and easily, hear them played back, and hand your players a clean PDF. Got a part from your instructor? Open, play, and share or print it free. Writing and editing need a Notate subscription — try it free for 7 days. No account required. Write it. Hear it. Share it. Everything you need to compose. - Note values from whole notes to 32nd notes - Tuplets — triplets, quintuplets, sextuplets, septuplets, and ninelets - Dynamics from ppp to fff, crescendo and decrescendo hairpins, and score-wide Accent/Tap dynamics - Accents, marcatos, tenutos, staccatos, flams, drags, ruffs, diddles, ghost notes, and open hi-hat markings - Add sticking and text to explain how the part should be played, or show sticking with Berger notation on Marching Snare - Per-measure tempo marks from 30 to 300 bpm and time signatures from 2/4 to 13/8 - Beams group themselves from the meter, compound meters included, with manual override - Rests consolidate automatically - Duplicate measures, repeat notes, and copy and paste to build patterns fast Built for the whole drumline. Four complete instrument palettes, with more than 100 sound and technique combinations. - Drum Kit — snare, bass drum, hi-hats, toms, and cymbals, plus cowbell, tambourine, clave, and gock block - Marching Snare — rimshots, cross-sticks, buzz and press rolls, backsticks, stick shots, stick clicks, ping shots, gock blocks, cowbell, and ribbon crasher - Marching Tenors — all six drums, with rim clicks, rimshots, buzz and press rolls, crossovers, stick shots, stick clicks, and skank - Marching Bassline — all five drums, with rim clicks, rimshots, buzz rolls, stick clicks, and unison hits Hear it back Play your score with built-in authentic drum sounds — playback follows the tempo marks you write, from 30 to 300 bpm, and a metronome clicks the beat while you listen. PDF and MusicXML Share or print a PDF of your scores. Scores live in the Files app and iCloud Drive, and every score is a standard MusicXML file you can use in Sibelius, Dorico, or any notation app that reads it. Send a score to anyone with Notate and they can open and play it free. Scores made with Drumr's retired Sibelius templates convert to Notate files at drumr.app/imports. Made for speed Tap, drag, or use full hardware keyboard shortcuts. Drag a note and Notate previews the valid placements before you drop it. Appearance Choose Light, Dark, or System, with preset or custom theme colors. Wrote it? Now practice it. Tap Open in Drumr on iPhone, iPad, or a Mac with Apple silicon to turn your score into an interactive practice tool — follow along note-for-note, slow the tempo or use speed training to build stick control, loop the hard parts, get practice feedback, and see your progress. Requires a Drumr Premium subscription with a free 7-day trial. — Help/feedback: https://support.drumr.app Privacy: https://privacy.drumr.app Terms: https://terms.drumr.app Apple EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Tempo3 screens
Drumr Notate4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Drumr Notate at every 2 days against Tempo's every 5 days. Tempo's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26.0). 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. Tempo sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $14.99 per year and Drumr Notate sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tempo ships an update every 5 days, Drumr Notate every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Tempo versus Drumr Notate: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTempoDrumr Notate
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.8 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—4 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size78 MB44 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDean HetheringtonDrumr Inc.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Tempo

Subscriptions1
  • Premium$14.991 Year
2 purchases

Drumr Notate

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly7 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • Annual7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Tempo free?
Tempo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Drumr Notate free?
Drumr Notate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Tempo or Drumr Notate have ads?
Neither Tempo nor Drumr Notate shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tempo or Drumr Notate?
Tempo ships an update every 5 days, and Drumr Notate every 2 days. Most recently, Tempo was updated on September 30, 2026 and Drumr Notate on October 14, 2026.

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