Comparison

Tempo vs GrooveSmith

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

Head to head
About

Tempo

Features
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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

GrooveSmith

Features
Read full description

You sit down at the kit โ€” and play the same three beats you always play. GrooveSmith solves the hardest part of practising alone: deciding what to play. Tap once and you get a fresh practice sheet โ€” a groove flowing into a fill โ€” written out properly, with the audio to match. Not a random note generator: every combination is checked so it sounds like real drumming. YOU DON'T HAVE TO READ MUSIC If you read charts, this is a chart. If you don't, turn on labels and the notes tell you which drum to hit โ€” so you're learning real notation from day one, not a simplified version you'd have to unlearn later. IT GROWS WITH YOU Ten levels, from your very first beat to material you'll have to work at. Each one adds a single new idea instead of a wall, so the next level always feels like the next step โ€” not a cliff. BUILT FOR PLAYING ALONG, NOT WATCHING Hit play and the drums, the click and a moving cursor stay locked together. Change tempo without stopping. Count yourself in. Mute the kit and keep the click, or the other way round. FILLS, AND THE RUDIMENTS YOU KEEP MEANING TO WORK ON Short pickups or a full bar, with the sticking written in so you're never guessing which hand leads. Paradiddles, flams, rolls โ€” properly notated. FITS THE WAY YOU ALREADY PRACTISE Play something once or twenty times. Slow it right down, stop halfway, come back tomorrow. There's no course to work through and no streak to keep โ€” you decide what counts as progress. Rock and pop, straight, half-time or shuffle โ€” and 6/8 and 12/8 when you want them. Works offline. No account, no ads, nothing to sign up for. Made by a drummer who got bored of his own practice routine.

Screenshots

Tempo3 screens
GrooveSmith4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: GrooveSmith at none against Tempo's 1. Tempo's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tempo ships an update every 5 days, GrooveSmith every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
Tempo versus GrooveSmith: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTempoGrooveSmith
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 days โ€” betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo โ€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 โ€” better17.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size78 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDean HetheringtonBlackshift s.r.o.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Tempo

Subscriptions1
  • Premium$14.991 Year
None

GrooveSmith

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Tempo free?
Tempo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is GrooveSmith free?
GrooveSmith is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Tempo or GrooveSmith have ads?
Neither Tempo nor GrooveSmith shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tempo or GrooveSmith?
Tempo ships an update every 5 days, and GrooveSmith every 3 weeks. Most recently, Tempo was updated on October 14, 2026 and GrooveSmith on October 15, 2026.

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