Comparison

Beat Blocks vs RDM Playalongs

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

Head to head
About

Beat Blocks

Master your musical timing with this interactive rhythm trainer. Create endless custom drills, receive real-time feedback, and practice with immersive musical notation. Ideal for musicians of all skill levels looking to improve their rhythm.

Highlights
  • Infinite rhythm drill creation
  • Custom beat editor
  • Real-time accuracy feedback
  • Immersive musical notation
  • Advanced mode for complex rhythms
  • Customizable themes and sound kits
Features
Read full description

Master Rhythm with Beat Blocks! Transform the way you practice with Beat Blocks, the interactive rhythm trainer designed for musicians of all levels. Whether you’re a beginner picking up your first instrument or a pro sharpening your timing, Beat Blocks turns drills into a fun, gamified experience. Key Features: - Infinite Creation: No limits, no boundaries. Create endless rhythm drills tailored to your specific goals. - Custom Beat Editor: Build any pattern in seconds. Our intuitive editor lets you adjust tempo and notes easily. - Real-Time Feedback: Play the notes directly in the app and receive instant accuracy judgments. See exactly how close you are to the perfect beat! - Immersive Musical Notation: Bridge the gap between playing and reading. Toggle Notation Mode to see drills in standard sheet music format to master sight-reading naturally. - Advanced Mode: Push your limits with complex subdivisions, syncopation, and sustained notes (halves, wholes, and dotted quarters). - Fully Customizable: Make the practice space yours. Customize colors, themes, and sound kits to stay engaged and focused. Rhythm is the foundation of all music. Beat Blocks provides a visual, tactile system that makes timing feel like second nature. Download Beat Blocks today and level up your musicality!

About

RDM Playalongs

This app offers three practice tools for drummers, including a metronome with advanced features, a sight-reading generator, and a library of exercises. It helps improve hand speed, accuracy, and reading skills with customizable tempos and rhythms. Track your practice time and engage with a community for support.

Highlights
  • 500+ practice exercises
  • Customizable metronome with unique subdivisions
  • Generates unique sight-reading exercises
  • Tempo control with range and climbing options
  • Practice time tracking and streaks
  • Community support from developer
Features
Read full description

Three practice tools for rudimental drummers, built to get your hands clean and fast. PLAYALONGS 500+ exercises. Press play and it loops until you stop it. Set the tempo to bounce around inside a range so you can't settle in, or have it climb every few reps until you find where you break. Twelve ready-made playlists too, or build your own. METRONOME Any time signature. Any subdivision, including the ones normal metronome apps don't have: 7-lets, 9-lets, ratio rhythms. Accent, diddle, buzz or mute any beat, any partial. Chain different rhythms into a sequence and save it. SIGHT-READING LAB Hit generate, get a page you've never seen. Set the tempo, the rests, the stickings, the syncopation, the time signature. Set the difficulty to your level. Notation on screen while it plays, so you're reading and hearing at the same time. Practice time tracked. Streaks. Leaderboard. Stuck on something? Post it in the community and I'll answer it myself. Built by Anthony Steller, a gigging drummer and snare instructor, for marching snare drummers and drumlines. Start free. You get all three tools with limits, no card needed. RDM Playalongs Monthly is an auto-renewing subscription, $12.99 per month. It unlocks all 500+ exercises and every control in all three tools. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. It renews automatically unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the period. Manage or cancel in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://rudimentaldrummingmastery.com/privacy-policy.html

Screenshots

Beat Blocks4 screens
RDM Playalongs4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: RDM Playalongs at Free against Beat Blocks's $1.99. RDM Playalongs also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 5 weeks) and review sentiment (100% vs 83%). Beat Blocks's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On rating, ratings volume, ads 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

RDM Playalongs is free to download; Beat Blocks costs $1.99 up front. RDM Playalongs sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $12.99 per month. Beat Blocks asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Beat Blocks against 5.0 for RDM Playalongs. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 10 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 83% of Beat Blocks's written reviews are positive against 100% of RDM Playalongs's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Beat Blocks ships an update every 5 weeks, RDM Playalongs every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Beat Blocks versus RDM Playalongs: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBeat BlocksRDM Playalongs
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.9 (8 ratings)5.0 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews83.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings810 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCharles SekelAnthony Steller

Customer experience

Beat Blocks

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%

RDM Playalongs

All ratings10 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Beat Blocks

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

RDM Playalongs

Subscriptions1
  • RDM Playalongs$12.991 Month

Questions

Is Beat Blocks free?
Beat Blocks costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is RDM Playalongs free?
RDM Playalongs is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Beat Blocks or RDM Playalongs?
RDM Playalongs is rated higher. Beat Blocks averages 4.9 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while RDM Playalongs averages 5.0 from 10 ratings.
Do Beat Blocks or RDM Playalongs have ads?
Neither Beat Blocks nor RDM Playalongs shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Beat Blocks or RDM Playalongs?
Beat Blocks ships an update every 5 weeks, and RDM Playalongs every 4 days. Most recently, Beat Blocks was updated on October 31, 2026 and RDM Playalongs on October 29, 2026.

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