Comparison

Drumr Notate 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

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 a groove, work out a fill, or build a part for the line. Write it. Hear it. Share it. Made for speed Drag a note over the score to see where it fits before you drop it. You can also tap notes into place or use keyboard shortcuts. Repeat notes, duplicate measures, and copy and paste to build the part fast. Notate handles beams and rests as you write. Hear it back Hit play to hear your part, accents and ghost notes included. Built-in drum sounds follow your tempo marks from 30 to 300 bpm, with a metronome to keep the beat. 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 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 Wrote it? Now practice it. Take the part to the pad or kit. Tap Open in Drumr to follow every note, loop the hard bars, build the tempo with speed training, and get Performance Analysis on your own music. Available on iPhone, iPad, and Macs with Apple silicon. Requires Drumr Premium, with a free 7-day trial. PDF and MusicXML Your scores live in the Files app or iCloud Drive as standard MusicXML files. Send one to another drummer and they can open and play it free in Notate. You can also share or print a PDF. Appearance Choose Light, Dark, or System, with preset or custom theme colors. Start writing Try writing and editing free for 7 days, then subscribe to keep composing. Opening, playing, and printing scores is free. No account needed. — 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/

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

Drumr Notate4 screens
RDM Playalongs4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: RDM Playalongs at 5.0 against Drumr Notate's 4.8. RDM Playalongs also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). Drumr Notate's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 4 days). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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. Drumr Notate sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and RDM Playalongs sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $12.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

RDM Playalongs holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 10 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Drumr Notate ships an update daily, RDM Playalongs every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Drumr Notate versus RDM Playalongs: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDrumr NotateRDM Playalongs
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (4 ratings)5.0 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings410 — better
Update frequencyDaily — betterEvery 4 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size44 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDrumr Inc.Anthony Steller

Customer experience

Drumr Notate

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

RDM Playalongs

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

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Drumr Notate

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

RDM Playalongs

Subscriptions1
  • RDM Playalongs$12.991 Month

Questions

Is Drumr Notate free?
Drumr Notate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is RDM Playalongs free?
RDM Playalongs is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Drumr Notate or RDM Playalongs?
RDM Playalongs is rated higher. Drumr Notate averages 4.8 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while RDM Playalongs averages 5.0 from 10 ratings.
Do Drumr Notate or RDM Playalongs have ads?
Neither Drumr Notate nor RDM Playalongs shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Drumr Notate or RDM Playalongs?
Drumr Notate ships an update daily, and RDM Playalongs every 4 days. Most recently, Drumr Notate was updated on October 25, 2026 and RDM Playalongs on October 24, 2026.

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