Comparison

MACHINE DRUM vs Starrypad

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

Head to head
About

MACHINE DRUM

This app offers a minimalist drum machine and sound design lab for creating beats and audio. It features a tactile step sequencer, custom kick sound designer, and the ability to record and manipulate custom samples. Professional DSP effects and genre-inspired templates are also included to enhance creativity.

Highlights
  • Tactile 16-pad step sequencer
  • Custom kick sound designer with dual-oscillator engine
  • Record and manipulate custom samples
  • DSP effects including Delay, Reverb, and Bitcrusher
  • Frequency filters (LP, BP, HP)
  • Hardware and genre-inspired presets
Features
Read full description

MACHINE DRUM: Minimalist Drum Machine & Sound Design Lab Experience beatmaking stripped of clutter. MACHINE DRUM combines retro hardware aesthetics with clean, modern minimalism, giving you a distraction-free canvas built purely to support your creativity and professional grade audio expression. Every knob, slider, instrument and effect has been crafted for visual simplicity and self expression, letting you stay locked in the flow whether sketching rhythms on the go or sculpting intricate synthesis in the studio. TACTILE 16-PAD STEP SEQUENCER Build loops instantly with an intuitive, hardware-style pad grid. Tap steps to program rhythms, control tempo (BPM), and fine-tune levels. Solo or mute individual tracks to build dynamic build-ups and drops live. CUSTOM KICK SOUND DESIGNER Stop relying on generic samples. Synthesize your own signature kicks with a dedicated, dual-oscillator sound engine: • Envelope (ADSR): Fine-tune Attack, Decay, Sustain, & Release using a live visual envelope graph. • FM Synthesis: Dial in punchy transients using FM Depth, FM Speed, and Base Pitch controls. • LFO Modulation: Add rich movement and texture. Route the LFO to Pitch, Filter, Level, or Pan RECORD CUSTOM SAMPLES Record real-world sounds instantly using your iPhone's microphone. Pitch, trim, and swap custom samples into any track pad in real time. Perfect for integrating vocal chops, ambient hits, or custom percussion. DSP EFFECTS & FREQUENCY FILTERS Sculpt your final output mix with professional audio processing: • Delay, Reverb and Bitcrusher: Add analog-style warmth, drive, and grit to glue your beats together. • Frequency Filter: Switch between Low Pass (LP), Band Pass (BP), and High Pass (HP) modes with dedicated Cutoff and Resonance sliders. PRESETS & LEGENDARY GENRE TEMPLATES Load instantly playable song templates and legendary drum machine styles to jumpstart your inspiration: • Explore hardware profiles like the TR-808, TR-909, Linn LM-1, and MPC60. • Load curated song setups inspired by Classic Hip Hop, EDM and Synthwave

About

Starrypad

Transform your device into a versatile music creation tool. Record and import audio, then assign it to velocity-sensitive pads for playback. Create loops, add layers, and export your work as WAV or MIDI.

Highlights
  • 16 velocity-sensitive pads
  • Built-in drum kits and synth phrases
  • Microphone and audio import
  • Loop recording and layering
  • WAV and MIDI export
  • USB MIDI controller support
Read full description

Starrypad turns your iPhone into a drum pad, looper and sampler. Play sixteen velocity-sensitive pads with acoustic drums, 808 sounds and original synth phrases. The C Synth kit follows your tempo while keeping note pitch independent. Shape each pad with level, pan and tuning in the Mixer. Record from the microphone or import audio from a video you choose, trim the sound and assign it to a pad. Record loops, add layers and undo the latest pass. Switch from recording to playback without stopping the loop. Play along with music from another audio app. Background playback depends on the other app and your audio route. This does not import or record protected streaming audio. Export loops as WAV or MIDI. Connect an optional class-compliant USB MIDI controller. No controller, account or subscription is required. Settings and help support English, Japanese and Simplified Chinese. Familiar performance legends stay in English. Audio processing and your recordings stay on the device. Salamander Drumkit by Alexander Holm (CC BY 3.0) TR-808 Sound Sample Set by Michael Fischer via TidalCycles (CC0 1.0) Additional percussion from FreePats (CC0 1.0) Original synthesized rhythm phrases by Starrypad

Screenshots

MACHINE DRUM4 screens
Starrypad4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Starrypad at none against MACHINE DRUM's 1. Starrypad also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.2). On price, rating, 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. MACHINE DRUM sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Starrypad asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for MACHINE DRUM against 5.0 for Starrypad. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
MACHINE DRUM versus Starrypad: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMACHINE DRUMStarrypad
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings11
Update frequency—Every 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.217.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB45 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNathan BurazerRyo Ijuin

Customer experience

MACHINE DRUM

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Starrypad

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

MACHINE DRUM

One-time1
  • MACHINE DRUM PRO$9.99
None

Starrypad

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MACHINE DRUM free?
MACHINE DRUM is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Starrypad free?
Starrypad is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, MACHINE DRUM or Starrypad?
MACHINE DRUM and Starrypad are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do MACHINE DRUM or Starrypad have ads?
Neither MACHINE DRUM nor Starrypad shows ads.

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