Comparison

Drumline vs Djembe Kan

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

Head to head
About

Drumline

Features
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Drumline is an offline-first Batucada (Brazilian samba percussion) rhythm library, editor, and practice tool. Write grooves and breaks for a full bateria, hear them played back with sample-accurate timing, and share them with your group. RHYTHM LIBRARY - Build a library of rhythms, each with its base groove and its own set of breaks - Import and export rhythms to share with your bateria - Simple and Advanced modes - start easy, unlock the full editor when you want it PLAYBACK - Sample-accurate native audio engine with real percussion samples - Queue breaks on the fly, with calling audio and synced count-in whistles, just like a real ensemble - On-screen break notes so you know what is coming - Tempo control, tap tempo, and a metronome PRACTICE PLAYLISTS - Chain breaks in sequence, or shuffle them to train reaction time - Choose which breaks are in the rotation and how many bars sit between them MIXER - Per-instrument volume, mute and solo - Save your mix and reuse it EDITOR - Grid-based pattern editor for every instrument in the bateria - Rolls, flams, velocity accents, and per-instrument beat subdivisions (including triplets) - Multiple time signatures and multi-bar patterns - Copy, paste, insert and clear bars, with undo and redo - Pickup-bar breaks that start on beat 4 of the count-in INSTRUMENTS - Caixa, Repinique, Fundu, Dobrada, Timbao, Pandeiro, Agogo, Shaker and whistle, each with its own articulations - Add your own samples to any articulation EXPORT & SHARE - Export any break, sequence, or groove as a WAV audio file - Generate printable PDF notation - Record your own audio takes with the microphone Works completely offline. No account, no ads, no data collection.

About

Djembe Kan

Learn and practice traditional West African rhythms with a vast library of audio and notation. Compose, save, and share your own rhythms, with options for simplified or classical scores. Enjoy real instrument sounds and offline functionality.

Highlights
  • Vast library of West African rhythms
  • Audio and notation playback
  • Real-time score scrolling
  • Compose and share original rhythms
  • Simplified and classical notation
  • Real instrument sounds
  • Offline functionality
Read full description

The ultimate app for djembe and dunun. Djembe Kan brings together a vast repertoire of traditional West African rhythms in audio and notation, and lets you write and share your own. A library of more than 100 rhythms, with variations, chauffes and solos, regularly updated and expanded. THE ULTIMATE PRACTICE TOOL Djembe Kan is the dream tool for practising alone, understanding more and making fast progress. The rhythm plays, the score scrolls note by note in real time, and you play along. You choose the instruments โ€” sangban, dununba, kensedeni, djembes, shekere โ€” adjust the tempo and the swing, and turn the call signal on or off. All of it in a simple, intuitive interface, in portrait as in landscape. COMPOSE AND SHARE Write your own rhythms and solos in Compose. Save them, play them back, and share them with other users of the app. RESPECT FOR THE TRADITION Djembe Kan is the fruit of more than 30 years of passion for Mandinka culture, and we want to help preserve its beauty and its richness. We share with you our experience of playing, listening, collecting, analysing, transcribing and learning from the greatest African masters. TWO KINDS OF NOTATION Simplified scores: readable without knowing how to read music, often used for djembe and dunun. Classical scores: the standard format used by musicians and teachers of all kinds of instruments. REAL INSTRUMENT SOUNDS Of unmatched quality, every sound comes from recordings of instruments actually played, captured with the greatest care. NO ADVERTISING, NO TRACKERS Djembe Kan shows no advertising, uses no trackers and collects no usage data. The rhythms are on your device: the app works without a connection. Available in French, English, Spanish, German and Japanese. GETTING STARTED Five complete rhythms are free (variations, chauffe and solos included), with all the features of the player, and you can save three creations. Access to the full library, to unlimited creation and to sharing is through a subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase. Terms of Use: https://djembe-kan.com/cgu.html Privacy Policy: https://djembe-kan.com/confidentialite.html

Screenshots

Drumline4 screens
Djembe Kan4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Drumline at none against Djembe Kan's 2. Djembe Kan's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Djembe Kan sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Drumline asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Drumline ships an update every 2 months, Djembe Kan every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 6 level
Drumline versus Djembe Kan: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDrumlineDjembe Kan
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviewsโ€”75.0% of reviews
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
Monetizationโ€”Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size42 MB269 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOmer BengalMaarten Schepers

In-app purchases

None

Drumline

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Djembe Kan

Subscriptions1
  • Full access, 1 month$2.991 Month
One-time1
  • Full access, forever.$35.00

Questions

Is Drumline free?
Drumline is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Djembe Kan free?
Djembe Kan is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Drumline or Djembe Kan have ads?
Neither Drumline nor Djembe Kan shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Drumline or Djembe Kan?
Drumline ships an update every 2 months, and Djembe Kan every 2 days. Most recently, Drumline was updated on November 6, 2026 and Djembe Kan on November 12, 2026.

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