# Ensemble Composer vs Drums

The clearest difference is price: Drums at Free against Ensemble Composer's $14.99. Drums also leads on ratings volume (2.2K vs 278) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.6). Ensemble Composer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7) and ads (none vs shown). On rating and device support there is nothing between them.

Drums is free to download; Ensemble Composer costs $14.99 up front. Drums sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Ensemble Composer asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Ensemble Composer against 4.5 for Drums. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Drums has 2.2K ratings behind it against 278, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 77% of Ensemble Composer's written reviews are positive against 52% of Drums's.

Ensemble Composer ships an update every 2 months, Drums every 8 months. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ensemble Composer | Drums |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $14.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.6 (278 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ensemble-composer/id724167960/reviews)** | [4.5 (2.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drums-learn-and-play-drum-games/id1474373693/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 278 | **2.2K** |
| Positive reviews | **77.4% of reviews** | 52.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 8 months |
| Monetization | Paid | **Freemium** |
| Size | 15 MB | 151 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [N. Wheeler](https://appshunter.io/developer/312350021) | [AIHUNTERS, UAB](https://appshunter.io/developer/1625333939) |

## What reviewers say

### Ensemble Composer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ensemble-composer/id724167960)

Create custom drumline music with realistic recorded sounds. Compose street beats, stand jams, or entire musical books. Play along, practice, share, and edit your compositions.

**Highlights:** Compose drumline music, Realistic recorded drum sounds, Play along and practice, Share and edit compositions, Support for any time signature, Customizable rhythms

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎵 Authentic drum sounds and audio quality (older versions)
- ✍️ Intuitive composition interface for writing cadences
- 📱 All-in-one drumline app combining multiple sections
- 💾 Export functionality to sheet music and audio formats
- 🎯 Useful for educators and students to practice rhythms

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Severe audio quality degradation after recent update
- 🐛 Choppy scrolling and laggy performance
- 🐛 Audio stuttering and cutting off during playback
- 🐛 Files not saving or disappearing after updates
- 🐛 Backward compatibility issues with legacy files

**Reported bugs**

- New update prevents opening older files
- Audio stutters and cuts off in faster rhythms
- Triplet rolls don't sound even
- Bass drum subdivisions not working
- Tenor section drums moved to incorrect positions

**Requested features**

- Revert snare sounds to pre-update quality
- Multiple sound option choices for drums
- Hi-hat option for cymbals
- Single tenor drum section option
- Separate tempos within drum sections


### Drums

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drums-learn-and-play-drum-games/id1474373693)

Learn to play drums with a virtual drum set and engaging rhythm games. Explore various music genres and play along to famous hits, even without prior experience. Enjoy a stress-relieving and exciting musical journey.

**Highlights:** Virtual drum set, Rhythm games, Multiple music genres, Famous song collection, Solo play mode, Drum circles gameplay

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Drums Weekly Premium | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| All Access Pass | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| All Access Pass | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| All Access Pass | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| All Access Pass | $17.99 | per year |
| All Access Pass | $24.99 | per year |
| All Access Pass | $24.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and creative game
- 🥁 Helps improve drumming skills
- 🎶 Enjoyable music selection
- 💯 Great for beginners

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Subscription-based model
- 🎬 Too many ads
- 🔒 Paywall for more content
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 🎧 Limited song library

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent crashes and freezes
- Unresponsive controls
- Sync issues with the beat
- Subscription issues

**Requested features**

- More song variety and genres
- Ability to play full songs
- Option to disable ads
- Offline mode
- Customizable drum kit


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ensemble Composer free?

Ensemble Composer costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Drums free?

Drums is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Ensemble Composer or Drums?

Ensemble Composer is rated higher. Ensemble Composer averages 4.6 out of 5 from 278 ratings, while Drums averages 4.5 from 2.2K ratings.

### Do Ensemble Composer or Drums have ads?

Drums shows ads; Ensemble Composer does not.

### Which is updated more often, Ensemble Composer or Drums?

Ensemble Composer ships an update every 2 months, and Drums every 8 months. Most recently, Ensemble Composer was updated on November 6, 2026 and Drums on November 6, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*