# Ensemble Composer vs Chops

The clearest difference is price: Chops at Free against Ensemble Composer's $14.99. Chops also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 77%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). Ensemble Composer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ratings volume (275 vs 15). On rating, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Chops is free to download; Ensemble Composer costs $14.99 up front. Chops sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. 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 4.7 for Chops. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ensemble Composer has 275 ratings behind it against 15, 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 100% of Chops's.

Ensemble Composer ships an update every 2 months, Chops every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ensemble Composer | Chops |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $14.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.6 (275 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ensemble-composer/id724167960/reviews) | **[4.7 (15 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chops-drum-rudiments/id6566195057/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **275** | 15 |
| Positive reviews | 77.4% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Freemium** |
| Best chart rank | **#182** | — |
| Size | 15 MB | 50 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.6** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [N. Wheeler](https://appshunter.io/developer/312350021) | [Digital Staves](https://appshunter.io/developer/1758758328) |

## What reviewers say

### Ensemble Composer

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

**Currently charting:** #182 Top Paid · Music (US App Store)

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


### Chops

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chops-drum-rudiments/id6566195057)

Master all 40 PAS rudiments with structured courses, dynamic exercises, and a smart metronome. Apply your skills on the kit with beautiful notation and full playback controls. Designed for drummers of all levels to practice with purpose and enhance their foundation.

**Highlights:** Master all 40 PAS rudiments, Apply skills on the drum kit, Dynamic exercises and workouts, Structured courses for all levels, Beautiful and readable notation, Smart metronome with tempo adjustment, Full playback controls

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Chops Subscription (Monthly) | $2.99 | per month |
| Education Subscription (Yearly) | $12.99 | per year |
| Chops Subscription (Yearly) | $29.99 | per year |
| Lifetime | $69.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ensemble Composer free?

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

### Is Chops free?

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

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

Chops is rated higher. Ensemble Composer averages 4.6 out of 5 from 275 ratings, while Chops averages 4.7 from 15 ratings.

### Do Ensemble Composer or Chops have ads?

Neither Ensemble Composer nor Chops shows ads.

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

Ensemble Composer ships an update every 2 months, and Chops every 3 weeks. Most recently, Ensemble Composer was updated on October 12, 2026 and Chops on October 11, 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.*