Rock Drum Machine vs Drum Session
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Rock Drum Machine
Transform your device into a powerful rock drumming tool with realistic sounds and a vast library of rhythms. Easily create custom beats, jam with AI-generated grooves, and integrate with other music apps. Export your creations as audio or MIDI files.
- AI-powered rock drumming
- Adjustable jam level and intensity
- Live Pads with assignable controls
- MIDI out and Ableton Link synchronization
- Song Mode for creating drum tracks
- Custom rhythm editing
- Four built-in effects
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Turn your iPhone or iPad into a solid Rock Drummer with powerful drum sounds and tons of rhythms to get rock drum drums grooves easily in a flash. The AI drum machine for Rock! RDM jams! Just move a slider to set the jamming level like a proper drummer! 2d Slider to control jam level ( x - horizontal ) and intensity ( y - vertical ) The Live Pads allows to play live sessions on the way with 8 assignable pads and buttons for fills, intro, end with midi controls. Now with assignable Midi Map, for controls and MIDI out notes. Synchronize any app easily with Ableton Link. Export Full or Multitrack Audio and Midi File, available from iOS 12. Song Mode. An easy and fast way to make quality drums for your songs. - Double press to edit a part or song - Long press to move parts or songs Save all your data to iCloud to have several song lists, rhythms or repertorios and share them among your devices Edit or create your own rhythms very easily in two modes: * Edit Mode allows you to edit the whole rhythm quickly. * Patterns Mode allows you to set the patterns for each component (hihat/ride cymbal, snare or kick )easily with a wheel. Combine the best acoustic drum sounds with any rhythm to get top inspiring rock grooves. * Midi Sync + Inter App Audio + Audiobus. Stream live audio directly to other Audiobus or Inter App Audio apps! * 4 Effects : Compressor / Gate, Equalizer , Delay, Reverb * Set random fills every 4, 8, 12 , 16, 32 bars * In Groove Edit Mode you can set any subdivision to any beats. Just long press on the time until it shows a red border and drag up or down to rest or add notes * Midi Outt --- MIDI CONTROLS --- Assignable Midi Controls. Default Controls : Play : G2 LivePads : C1 - G2 Fill + Play/Stop : A2 Fill : C2 Fill + Toggle Hats/Ride D2 Toggle Hats/Ride Db2 Fill with LivePad Change E2 Load Live Pad C3 Preview LivePad Db3 Next Live Pad D3 Select Live Pad Set Eb3 Tap Tempo Bb2 Crash Cymbal B2 Next Song Ab2 Previous Song Gb2 Jam CC 1 Intensity CC 2 Master Volume CC 7 Swing CC 11 Reverb Level CC 91 Bank CC 32 Rhythm CC 0 Soundset PC
Drum Session
Create complete drum tracks quickly with a vast library of editable patterns and loops. Easily arrange beats on a timeline, record your own rhythms, and export your creations in various formats. Supports integration with other music apps and hardware.
- 3600 preset patterns
- 36 acoustic drum sample sets
- Record custom beats
- Piano roll editing
- MIDI in/out
- Export MIDI or audio
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We are currently supporting this app with bug fix updates only. We are not planning to add new features or make major modifications to support new hardware or new operating system features. With a library of 3600 editable patterns, loops, and fills, Drum Session is a very fast, simple way to put together a complete drum track. Workflow 1. Select a pattern 2. Drag it onto the timeline 3. Press play Features: - 3600 preset patterns - 36 complete sets of acoustic drum samples - Record your own beats - Piano roll style editing - MIDI in / out - Inter-app-audio (IAA) - Audiobus - Ableton Link - AudioCopy - Export beats as MIDI or audio files - Connect to external drum kits or keyboards by MIDI
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Rock Drum Machine at 4.7 against Drum Session's 3.3. Rock Drum Machine also leads on review sentiment (92% vs 58%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). Drum Session's advantage is price ($9.99 vs $17.99) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). On ads and device support 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
Rock Drum Machine costs $17.99 and Drum Session $9.99 up front. Rock Drum Machine sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Drum Session asks for nothing beyond the download.
Rock Drum Machine holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Rock Drum Machine has 523 ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 92% of Rock Drum Machine's written reviews are positive against 58% of Drum Session's.
Rock Drum Machine ships an update every 3 weeks, Drum Session every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Rock Drum Machine | Drum Session |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $17.99 | $9.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (523 ratings) — better | 3.3 (15 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 92.1% of reviews — better | 58.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 523 — better | 15 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | 10.3 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 233 MB | 210 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Lumbeat | Ngo Minh Ngoc |
Customer experience
Rock Drum Machine
Drum Session
Bugs and requests
Rock Drum Machine
Reported bugs
4 issues- Crashes when exporting audio
- MIDI out not working as expected
- Saving new patterns can be inconsistent
- Occasional UI glitches or freezes
Requested features
5 requests- Add more drum kits and styles
- Improve MIDI support and control
- Implement AUv3 support
- Add more customization options
- Provide better documentation and tutorials
Drum Session
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Rock Drum Machine
- Mike$4.99
- John$4.99
Drum Session
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Rock Drum Machine free?
Is Drum Session free?
Which has better reviews, Rock Drum Machine or Drum Session?
Do Rock Drum Machine or Drum Session have ads?
Which is updated more often, Rock Drum Machine or Drum Session?
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