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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Rock Drum Machine is a rock drummer in your pocket. It does not loop a recording: it plays like a drummer, adding ghost notes, open hi-hats and fills that change every time. Practice, write songs and play live with drums that feel alive. FREE TO START Download it free and use everything for 7 days. Then unlock the full version with a single one-time purchase. No subscription. Already own Rock DM? Your full version stays unlocked. Nothing to buy again. A DRUMMER THAT JAMS • JAM and INTENSITY: go from a steady beat to a busy, improvising drummer • Fills of variable length that come in the way a drummer would play them, with triplet fills and double bass drum • Automatic fills every few bars, or fire them yourself • Humanize, from Perfect to Drunk ROCK, FROM CLASSIC TO ODD TIMES • 114 grooves and 70 fills in 6 banks: Rock, Grunge, FunkRock, Shuffle, Progressive and Odd Times • 65 real drum sounds, most recorded in three dynamic layers: ghost, normal and accent • 25 factory kits plus two round-robin kits, Stage RR and Vintage RR • Create or edit your own grooves in Edit Mode and Patterns Mode, and save them in your own banks PRACTICE, WRITE, PERFORM • Song Mode: chain grooves and fills into full songs • 8 Live Pads: switch grooves and fire fills on the fly, with a countdown to the change • Portrait layout on iPhone, so it sits on your music stand • Mixer with volume, pan and reverb send for every drum • Four effects: Compressor / Gate, Equalizer, Delay and Reverb • External keyboard support: Space to play and stop, Enter for a fill IN YOUR STUDIO • AUv3 plug-in, plus a new MIDI-only plug-in to drive any other drum instrument • Sound Module: play the kit as a MIDI sampler from your pads or keyboard • MIDI Setup: independent MIDI Clock in and out, MIDI-controllable tempo, shareable maps • Send and receive grooves and Live Pad Sets with the other Lumbeat drummers and iBassist • Share a groove or a song by AirDrop, Mail or Files • Export full audio, multitrack stems and MIDI • Ableton Link and MIDI Clock sync MORE DRUMMERS Mike (Progressive Rock, with heavier, metal-style fills) and John (Classic Rock) are available as separate in-app purchases, each with their own kit and playing style. They are not included in the full version. Requires iOS 16 or later.
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 price: Rock Drum Machine at Free against Drum Session's $9.99. Rock Drum Machine also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.3) and review sentiment (92% vs 58%). Drum Session's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (10.3 vs 16). 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 is free to download; Drum Session costs $9.99 up front. Rock Drum Machine sells 4 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 527 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 22, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Rock Drum Machine | Drum Session |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $9.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (527 ratings) — better | 3.3 (15 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 92.2% of reviews — better | 58.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 527 — 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 | 16 | 10.3 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 421 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
- Studio Mix$8.99
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- Rock DM Full Access$22.99
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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