Comparison

Rock Drum Machine vs Drum Session

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • 3600 preset patterns
  • 36 acoustic drum sample sets
  • Record custom beats
  • Piano roll editing
  • MIDI in/out
  • Export MIDI or audio
Features
Read full description

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

Rock Drum Machine4 screens
Drum Session4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Rock Drum Machine versus Drum Session: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRock Drum MachineDrum Session
PriceFree — better$9.99
Rating4.7 (527 ratings) — better3.3 (15 ratings)
Positive reviews92.2% of reviews — better58.0% of reviews
Number of ratings527 — better15
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS1610.3 — better
Further details — not scored
Size421 MB210 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperLumbeatNgo Minh Ngoc

Customer experience

Rock Drum Machine

All ratings527 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral2.8%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews395 reviews
Positive92.2%
Neutral4.3%
Negative3.5%

Drum Session

All ratings15 ratings
Positive53.3%
Neutral13.3%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews50 reviews
Positive58.0%
Neutral18.0%
Negative24.0%

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

4 purchases

Rock Drum Machine

One-time4
  • Mike$4.99
  • John$4.99
  • Studio Mix$8.99
Show 1 more
  • Rock DM Full Access$22.99
None

Drum Session

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Rock Drum Machine free?
Rock Drum Machine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Drum Session free?
Drum Session costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Rock Drum Machine or Drum Session?
Rock Drum Machine is rated higher. Rock Drum Machine averages 4.7 out of 5 from 527 ratings, while Drum Session averages 3.3 from 15 ratings.
Do Rock Drum Machine or Drum Session have ads?
Neither Rock Drum Machine nor Drum Session shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Rock Drum Machine or Drum Session?
Rock Drum Machine ships an update every 3 weeks, and Drum Session every 2 months. Most recently, Rock Drum Machine was updated on October 22, 2026 and Drum Session on October 21, 2026.

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