Rock Drum Machine vs Riffler
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 Rock Drum Machine is free to explore for 7 days with access to all features. Some actions are limited during the trial (exports, random grooves, sound changes and bars per session). After the trial, keep playing with limited features. Unlock the full version with a one-time purchase, no subscription. The full version unlocks the app and the Rock DM drummer. Mike and John are extra drummers, sold separately. 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.
Riffler
Instantly generate unlimited, copyright-free guitar riffs with customizable settings. Export as MIDI or audio, and use as a standalone app or AUv3 plugin. Perfect for guitarists, composers, and producers seeking creative inspiration.
- Unlimited copyright-free riff generation
- Preset musical styles
- Customizable settings (tempo, scale, tuning, etc.)
- Guitar tablature display
- MIDI and audio export (.wav, .mid)
- AUv3 plugin compatibility
- Realistic guitar tones
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Instantly create unlimited, copyright-free guitar riffs. Just tap "Create" and listen to your new riff. PRESETS The easiest way to get started is to select from the huge list of preset musical styles, tap "Create", and a unique guitar riff will be made. The created riff is displayed as guitar tablature which you can listen to and save. CUSTOMIZATION For advanced users wanting to harness the full power of Riffler, there is a huge range of customizable settings allowing you to fine tune and personalize your own unique sound. WHO WOULD USE RIFFLER? • Guitarists looking to improve their playing, with endless new riffs to practice. • Composers needing an additional creative spark of inspiration to complement their music. • Musicians looking for a virtual guitarist for unlimited jam sessions. • Producers wanting to stand out from the crowd by creating a library of unique guitar riffs instead of using the same samples and loops as everybody else. • Most of all Riffler is fun! It's great for anybody looking to experiment and create their own music! EXPORT MIDI AND AUDIO The created riff can be exported as MIDI or audio file. AUv3 Riffler is a standalone app and also an AUv3 plugin that can be loaded into a host music app. The Riffler AUv3 plugin can be synced inside a host app and can send audio and MIDI to other effects, synths, samplers and virtual instruments. All hosts are compatible with Riffler's audio and certain hosts enable Riffler to send MIDI data. MIDI compatible hosts include AUM, Loopy Pro, Cubasis 3, Beatmaker 3, apeMatrix and Audiobus 3. REALISTIC TONES Riffler's audio engine creates stunningly realistic guitar tones. Riffler is the playground for anyone curious about music creation! Experiment with various tempos, scales, tunings, and time signatures, and harness the power of Riffler's cutting edge artificial intelligence (AI). SPECS: Tempo: 40 - 240bpm. Sample rates: 44.1kHz, 48kHz Key: All 12 keys. Scales: Pentatonic, blues scale, extended blues, chromatic, major (ionian), dorian, phrygian, lydian, mixolydian, natural minor (aeolian), locrian, harmonic minor, phrygian dominant. Tunings: Standard, drop D, Eb, C#, C, 7 string, 7 string drop A, 8 string. Time signatures: 4/4, 3/4, 2/4, 1/4, 12/8, 6/8, 7/8, 5/8, 3/8, 1/8 Export: .wav, .mid, .riffle Tones: 40 different guitar tones, 10 different synth tones CONTROLS: Tempo, length, time signature, feel, key, tuning, progression, scale, tone, double tracking, delay, humanise, sustain, bend, powerchords, palm muting, vibrato, arpeggiate, range, melody, rhythm, gaps, motif, runs, run range, ending length, remove duplicate notes, lock to single octave, tremolo picking.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Rock Drum Machine at Free against Riffler's $14.99. Rock Drum Machine also leads on ratings volume (538 vs 125). Riffler's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 16). On rating, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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; Riffler costs $14.99 up front. Rock Drum Machine sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Riffler asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Rock Drum Machine against 4.7 for Riffler. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 538 and 125 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 92% of Rock Drum Machine's written reviews are positive against 86% of Riffler's.
Rock Drum Machine ships an update every 3 weeks, Riffler every 10 days. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.
| Parameter | Rock Drum Machine | Riffler |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $14.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (538 ratings) | 4.7 (125 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 92.3% of reviews — better | 86.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 538 — better | 125 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 10 days — better |
| 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 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 421 MB | 504 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Lumbeat | Jonathan Bell |
Customer experience
Rock Drum Machine
Riffler
User reviews
Rock Drum Machine
From 538 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great sound quality
- 🚀 Easy to use and program
- 🎨 Lots of customization options
- 🎛️ Intuitive interface
- 🎶 Realistic drum sounds
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
- 🔌 MIDI integration issues
- 🤔 Steep learning curve for some
- 💰 Expensive compared to other options
- 🔇 Limited drum kit selection
Riffler
From 125 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Awesome concept and app
- 👍 Generates great hard rock and heavy metal riffs
- 👍 Integrates well with common hosts
- 👍 Good onboard sounds
- 👍 Excellent for inspiration and creating original music
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🐛 Compatibility problems with Logic Pro
- 🐛 MIDI export issues (max velocity, monophonic)
- 🐛 Inability to disable internal sequencer for MIDI input
- 🔍 Small screen size makes it difficult to use on iPhone
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
Riffler
Reported bugs
4 issues- Crashes and freezes, especially on older devices
- Issues with exporting audio and MIDI
- Compatibility problems with certain DAWs and software
- Inconsistent behavior when loading saved riffs
Requested features
10 requests- Add MIDI input functionality
- Implement song mode to chain multiple riffs
- Add more scale and chord options
- Implement advanced guitar techniques (hammer-ons, slides, harmonics, etc.)
- Add drum sequencer or preset drum loops
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- Improve MIDI export (separate velocity/feedback controls, export chords)
- Add ability to create and save custom riff patterns
- Implement a guitar solo generator mode
- Add support for more time signatures and song lengths
- Improve UI and layout, especially on smaller screens
In-app purchases
Rock Drum Machine
- Mike$4.99
- John$4.99
- Studio Mix$8.99
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Rock DM Full Access$22.99
Riffler
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Rock Drum Machine free?
Is Riffler free?
Which has better reviews, Rock Drum Machine or Riffler?
Do Rock Drum Machine or Riffler have ads?
Which is updated more often, Rock Drum Machine or Riffler?
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