Comparison

Rock Drum Machine vs AKI Drum Machine

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

AKI Drum Machine

This app provides professional-grade, hands-on drum backing for musicians, songwriters, and performers. It allows importing MIDI drum styles, triggering song sections live, and customizing drum sounds. Enjoy real-time tempo control and flexible MIDI connectivity for a portable rhythm solution.

Highlights
  • Playable beat sections (Intros, Variations, Fills, Endings)
  • Import MIDI drum styles from Yamaha/Korg
  • Assign custom drum sounds (SF2 import)
  • Real-time tempo control with multi-tempo support
  • MIDI input/output and controller support
  • Background audio playback
  • Visual metronome and multi-meter support
Features
Read full description

AKI Drum Machine is a professional-grade arranger-style rhythm machine for iPad and iPhone, designed for musicians, songwriters, producers, and performers who want quick, hands-on drum backing without opening a full DAW. Import MIDI drum styles, trigger song sections live, assign your own drum sounds, and play everything from the screen or a MIDI controller. It gives you playable drum sections, fast tempo control, easy sound swapping, and a portable library of styles and sounds in one app. Import MIDI drum sections — including drum sections exported directly from Yamaha and Korg arrangers — and play them live with hands-on control over every section. Trigger intros, variations, fills, breaks, and endings in real time, just like a hardware arranger. PERFORMANCE & PLAYBACK - Playable beat sections — Intros, Variations, Fills, Breaks, and Endings - Start/Stop control - Auto Fill — automatically plays a matching fill when you switch variations - Fill Loop and Break Loop - Visual Metronome - Multi-Meter Support — styles can have different meters and time signatures for each section - Background audio — playback continues when the app is backgrounded TEMPO CONTROL - Real-time tempo control - Tempo Reset — double-tap to return to original tempo - Direct Tempo Entry — press and hold to enter a tempo value directly - Multi-Tempo Support — different tempos for different style sections - Per-Part Tempo Editing — view, adjust, and save tempo by style section STYLES, IMPORT & LIBRARY - 8 factory styles: 8 Beat, 16 Beat, Ballad, Country, Pop Latin, Rock, Samba, Swing Jazz - Yamaha and Korg MIDI Style Import — directly imports drum and percussion parts from styles exported as MIDI files - Files app integration — open MIDI files directly in the app - Built-In Style Library with rename and delete - Style Info — view import format, section details, and per-section tempo and meter data SOUNDS & MIXING - SF2 Sound Import — use your own drum kits - Built-In Sound Library with assignable drum and percussion sounds - Per-Style Sound Assignment — every style remembers its own sounds, volumes, and channels - Dual Drum and Percussion playback - Master Volume plus independent Drum and Percussion channel mixing - Reset to default drum sound anytime MIDI & CONNECTIVITY - MIDI Input and Output - MIDI Learn — assign hardware controls to any function - Adjustable MIDI Input and Output Routing - Automatic MIDI Hardware Detection - Virtual MIDI Support - Bluetooth MIDI Support - Multiple Simultaneous MIDI Controllers — all connected hardware sources active at once - MIDI Panic — instantly stops all MIDI notes on all channels INTERFACE & COMPATIBILITY - Light and Dark modes - iPad and iPhone compatible - In-app searchable User Guide - iOS 16+ Built for gigging musicians, worship leaders, singer-songwriters, and one-man-band performers who need reliable, professional drum backing without a full DAW. SUPPORT support@akimuzika.com akimuzika.com

Screenshots

Rock Drum Machine4 screens
AKI Drum Machine4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Rock Drum Machine at Free against AKI Drum Machine's $39.99. Rock Drum Machine also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (527 vs 1). AKI Drum Machine's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On review sentiment, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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; AKI Drum Machine costs $39.99 up front. Rock Drum Machine sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. AKI Drum Machine asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

AKI Drum Machine holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Rock Drum Machine has 527 ratings behind it against 1, 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 100% of AKI Drum Machine's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Rock Drum Machine ships an update every 3 weeks, AKI Drum Machine every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Rock Drum Machine versus AKI Drum Machine: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRock Drum MachineAKI Drum Machine
PriceFree — better$39.99
Rating4.7 (527 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews92.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings527 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size421 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLumbeatALEKS ENTERPRISES LLC

Customer experience

Rock Drum Machine

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

AKI Drum Machine

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

AKI Drum Machine

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Rock Drum Machine

One-time2
  • Mike$4.99
  • John$4.99
None

AKI Drum Machine

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Rock Drum Machine free?
Rock Drum Machine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is AKI Drum Machine free?
AKI Drum Machine costs $39.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Rock Drum Machine or AKI Drum Machine?
AKI Drum Machine is rated higher. Rock Drum Machine averages 4.7 out of 5 from 527 ratings, while AKI Drum Machine averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Rock Drum Machine or AKI Drum Machine have ads?
Neither Rock Drum Machine nor AKI Drum Machine shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Rock Drum Machine or AKI Drum Machine?
Rock Drum Machine ships an update every 3 weeks, and AKI Drum Machine every 4 months. Most recently, Rock Drum Machine was updated on October 22, 2026 and AKI Drum Machine on October 6, 2026.

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