Rock Drum Machine vs Starrypad
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
Starrypad
Transform your device into a versatile music creation tool. Record and import audio, then assign it to velocity-sensitive pads for playback. Create loops, add layers, and export your work as WAV or MIDI.
- 16 velocity-sensitive pads
- Built-in drum kits and synth phrases
- Microphone and audio import
- Loop recording and layering
- WAV and MIDI export
- USB MIDI controller support
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Starrypad turns your iPhone into a drum pad, looper and sampler. Play sixteen velocity-sensitive pads with acoustic drums, 808 sounds and original synth phrases. The C Synth kit follows your tempo while keeping note pitch independent. Shape each pad with level, pan and tuning in the Mixer. Record from the microphone or import audio from a video you choose, trim the sound and assign it to a pad. Record loops, add layers and undo the latest pass. Switch from recording to playback without stopping the loop. Play along with music from another audio app. Background playback depends on the other app and your audio route. This does not import or record protected streaming audio. Export loops as WAV or MIDI. Connect an optional class-compliant USB MIDI controller. No controller, account or subscription is required. Settings and help support English, Japanese and Simplified Chinese. Familiar performance legends stay in English. Audio processing and your recordings stay on the device. Salamander Drumkit by Alexander Holm (CC BY 3.0) TR-808 Sound Sample Set by Michael Fischer via TidalCycles (CC0 1.0) Additional percussion from FreePats (CC0 1.0) Original synthesized rhythm phrases by Starrypad
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Starrypad at Free against Rock Drum Machine's $17.99. Starrypad also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Rock Drum Machine's advantage is ratings volume (523 vs 1) and chart position (#190 vs unranked). On 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
Starrypad is free to download; Rock Drum Machine costs $17.99 up front. Rock Drum Machine sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Starrypad asks for nothing beyond the download.
Starrypad 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 523 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 Starrypad's.
Rock Drum Machine ships an update every 3 weeks, Starrypad every 10 days. Both last shipped on October 16, 2026.
| Parameter | Rock Drum Machine | Starrypad |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $17.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (523 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 92.1% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 523 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #190 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 233 MB | 45 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Lumbeat | Ryo Ijuin |
Customer experience
Rock Drum Machine
Starrypad
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
Starrypad
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Rock Drum Machine
- Mike$4.99
- John$4.99
Starrypad
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Rock Drum Machine free?
Is Starrypad free?
Which has better reviews, Rock Drum Machine or Starrypad?
Do Rock Drum Machine or Starrypad have ads?
Which is updated more often, Rock Drum Machine or Starrypad?
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