Comparison

Real Percussion vs Drum Pad Machine

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

Head to head
About

Real Percussion

Learn to play a wide variety of percussion instruments on your smartphone or tablet. This app offers video lessons, loops, and realistic sounds to help you master drumming and develop musical skills. Practice quietly anywhere, anytime, and share your performances with others.

Highlights
  • Over 100 drum lessons
  • Realistic 3D percussion kits
  • Wide variety of instruments
  • Studio-quality audio
  • Export recordings to MP3
  • Share performances on social media
  • MIDI support
Features
Read full description

The Real Percussion provides all the tools necessary to master the art of playing percussion musical instruments on your smartphone or tablet. Now you can easily play any music, anywhere! Experience the sensation of your fingers transforming into drumsticks and feel like part of a real band! What is percussion? A percussion instrument is an object designed to produce sound through shaking, scraping, or striking with the aid of drumsticks or hands. Why haven't you started learning to play percussion yet? The Real Percussion offers various video lessons to assist you, along with a variety of loops to play along with. Don't have access to real percussion instrument or drum set? No problem! The Real Percussion offers a diverse range of percussion musical instruments and drum sets with high-quality sounds, allowing you to play any music you desire! You don't need an acoustic or electronic percussion to learn to play! The Real Percussion is an excellent choice for practicing or playing drums quietly, without causing disruptions or requiring much space. Enjoy the freedom to play percussion wherever you like! Show your friends how good you are at playing percussion! Share videos of your performances with friends and on social media! The Real Percussion app allows children and adults to learn drumming while having fun, enhancing their cognitive and motor skills. This drum game will stimulate your musical talent, making it easy to learn beats as if using a real percussion kit. With Real Percussion, you can play instruments like: - Xylophone - Marimba - Maracas - Tambourine - Timpani - Guiro - Agogo - Vibraphone - Castanets - Cajon - Hang drum - Cabasa - Vibraslap - Bongos - Conga - Drum - Cymbal - and more! So what are you waiting for to become a percussionist? Explore Real Percussion features: - Over 100 drum lessons to learn drumming - Various percussion kits, including realistic 3D sets - Wide variety of drums, cymbals, tambourines, and other percussion instruments - Loops for playing along - Studio-quality audio - Export your recordings to MP3 format - Share your recordings on social media - New percussion sets, lessons, and loops introduced weekly - Compatible with all screen resolutions - Phones and Tablets (HD images) - MIDI support - Free app The app contains the following subscription: - Premium Version (Remove ads; Unlock all loops; Unlock all lessons and Unlock Metronome) - Monthly payment ($3,90). - Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. - The subscription is automatically renewed unless cancelled 24 hours before the renewal. - The subsequent monthly subscriptions are automatically renewed unless cancelled 24 hours before the next renewal (considering the day of the effective monthly subscription). - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. - Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. Terms of use and Privacy Policy: http://www.kolbapps.com/privacy_policy_and_terms.pdf Terms of use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Designed for drummers, percussionists, professional musicians, enthusiasts, and beginners! Download the Real Percussion app and turn your fingers into drumsticks right now! Follow us on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for tips on using the app: @kolbapps Kolb Apps: Touch & Play!

About

Drum Pad Machine

Create professional-quality music and unique tracks with a variety of styles and sound packs. Utilize instruments, FX, and sequencing for creative sound design. Learn through beat school lessons and share your creations instantly.

Highlights
  • Multiple music styles (Hip-hop, Trap, House, etc.)
  • Professional sound packs
  • Drum and Piano instruments
  • Sequencing with tempo and EQ
  • Beat School lessons
  • Quick music sharing
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Make your own music like a pro. Create sick beats, perfect and perform unique tracks! Features: • Great variety of music styles: Hip-hop, Drum & Bass, Trap, Dubstep, House, and many others; • Unique sound packs. Get access to professional-quality audio samples created by professional musicians and DJs; • Instruments & FX. Use Drum & Piano for creative sound designs; • Sequencing. Get studio effects including Tempo Regulation and EQ; • Beat School. Try the lessons for each sound pack to improvise freely; • Quick sharing. Share your music with the world. Enjoy this powerful, yet easy-to-use tool to get the best music experience! Drum Pad Machine Premium Drum Pad Machine Premium Subscription allows you to unlock all the sound packs, get new releases, and remove ads. Choose from different subscription options. Payment will be charged to Apple ID Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed by you and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to Apple ID Account Settings. For more information please visit the link https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202039. Unused portion of a free-trial period will be forfeited when a user decides to subscribe. EULA: https://easybrain.com/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://easybrain.com/policy.html

Screenshots

Real Percussion4 screens
Drum Pad Machine4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Drum Pad Machine at 675K against Real Percussion's 1.7K. Drum Pad Machine also leads on chart position (#150 vs unranked) and review sentiment (63% vs 53%). Real Percussion's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Real Percussion sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Drum Pad Machine sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Drum Pad Machine holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Drum Pad Machine has 675K ratings behind it against 1.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 53% of Real Percussion's written reviews are positive against 63% of Drum Pad Machine's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Real Percussion ships an update every 3 weeks, Drum Pad Machine every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Real Percussion versus Drum Pad Machine: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReal PercussionDrum Pad Machine
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (1.7K ratings)4.6 (675K ratings) — better
Positive reviews53.3% of reviews63.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.7K675K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank—#150 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size85 MB230 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKOLB SISTEMAS - EIRELIEasybrain Ltd

Customer experience

Real Percussion

All ratings1,698 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral6.3%
Negative8.0%
Written reviews60 reviews
Positive53.3%
Neutral16.7%
Negative30.0%

Drum Pad Machine

All ratings674,050 ratings
Positive90.3%
Neutral4.7%
Negative5.0%
Written reviews2,304 reviews
Positive63.3%
Neutral8.5%
Negative28.3%

User reviews

Real Percussion

From 1.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎉 Fun and enjoyable to use
  • 🎨 Wide variety of instruments
  • 👍 Easy to play
  • 🎶 Helps with music creation

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Tuning issues with certain instruments (e.g. tenors, timbales)
  • 🔊 Some sounds not realistic or off-beat
  • 💰 Too many ads, subscription required to remove them
  • 🔌 Compatibility issues with other apps (e.g. GarageBand)

Drum Pad Machine

From 675K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🤩 Incredible music-making experience
  • 👍 Easy to learn and use
  • 🎶 Wide variety of music genres and beats
  • 🎓 Helpful tutorials and lessons
  • 🎧 High-quality sound samples

Room to improve

  • 🤬 Excessive and repetitive ads
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🐛 Occasional glitches and crashes
  • 🤔 Limited customization options
  • ⏱️ Lessons and tutorials move too fast

Bugs and requests

Real Percussion

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Incorrect positioning of tenor drums
  • Latency issues when playing
  • Glitches causing incorrect drum sounds to play

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add more instrument options (e.g. timpani, buffalo drum)
  • Implement MIDI support for integration with other apps
  • Add loop/pattern recording functionality
  • Improve tuning and realism of drum sounds

Drum Pad Machine

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Recordings sometimes stop unexpectedly
  • Difficulty registering multiple button presses simultaneously
  • Compatibility issues on older devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add a search function to find specific beats
  • Allow users to create and share their own custom beats
  • Implement a pause/resume feature for recordings
  • Provide more granular control over tempo and timing

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Real Percussion

Subscriptions9
  • Premium Version$1.991 Month
  • Premium Version - 3 Days Free$2.991 Month
  • Premium Version1 Month trial$2.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • Premium Version3 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Premium Version$3.991 Month
  • Premium Version$6.997 Days
  • Premium Version (6 months)$9.996 Months
  • Premium Version (1 year)$12.991 Year
  • Premium Version3 Days trial$17.991 Year
One-time1
  • Remove Ads$99.99
5 purchases

Drum Pad Machine

Subscriptions5
  • Drum Pad Machine Pro - Weekly3 Days trial$7.997 Days
  • Music Beat Maker Premium7 Days trial$7.997 Days
  • Drum Pad Machine Pro - Monthly$14.991 Month
Show 2 more
  • Beatmaker Premium7 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • Drum Pad Machine Pro - Annual$46.991 Year

Questions

Is Real Percussion free?
Real Percussion is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Drum Pad Machine free?
Drum Pad Machine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Real Percussion or Drum Pad Machine?
Drum Pad Machine is rated higher. Real Percussion averages 4.4 out of 5 from 1.7K ratings, while Drum Pad Machine averages 4.6 from 675K ratings.
Do Real Percussion or Drum Pad Machine have ads?
Both Real Percussion and Drum Pad Machine show ads.
Which is updated more often, Real Percussion or Drum Pad Machine?
Real Percussion ships an update every 3 weeks, and Drum Pad Machine every 3 months. Most recently, Real Percussion was updated on November 6, 2026 and Drum Pad Machine on November 8, 2026.

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