Comparison

Drillbook Next Reader vs Beam Music

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

Head to head
About

Drillbook Next Reader

This app allows marching band members and instructors to visualize and follow marching show drills. It displays coordinates for each performer at every count, enabling users to understand their position and contribution to the overall show. Features include playback, zoom, and personalized set books for marchers.

Highlights
  • View coordinates for every set and count
  • Navigate show by counts and sets
  • Pinch and zoom functionality
  • Jump to any set or song
  • Play show with creator-entered tempos
  • Personalized set book for each marcher
  • Print set cards
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Marching band and drum corps drill at your fingertips. See how every count and every set fits into your marching show. Follow shows created on DrillbookNext.com or Drillbook Next: Directors. Drillbook Next Reader does not create shows, only follows them "Game Changer - This app is one of the most amazing tools I have used in my years of teaching marching band. So much you can do with it, no more carrying around paper charts trying to explain what a move should look like, students can watch, step-by-step, and see their coordinates the entire way. A total game changer for my band!" - SHS Drumline "Simply the best drillbook app on the App Store - As a band director, I've fallen victim to carrying around the "large binder of charts" that the profession demands. Not any more!! Upon seeing what this app can offer, it's well worth the price, both for students and directors. Seeing every dot on the field in motion and, at any time, having the ability to click on a member and see their dot book coordinate is a massive timesaver and makes rehearsals infinitely more efficient." - NBRFWooo! "Wonderful tool for drill - Beautiful, well polished, feature rich, prefect for quickly knowing what the drill should look like and the exact coordinates for any student." - Wooky "This is the best app for reading drill - I seriously can't say enough about how well this app works. Uploading a show is simple, it updates easily, it's excellent and the developer is very responsive to issues." - Roskoski Marchers Follow your dot as your marching show develops. See how you contribute to the big picture for every count. Know your show forwards and backwards. Use a set book for any marcher in the show. Instructors Pinpoint each marcher for every count. View marcher names and color coded drill. Help students get up to speed faster. Features: Coordinates for every set and count of your marching show. Move forward and backward by counts and sets. Pinch and zoom in and out. Jump to any set or song. Play the show with tempos entered by the show creator. Marcher View flips the field. Personalized set book for each marcher. Print set cards for each marcher through Set Book Mode. Custom notes for each marcher.

About

Beam Music

Easily import, organize, and annotate music files for ensembles. Share access and collaborate with section leaders. Live Mode synchronizes music across all devices instantly without internet.

Highlights
  • Import PDFs from cloud storage and local files
  • Edit and crop music pages
  • Annotate with pencil, highlighter, and text tools
  • Collaborative notes for section leaders
  • Real-time music synchronization via Live Mode
  • Organize music into collections and set lists
  • Backup music library
Features
Read full description

IMPORT AND ASSIGN FILES WITH EASE - Import PDFs from Dropbox, Google Drive, and Local Storage - Assign full files or single pages - Crop, cut, and edit parts - Give edit access to student leaders ANNOTATE YOUR MUSIC - Pencil tool: Draw on the music - Highlighter: Mark key areas - Text tool: Add important notes - Shared notes: Section leaders can add notes for the entire section STAY IN SYNC WITH LIVE MODE Activate Live Mode to automatically connect everyone in the ensemble to your device. When you select a piece of music, everyone’s individual parts for that song are instantly displayed on their personal device. All without the need for internet. ORGANIZE YOUR LIBRARY - Create a collection of songs - Add songs to a set list in a specific order - Add the duration of the song - Back up your library with Beam Backup

Screenshots

Drillbook Next Reader4 screens
Beam Music4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Beam Music at Free against Drillbook Next Reader's $2.99. Beam Music also leads on rating (4.4 vs 4.1) and ratings volume (283 vs 29). Drillbook Next Reader's advantage is review sentiment (54% vs 36%) and chart position (#198 vs unranked). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases 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

Beam Music is free to download; Drillbook Next Reader costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Beam Music holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Beam Music has 283 ratings behind it against 29, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 54% of Drillbook Next Reader's written reviews are positive against 36% of Beam Music's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 11, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Drillbook Next Reader versus Beam Music: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDrillbook Next ReaderBeam Music
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.1 (29 ratings)4.4 (283 ratings) — better
Positive reviews53.8% of reviews — better36.0% of reviews
Number of ratings29283 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#198 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS8.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB159 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperScott RundellUltimate Drill Book

Customer experience

Drillbook Next Reader

All ratings29 ratings
Positive75.9%
Neutral6.9%
Negative17.2%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive53.8%
Neutral7.7%
Negative38.5%

Beam Music

All ratings283 ratings
Positive83.0%
Neutral3.5%
Negative13.4%
Written reviews50 reviews
Positive36.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative54.0%

Bugs and requests

Drillbook Next Reader

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Beam Music

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • App crashes constantly, especially when needed
  • Lag makes page turning and note-taking difficult
  • Annotations disappear after using live mode
  • Zoom level resets when orientation changes
  • Portrait mode activates unexpectedly
Show 9 more
  • Notes from other songs appear randomly
  • Search feature fails to work reliably
  • Music fails to load when switching between pieces
  • Auto-download feature doesn't work
  • App becomes unresponsive with frozen screen
  • Battery drains excessively fast
  • Phone overheats during rehearsal
  • Annotations won't save, erase, or stick properly
  • Screenshot returns white page instead of music

Requested features

12 requests
  • Horizontal page lock (like FlipFolder)
  • Ability to save zoom level with vertical scrolling
  • Live session annotation capability
  • Auto-select correct part for user
  • Mass select parts instead of individual selection
Show 7 more
  • Highlighter tool for dynamics
  • White pen/eraser for marking corrections
  • Screenshot capability for backup
  • Access to music files in Files app
  • Rotation lock that maintains landscape orientation
  • Better customization options
  • Improved search functionality

In-app purchases

None

Drillbook Next Reader

No in-app purchases

None

Beam Music

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Drillbook Next Reader free?
Drillbook Next Reader costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Beam Music free?
Beam Music is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Drillbook Next Reader or Beam Music?
Beam Music is rated higher. Drillbook Next Reader averages 4.1 out of 5 from 29 ratings, while Beam Music averages 4.4 from 283 ratings.
Do Drillbook Next Reader or Beam Music have ads?
Neither Drillbook Next Reader nor Beam Music shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Drillbook Next Reader or Beam Music?
Drillbook Next Reader ships an update every 3 weeks, and Beam Music every 3 weeks. Most recently, Drillbook Next Reader was updated on September 11, 2026 and Beam Music on September 9, 2026.

Other comparisons