Hooktheory I vs DM10
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Hooktheory I
Learn to craft melodies and chord progressions like a pro with interactive lessons and audiovisual examples from popular songs. This app provides an intuitive understanding of music theory, with practical exercises and a companion sketchpad for immediate practice.
- Learn chord progressions
- Compose melodies
- Audiovisual examples
- Interactive exercises
- Song dissection
- Music theory concepts
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Embark on a musical journey! Follow the Hooktheory Book Series in a smart, fun, skill-building journey. Learn how to craft melodies and chord progressions like professional musicians, and discover an intuitive and deep understanding of how music works. Validated by over 30,000 hobby and pro musicians like you, the Hooktheory Book Series is the best-selling how-to series for musicians around the world for a reason. Hooktheory I isn’t like other music theory books. Hooktheory teaches with an easy-to-understand music format that emphasizes chord and melody function. Rich audiovisual animations play along as you learn. We dissect popular songs and show you how the pros do it. Immediately practice concepts and tactics with our companion musical sketchpad, Hookpad. There is nothing else like it! Fun to read. Easy to understand. Full of practical knowledge. Learn from 41 interactive exercises and 88 audiovisual examples from artists like The Beatles, Journey, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Adele, Coldplay, Billy Joel, Lady Gaga, Elton John, Maroon 5, and more! In Hooktheory I, you’ll learn the following skills: • Composing music based on a scale. • Understanding the six basic chords that underlie all great chord progressions. • Writing chord progressions based on function (understanding which chords go together and which ones don’t) • Making melodies “chord aware” - learn why certain melodies sound good with a chord progression and why others don't • Controlling the natural tension and release in melodies over a chord progression Benefits: • Simple piano roll notation (sheet music knowledge not required) • Every concept + technique demonstrated through an actual song • 88 audiovisual examples from artists like The Beatles, Journey, and Taylor Swift • Reinforce learning at every step with 41 exercises • Designed to be used with Hookpad Music Making Software. Hookpad lets you practice every concept and tactic you learn in the books immediately To sum it up, Hooktheory I will teach you the essential basic techniques for crafting effective and compelling chord progressions and melodies. Reading Hooktheory I doesn’t require any previous music knowledge or the ability to read sheet music. On average, it takes about five hours to read so it isn't a huge time commitment. Dedicate only a few hours to reading this book and gain a lifetime of skills that will give your music that professional edge.
DM10
This app is a powerful drum and synthesizer machine for electronic musicians. It offers a modern audio engine with a wide array of drum kits, instruments, and synth presets, alongside advanced sequencing and effects for creative music production.
- 228 drum kits
- Bass & Lead synths
- AudioUnit support
- Polyrhythmic tracks
- Advanced sequencing
- Real-time FX automation
- User drum kit creation
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DM10 is the ultimate Drum & Synth Machine for iPhone, iPad and Mac — from the creators of DM1, winner of the Apple Design Award 2012. 256 vintage & modern drum kits. Built-in Bass & Lead synths. A powerful step sequencer. Full Mixer, 4 FX slots & intuitive Song Mode. Everything you need to produce beats, from sketch to finished track — in one beautifully designed app One purchase. No subscriptions. No in-app purchases. You get everything. DRUMS & KITS • 256 drum kits — Vintage, Acoustic, Hip-Hop, Electro & more • 10 instruments (Piano, Vibraphone, Wurlitzer…) • Drum Pads with customizable layout • Custom drumkit per track • User drum kit creation with samples import & export • Drums Glitch mode • Drumkits Randomizer STEP SEQUENCER • Drum & Synth step sequencer • 45 patterns • Variable step count, Accent, Triplets & Swing • Time signatures • Polyrhythmic tracks • Steps Probability & Retrig • Playhead Randomize • Custom Tempo, Kit, Mixer & FX per pattern • Steps Randomizer MIXER & FX • Mixer with level, pitch, length, pan & automation • 4 FX slots per track with real-time automation — 15 effects available: Overdrive · Delay · Reverb · Filter · Phaser · Formant · Texturizer · Robotizer · Dalek · Flanger · Decimator · Ring Modulator · Resonator · Compressor · Noise Gate • Mixer & Fx Randomizer SONG MODE • Song mode with intuitive editing • Audio export — master & separated tracks • Project import & export SYNTH ENGINE • Bass Synth — 3 VCO, Filter, ADSR, BitCrush, Detune • Lead Synth — 2 VCO, VCO Modulation, Filter, ADSR, Vibrato • 40 Bass & Lead factory presets PRO CONNECTIVITY • AudioUnit (AUv3) • Full MIDI support — Mapping, File Import & Export, External Clock • Audio Background support • Ableton Link • iCloud Shared Folder • Computer keyboard support VINTAGE DRUM MACHINES • 116 drum kits meticulously sampled from legendary machines: Roland TR-808, TR-909, TR-606 · Akai MPC2000 · Linn 9000 · Oberheim DMX · E-MU SP-12 · Simmons SDS-5 · Fairlight CMI · Teenage Engineering PO-12 · Korg · Yamaha · Boss · Casio · Alesis · Linn · Kawai · Pearl · Elektro-Harmonix · Wersi · Novation · Waldorf · Ensoniq · Sequential Circuits and many more. ACOUSTIC DRUM KITS • 32 acoustic kits recorded at Fingerlab Studio — sampled from iconic brands: Oyster · Ludwig · DW · Gretsch · Pearl · Premier · Slingerland · Sonor · Yamaha · Rogers • 26 percussion & instrument kits recorded at Fingerlab Studio STYLES DRUM KITS • 82 drum kits from various music styles: Hip-Hop, Electro, Dubstep, Trap, Synth, Concrete… Questions or feedback? contact@fingerlab.net Stay tuned! The Fingerlab Team
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: DM10 at 4.6 against Hooktheory I's 4.1. DM10 also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 3 months). Hooktheory I's advantage is price ($14.99 vs $17.99) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On ads 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
Hooktheory I costs $14.99 and DM10 $17.99 up front. Hooktheory I sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. DM10 asks for nothing beyond the download.
DM10 holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11 and 53 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of Hooktheory I's written reviews are positive against 72% of DM10's.
Hooktheory I ships an update every 3 months, DM10 every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hooktheory I | DM10 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $14.99 — better | $17.99 |
| Rating | 4.1 (11 ratings) | 4.6 (53 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 63.4% of reviews | 71.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 11 | 53 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 4 weeks — 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, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 140 MB | 454 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hooktheory LLC | Fingerlab |
Customer experience
Hooktheory I
DM10
Bugs and requests
Hooktheory I
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
DM10
Reported bugs
2 issues- Dropping the first beat in some cases
- Syncing issues in standalone mode
Requested features
6 requests- Add probability per step
- Implement true triplets and flams
- Allow tempo changes within a song
- Increase pattern count beyond 45
- Add more time signature options
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- Implement MIDI mapping for pattern changes
In-app purchases
Hooktheory I
- Full Version$14.99
DM10
No in-app purchases









