Comparison

Touch Notation vs Darbuka Beats

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

Head to head
About

Touch Notation

Create musical scores with intuitive touch gestures. Draw notes, add expressions, and play back your compositions with 30 instrument voices. Export your work in various formats.

Highlights
  • Handwritten notation input
  • 30 built-in instrument voices
  • Tempo and dynamics control
  • Page layout functions
  • Transpose feature
  • Multiple export formats (PDF, SMF, MusicXML)
Read full description

Touch Notation is a powerful musical score creation app that allows anyone to enjoy writing music using touch gestures. In Japan, Touch Notation was selected as one of the ‘App Store Best of 2014’ apps, and held the No.1 spot in the iPad Paid App index for music apps for over two weeks. Up until now, musical score creation software has relied upon dragging individual notes from a palette onto staves. By contrast, Touch Notation allows musicians to draw directly onto the score using a finger or touch pen, and have their work immediately appear as beautifully written notation, then played back using the app’s 30 built-in instrument voices. - A wide-range of functions accessible from a cleanly designed, intuitive user interface. - Ability to enter musical expressions for adjusting tempo and dynamics. - Layout functions such as page breaks. - Convenient transpose feature for raising/lowering the pitch of the entire score. - Output scores using Air Print, or save to Dropbox in PDF, SMF, MusicXML, and ScoreMaker formats. Touch Notation allows the following musical symbols to be entered by hand: - Note, Rest (including dotted and double-dotted), Long Rest, Beam, Tuplet (Triplet) - Grace Note - Accidental, Tie, Slur - Accent, Staccato, Tenuto, Fermata - Trill, sfz, Arpeggio, Pedal, Senza - Metronome symbol - Crescendo, Decrescendo - Dynamics symbols (ppp~fff) - Octave symbol - Repeat brackets - Repeat marks (D.C./Fine/D.S./Segno/Coda/to Coda) - Clefs (Treble Clef/Bass Clef/C Clef/Percussion Clef) - Key signature - Time signature - Bar lines (repeat marks) - Abbreviation Lyrics and other musical expressions (‘Dolce’, ‘Tranquillo’, etc.) can be added using text input, while comments and memos can also be written freehand directly onto the score. * Drum notation is supported, but other types such as rhythm notation and tab notation are not supported. * Older devices may experience stuttering when playing complicated scores with many simultaneous notes.

About

Darbuka Beats

This app provides authentic Middle Eastern and Oriental rhythms for musicians, producers, and dancers. It features a wide variety of traditional loops, dynamic performance tools, and custom loop import. Seamlessly integrate with DAWs and external controllers for live shows and studio production.

Highlights
  • Over 30 authentic Arabic, Middle Eastern, and Oriental rhythms
  • Dynamic performance tools for live feel
  • AUv3 and Ableton Link support
  • Import custom WAV loops with iCloud backup
  • Set lists for live performances
  • MIDI Learn integration
  • Built-in recording and sharing
Features
Read full description

Darbuka Beats: Play Authentic Middle Eastern Rhythms at Your Fingertips Unleash the spirit of the Middle East with Darbuka Beats, the ultimate drum machine app for belly dancers, musicians, and producers! Dive into a vibrant world of authentic Arabic, Middle Eastern, and Oriental rhythms, expertly crafted for both practice and performance. Features: • Authentic Loops: Explore over 30 traditional and modern rhythms, including Maksoum, Saidi, Baladi, Ciftetelli, Ayoub, Rumba, Malfuf, Dabkeh, Samai, and many more. • Dynamic Performance Tools: Play intros, variations, fills, endings, and layer percussion elements for a live, humanized feel. • AUv3 Support: Seamlessly integrate with your favorite AUv3-compatible DAWs for a streamlined production workflow. • Custom Loop Import with iCloud Backup: Add your personal touch by importing your own WAV loops—and keep them safe with iCloud backup of your custom content. • Set Lists for Live Shows: Organize your songs and rhythms for flawless live performances. • MIDI Learn Integration: Map and control virtually every feature using your external MIDI controller. • Tap or Lock Tempo: Stay perfectly in sync with easy tempo tapping or locking. • Smooth Transitions: Fade in, fade out, insert breaks, and end rhythms cleanly for seamless transitions. • Ableton Link Support: Sync effortlessly with other apps and devices for collaborative sessions. • Record and Share: Capture your performances or studio sessions with built-in output recording. Rhythms Included: Fox, Maksoum, Zaffa, Ayoub, Ciftetelli, Gypsy, Wahda, Katakufti, Saidi, Balon, Malfuf, Dossary, Laff, Sama’i, Shrh, Waltz 3/4, Choby Dabkeh, Sirya, Adani, Haja3, Jerk, Rumba, Slow, Sodasi, Techno, Shaban, Chobi, Gorgina, Baladi, Rai, Masmudi, Swing Oriental, Tableh, Arabi, Setati, Tagil, Bandari, Iraqi, Samri, and more — including unique 3/4 Rai rhythms! Whether you're dancing, performing live, or producing music in the studio, Darbuka Beats gives you the authentic grooves you need to move and inspire. Download now and feel the rhythm of tradition — and innovation!

Screenshots

Touch Notation4 screens
Darbuka Beats4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Darbuka Beats at Free against Touch Notation's $9.99. Darbuka Beats also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.9) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 months). Touch Notation's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 16.0). On review sentiment, ratings volume, 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

Darbuka Beats is free to download; Touch Notation costs $9.99 up front. Touch Notation sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Darbuka Beats sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Darbuka Beats holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 21 and 42 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 45% of Touch Notation's written reviews are positive against 40% of Darbuka Beats's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Touch Notation ships an update every 3 months, Darbuka Beats every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Touch Notation versus Darbuka Beats: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTouch NotationDarbuka Beats
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating2.9 (21 ratings)4.7 (42 ratings) — better
Positive reviews44.6% of reviews — better40.0% of reviews
Number of ratings2142 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS11.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size112 MB298 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing Co., Ltd.Sonic Market

Customer experience

Touch Notation

All ratings21 ratings
Positive38.1%
Neutral19.0%
Negative42.9%
Written reviews83 reviews
Positive44.6%
Neutral26.5%
Negative28.9%

Darbuka Beats

All ratings42 ratings
Positive90.5%
Neutral4.8%
Negative4.8%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral40.0%
Negative20.0%

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Touch Notation

One-time10
  • Sound Set: Piano$0.49
  • Sound Set: Guitar/Bass 1$0.49
  • Sound Set: Strings$0.49
Show 7 more
  • Sound Set: Brass/Woodwind$0.49
  • Sound Set: Bell/Mallet$0.49
  • Sound Set: Vocal/Others$0.49
  • Core MIDI Output$1.99
  • Handwritten Font$1.99
  • Sound Set: Full$2.99
  • Chord Name & Automatic Accompaniment$3.99
2 purchases

Darbuka Beats

One-time2
  • Darbuka Beats Factory Rhythms$1.99
  • Darbuka Beats Factory Rhythms$3.99

Questions

Is Touch Notation free?
Touch Notation costs $9.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Darbuka Beats free?
Darbuka Beats is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Touch Notation or Darbuka Beats?
Darbuka Beats is rated higher. Touch Notation averages 2.9 out of 5 from 21 ratings, while Darbuka Beats averages 4.7 from 42 ratings.
Do Touch Notation or Darbuka Beats have ads?
Neither Touch Notation nor Darbuka Beats shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Touch Notation or Darbuka Beats?
Touch Notation ships an update every 3 months, and Darbuka Beats every 5 days. Most recently, Touch Notation was updated on September 28, 2026 and Darbuka Beats on September 14, 2026.

Other comparisons