Comparison

Dot Drummer vs Dawnbeat

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

Head to head
About

Dot Drummer

Easily create music with a variety of sounds and layering options. Save your progress automatically and enjoy a user-friendly experience on Apple devices.

Highlights
  • 12 beautiful sounds
  • Up to 12 layers of sound
  • 16 steps per measure
  • Auto save progress
  • Runs on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch
Features
Read full description

It can't be easier to make beats with Dot Drummer. FEATURES: - Include 12 beautiful sounds. - Up to 12 layers of sound at a time. - Use one measure, 16 steps long. - Run great on any iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch. - Auto save your progress.

About

Dawnbeat

This app lets you create music by sampling and sequencing audio. It offers advanced features like multi-touch pads, an always-recording buffer, and flexible routing for creative sound manipulation. Integrate with external MIDI devices and apply a wide range of built-in and AUv3 effects.

Highlights
  • Multi-touch and draggable pads
  • Always-recording buffer (Memorizer)
  • Advanced loop manipulation (BRIIKS)
  • Flexible mixer with assignable busses
  • Polyphonic pads for chords
  • MIDI IN/OUT for external control
  • AUv3 effects and instrument support
  • Auto-slicer for audio chopping
Features
Read full description

Dawnbeat inherits the best part of the classic hardware samplers and takes it further by adding features only possible on a multi-touch device.  Create more natural patterns by tapping and swiping pads.  Focus on creativity, you don't need to select a tempo before hit record to finally play a pattern until you get the right take, just play and forget about to record! Dawnbeat is always recording! Multi-touch and draggable pads: - Pads are multi-touch, play a single pad with two fingers at the same time! - Pads are individually configurable, allowing re-triggering when dragging for amazing fills, tone variations . - Mute and Solo buttons for pads available. - Mute groups. Memorizer: - DawnBeat is always recording pad events, you'll never miss a beat, play and experiment and when you hear something you like, it's already recorded! simply go to Memorizer and select the desired events. BRIIKS sampler: - Advanced loop manipulator. Rearrange and combine your loops. Also available as standalone, AUv3 and MacOS. Mixer: - 4 assignable BUSSES and one MAIN BUS. Assign pads to busses, assign internal effects or AUV3 effects to busses.  - Mute and Solo buttons. Polyphonic pads: - Pads can be turned polyphonic, import a piano-like sample and play and sequence chords with a single pad. MIDI IN and MIDI OUT: - Trigger samples from a MIDI controller, play melodies from a MIDI piano. - Sequence hardware drum machines and synths from Dawnbeat. - Use Dawnbeat as an intermediary between a midi keyboard and a synth, save the sequences you are playing. Dawnbeat can save poliphonic sequences! Pattern sequencer with piano editor. - Swing, count-in, metronome. Audio Units: - Dawnbeat support AUv3 effects and instruments! Built in Effects: - Reverb, Delay, Compressor, Flutter, Gate, Tremolo, Noise, Filter, Chorus, Equalizer, Stutter and Tape slow motion. - Effects can be rearranged. Built-In sample browser: - 6 drum kit sample libraries, and 1 bass sample library. Selectable internal sample rate: - Internal sample rate can be changed, choose between HI-FI and LO-FI sample rates. AUTO-SLICER: - AutoSlicer detects hit points and slices audio into individual files minimizing the need for manual editing. Chop up any audio file in a few seconds. Recording sample rate can be selected. Export movies with images and animated GIFs .

Screenshots

Dot Drummer2 screens
Dawnbeat4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Dawnbeat at 70% against Dot Drummer's 20%. Dawnbeat also leads on rating (4.2 vs 3.0) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 36 months). Dot Drummer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (6.0 vs 15.6). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Dawnbeat sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Dot Drummer asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Dawnbeat holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dawnbeat has 115 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 20% of Dot Drummer's written reviews are positive against 70% of Dawnbeat's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dot Drummer ships an update every 36 months, Dawnbeat every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Dot Drummer versus Dawnbeat: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDot DrummerDawnbeat
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (10 ratings)4.2 (115 ratings) — better
Positive reviews20.0% of reviews70.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings10115 — better
Update frequencyEvery 36 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS6.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB504 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer媛 阮Luis Rivas

Customer experience

Dot Drummer

All ratings10 ratings
Positive40.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive20.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative60.0%

Dawnbeat

All ratings112 ratings
Positive75.9%
Neutral14.3%
Negative9.8%
Written reviews128 reviews
Positive70.3%
Neutral18.8%
Negative10.9%

In-app purchases

None

Dot Drummer

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Dawnbeat

One-time1
  • Dawn Beat Complete$5.99

Questions

Is Dot Drummer free?
Dot Drummer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Dawnbeat free?
Dawnbeat is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Dot Drummer or Dawnbeat?
Dawnbeat is rated higher. Dot Drummer averages 3.0 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while Dawnbeat averages 4.2 from 115 ratings.
Do Dot Drummer or Dawnbeat have ads?
Neither Dot Drummer nor Dawnbeat shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dot Drummer or Dawnbeat?
Dot Drummer ships an update every 36 months, and Dawnbeat every 3 weeks. Most recently, Dot Drummer was updated on November 1, 2026 and Dawnbeat on November 3, 2026.

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