Apps and software for electronic drum kits, compared
What to connect an electronic kit to depends on what you want from it. Drum software such as EZdrummer 3, Superior Drummer 3, Addictive Drums 2 and Steven Slate Drums replaces the module's sounds with recorded kits, on a computer. Learning apps such as Melodics, Clone Hero and our own Drum Coach read the kit's MIDI and score what you play. The kit makers' own apps edit settings for a few of their own modules only. The table compares 14 apps on how they connect, what they do with the kit, and what they cost in the US today.
By Raul Rodrigues. Checked on . 14 tools, every fact sourced.
Upbeat Studio makes one of the apps in this table, Drum Coach. It is not ranked anywhere on this page: it sits in the table with the same columns and the same criticism as every other row, its e-kit features are described exactly as its own support pages describe them today, beta included, and the picker never shortlists it.
Plug and play recognition for listed Alesis, Carlsbro, Donner, GEWA, KAT, Roland, Simmons, Yamaha and Zildjian kits; 'Map MIDI instrument' for any other MIDI kit
No brand presets named in the setup guides: in-app pad calibration maps each pad's MIDI note as you hit it (beta); the compatible-kits list covers Roland, Yamaha, Alesis, Simmons, EFNOTE and other brands
Map Presets for over 60 e-drum kits, named by XLN: 2box, Alesis, EFNOTE, GEWA, MegaDRUM, Millenium, Nux, Roland, Simmons and Yamaha models, plus General MIDI
Downloadable presets per kit model for Roland, Alesis, Millenium, Yamaha, Simmons, Behringer, Donner and other brands, many made by users; MIDI Learn for other kits
E-drum mapping presets for most brands; Toontrack names Roland, Alesis, Yamaha and Pearl among them
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not on this store
not on this store
Ratings and review counts are the stores' and retailers' own, pulled on 2026-10-07. A cross means the feature is not there; a question mark means neither the listing nor the maker says. Prices are US dollars as listed on the named store on the date in each card; they change, so check the store before you buy.
One by one
What each one is for, and what it is not
Drum Coachours
Upbeat Studio · learning app · iOS, Android · subscription
In its e-drums beta, Drum Coach connects to an e-kit over USB MIDI (or Bluetooth MIDI on supported Roland modules) and scores your hits in exercises and practice sessions on a phone or tablet, with pad and delay calibration. Know before choosing: e-drum support is labeled beta on iOS and Android, and songs do not accept e-kit input yet.
Best for
Learn with scoring, Phone only
Not for
Drummers who want scored song play-alongs on the e-kit today, or an app for a Mac or Windows computer.
Someone does it better
Melodics already scores song lessons played on an e-kit and runs on Mac, Windows, iPad and iPhone, while Drum Coach's e-drum beta covers exercises and practice sessions on phones and tablets only.
Premium, yearly, in some in-app offers: $59.99/yr at App Store (US)
Lifetime, in some in-app offers: $249.99 at App Store (US)
Free to download with a free trial. The App Store page lists more yearly prices from older or limited offers; the lines above are the plans the app offers new US subscribers today (checked in App Store Connect and RevenueCat).Checked on .
Free tier
A free trial, free demo sessions and the start of the Drumming Essentials course; the full lesson library needs a paid plan.
E-drums support is a beta on iOS and Android.E-drums is currently in beta on iOS and Android (not on web).source
Connects over USB MIDI on most kits.USB cable works on virtually every e-drum.source
Bluetooth MIDI on supported Roland modules.Bluetooth MIDI is a great wireless option on supported Roland modules (TD-07, TD-17, TD-27 and similar).source
Scores live e-drum hits in exercises and practice sessions.Exercises and practice sessions with live e-drum hits, scoring, pad calibration, and delay calibration.source
Songs do not take e-kit input yet.Exercises and practice sessions work with e-drums today; songs will show that e-drums aren't ready for them yet.source
Pad map built by hitting each pad.Hit each highlighted pad a few times so Drum Coach can map its MIDI note, then Save pad map.source
Unlisted kits with USB MIDI can still connect.If your kit isn't listed but has USB MIDI, try Connect e-drums anyway.source
Records practice sessions.Yes, you can record your practice sessions in Drum Coachsource
Melodics connects to an e-kit over USB on Mac, Windows, iPad and iPhone (and over Bluetooth MIDI on supported kits with the iPhone app), recognizes many kits plug and play, and scores every lesson and song lesson on timing and note streaks. Know before choosing: there is no Android app, and the full lesson and song catalog needs a subscription.
Best for
Learn with scoring, Phone only
Not for
Android users, and drummers who want the e-kit to sound like a recorded acoustic kit rather than take scored lessons.
Someone does it better
Drum Coach's e-drum beta runs on Android phones and tablets, which Melodics does not support at all.
App Store prices are for the iPhone drums app. The website's monthly tab shows Standard $29.99 /month and Premium $34.99 /month. melodics.com/plans renders prices with script, so they were read from the page in a browser on 2026-10-07.Checked on .
Free tier
Twenty free lessons on iPhone and iPad (iPad with a daily playtime cap) and, on desktop, a limited free plan after the 7-day trial.
Stores
App Store 4.7 (620) listing. Google Play not on this store. Maker
Sources (11)
Most MIDI kits work.Most MIDI drum kits work with Melodics.source
Any MIDI instrument can be mapped.All MIDI instruments can be mapped to Melodics.source
USB MIDI on iPhone works for all kits.Method 1: USB MIDI Setup (works for all drum kits)source
Bluetooth MIDI on supported kits.Some drum kits support Bluetooth MIDI, a low-latency protocol for sending MIDI data wirelessly.source
Scores your playing.Melodics scores your lessons based on how accurately you played and how consistently you kept a clean streak.source
Plug and play on e-kits with custom mapping.Plug & play on any electronic drum kit, with custom MIDI mapping available.source
Song lessons.Hundreds, with new lessons added every week.source
Platforms.Melodics software runs on Windows, macOS, iPad, and iPhone.source
Musora Media Inc. · learning app · iOS, Android · subscription
The Musora app gives an e-kit drummer Drumeo's video lessons and courses plus a large transcribed song library with looping, tempo change and instrument removal to play along with on your kit. Know before choosing: no Musora page describes connecting the kit to the app or scoring what you play; Musora says no MIDI is required for its lessons and that feedback comes from its instructors.
Best for
Phone only
Not for
Drummers who want an app that reads their e-kit's hits and grades their playing.
Someone does it better
Melodics connects to the e-kit over USB or Bluetooth MIDI and scores what you play, which no Musora page says its app does.
Price (US)
Musora Monthly Membership: $29.99/mo at US App Store
Annual, lessons only (no songs): $229/yr at Musora website
The Musora website also lists Annual with songs 'Billed at $279 per year.' and Monthly lessons only at $25/month ('All prices listed in USD.'). The App Store also lists legacy Drumeo Edge memberships ($29.99 monthly, $239.99 annual). One membership covers every Musora instrument.Checked on .
Free tier
A 7-day free trial of the app; outside it, Drumeo's YouTube channel, free guides and sample lessons on its websites.
No MIDI used in lessons.There is no MIDI, cables or external software required for our lessons.source
Feedback comes from instructors, not the kit.Our interaction happens with our instructors via student focus and personalized lesson plans.source
Works with any acoustic or electronic kit.Drumeo’s lessons work seamlessly with both acoustic and electronic drum kits.source
Apps for Apple and Android.The official Musora App, is available for both Apple and Android devices!source
Song library.Choose from a library of 5000+ professionally transcribed songssource
Play-along tools.Remove any instrument from the mix so you can play that part yourselfsource
Free trial.Start a 7-day free trial and get full access to guitar, piano, drums, bass, and singing lessonssource
Free content outside the app.Our YouTube channels (like Drumeo, Guitareo, Pianote, and Singeo)source
EZdrummer 3
Toontrack Music AB · drum software · macOS, Windows · one-time
EZdrummer 3 swaps your module's sounds for recorded acoustic kits on a Mac or Windows computer, standalone or inside a DAW, with one-click e-kit presets, velocity and hi-hat tuning, and recording of your takes. Know before choosing: it needs a computer, and Toontrack says a dedicated audio interface is what makes live playing low-latency.
Best for
Real kit sounds
Not for
Drummers who want lessons or scoring, or who have only a phone or tablet.
Someone does it better
Superior Drummer 3 goes deeper for e-drummers, with positional sensing on the ride as well as the snare and fully custom CC zones.
The page's product data lists 'EZdrummer 3 - Regular' at 179 USD and 'EZdrummer 3 - Upgrade' at 99 USD; the upgrade requires owning a previous EZdrummer.Checked on .
Free tier
A free, fully functional 10-day trial installed through Toontrack's Product Manager.
Stores
App Store not on this store. Google Play not on this store. Maker
Sources (8)
E-kit presets.Map EZdrummer 3 to your e-kit at the click of a button.source
Records your playing.Record your takes straight into EZdrummer 3.source
Plugin formats and standalone.A 64-bit host (with support for VST 3, AU or AAX). Standalone is included.source
Preset brands.Roland, Alesis, Yamaha and Pearl are among the most popular brands includedsource
USB MIDI connection.most modern modules connect via USB; older modules may require a separate MIDI interfacesource
Audio interface matters for latency.A USB adapter or your computer’s built-in audio won’t get you there.source
Included content is drum grooves, not backing songs.Comprehensive MIDI library of grooves and fillssource
Superior Drummer 3
Toontrack Music AB · drum software · macOS, Windows · one-time
Superior Drummer 3 is Toontrack's full drum production studio, and for an e-kit it adds e-drum presets plus advanced settings such as per-articulation hi-hat CC thresholds, snare and ride positional sensing and custom CC zones. Know before choosing: the complete sound library is a very large download, and Toontrack lists no free trial for it.
Best for
Real kit sounds
Not for
Drummers who only want lessons or scoring, or who need a light install on a small laptop.
Someone does it better
EZdrummer 3 is far cheaper and lighter to install, and Toontrack offers it as a free 10-day trial.
Crossgrade (requires a previous EZdrummer): $319 at Toontrack website
The crossgrade price shows under 'This pricing requires that you already own a previous version of EZdrummer'.Checked on .
Free tier
None listed: Toontrack's free 10-day trials cover EZdrummer 3, EZbass, EZkeys 2 and EZmix 3, not Superior Drummer 3.
Stores
App Store not on this store. Google Play not on this store. Maker
Sources (8)
E-drum presets for most brands.E-drum mapping presets for most brandssource
E-drum presets and settings tab.Get started playing instantly with one of the the e-drum presetssource
Plugin formats and standalone.64-bit host (with support for VST, AU or AAX). Standalone is included.source
Records your playing.Record your takes straight into EZdrummer 3 or Superior Drummer 3.source
Custom CC zones.Superior Drummer 3 lets you build fully custom CC zones, assigning different articulations based on CC value ranges.source
Preset brands.Roland, Alesis, Yamaha and Pearl are among the most popular brands includedsource
Trials listed do not include Superior Drummer 3.Bring your music to life with EZdrummer 3, EZbass, EZkeys 2 and EZmix 3. Start your free 10-day trials today.source
Install size.Complete install: Approx. 236 GB download and an additional 55 GB for the installation process.source
Addictive Drums 2
XLN Audio · drum software · macOS, Windows · one-time
Addictive Drums 2 plays your e-kit through acoustic drum kits recorded in studios, standalone or as a plugin, with ready Map Presets for over 60 e-drum kits and a Record MIDI button that captures what you play. Know before choosing: it is sold as collections that bundle it with expansions, either picked by you or curated by XLN, and XLN recommends a dedicated audio interface for low latency.
Best for
Real kit sounds
Not for
Drummers who want lessons or scoring, or who want everything on a phone or tablet.
Someone does it better
Superior Drummer 3 offers finer e-drum control, including snare and ride positional sensing and custom CC zones.
Price (US)
Curated Collection (a style bundle chosen by XLN): $169 at XLN Audio website
Custom Collection (with 9 expansions you choose): $179 at XLN Audio website
Steven Slate Drums · drum software · macOS, Windows · freemium
Steven Slate Drums 5.5 turns e-kit hits into Slate's processed, mix-ready drum sounds inside a DAW, with preinstalled e-kit maps, remappable notes and hi-hat pedal CC control, and its free version is a usable kit that never expires. Know before choosing: Slate sells it as a plugin, its support FAQ (last updated in 2020) says it requires a host DAW, and no current Slate page mentions a standalone app.
Best for
Real kit sounds, Free sounds
Not for
Drummers who want to play the kit without opening a recording program, or who want lessons or scoring.
Someone does it better
Addictive Drums 2 and EZdrummer 3 also run as standalone apps, so you can play the e-kit through them without opening a DAW.
SSD 5.5 Free costs nothing. The outright price appears in the site's cart after 'Buy Now' (read in a browser on 2026-10-07; the server HTML shows only the rent-to-own line). The number of rent-to-own payments for SSD 5.5 is not stated on the page.Checked on .
Free tier
SSD 5.5 Free: a never-expiring version with the Deluxe 2 kit, a processed Slate snare and three kit presets; the free version cannot use expansions.
Stores
App Store not on this store. Google Play not on this store. Maker
Sources (10)
Plugin only, needs a DAW.No, SSD5 is a plugin that requires a host DAW for setup and use.source
Plugin formats.macOS Support in AAX/VST/AU Formatssource
Windows formats.Windows Support in AAX/VST Formatssource
Preinstalled e-kit maps.If you're using mapping for an E-Kit, make sure to check some preinstalled kit mapssource
Hi-hat pedal CC for e-kits.Most E-Drum kits use this function to track Hi-Hat pedal positionsource
Works with most e-kits.It also works great with most electronic drum sets.source
Free version.Get the fully-functioning, never-expiring SSD 5.5 demo with one incredible Deluxe 2 Kitsource
Included content is MIDI grooves.Access over 2,400 professional MIDI grooves across all genres.source
BFD Player is inMusic's free drum sound program for Mac and Windows, running on its own or inside a recording program, with keymaps for various Alesis and Roland kits so your e-kit triggers sampled acoustic drums drawn from BFD3. Know before choosing it that it needs an inMusic account and an internet connection to authorize, and its paid expansions do not work in BFD3 (nor BFD3 expansions in it).
Best for
Real kit sounds, Free sounds
Not for
Drummers who want lessons, scoring or play-along songs, or who want to play through a phone or tablet.
Someone does it better
GarageBand also runs on iPhone and iPad and records your playing in the same app, while BFD Player runs only on Mac and Windows.
Price (US)
Not publishedFree. Optional paid BFD Player expansions exist, but the bfddrums.com store shows prices only through a browser script, so no US dollar price could be read today.Checked on .
Free tier
The full BFD Player program with the free Core Library kits, 340 grooves and the mixer; extra kits and grooves come as paid expansions.
Stores
App Store not on this store. Google Play not on this store. Maker
Same kits and grooves heritage as BFD3.BFD Player offers the same high quality drum kits, grooves and mixing options for songwriters and music producers.source
Standalone or plugin, Windows and macOS.BFD Player is a free drum program for Windows & macOS, available as a Standalone Application or Software Instrument in your favourite DAW.source
E-kit keymaps by brand.Options include various Alesis kits, Roland models, Superior Drummer, General MIDI, and many more.source
Not every e-kit has a keymap.Unfortunately, not all E-kits will have a keymap available within BFD Player.source
Uses drum samples from BFD3.BFD Player is a free Drum Software Instrument, utilising some of the iconic drum sounds/samples from BFD3.source
Kit connects to the computer over USB (inMusic sister brand Alesis).Power on the drum module and connect it to your computer using a USB Type B > A or C cablesource
Kit enabled as BFD Player's MIDI input.Ensure your Kit is listed, highlighted, & Checked to confirm it is enabledsource
Manda Audio · drum software · macOS, Windows · free
MT-PowerDrumKit 2 is a free acoustic drum sampler plugin for Mac, Windows and Linux with pre-processed rock and pop sounds, a groove library and downloadable e-kit presets per model, so your kit can trigger it inside a recording program. Know before choosing it that it does not run on its own and does not support multiple pad zones, so a cymbal's bow and edge share one sound.
Best for
Real kit sounds, Free sounds
Not for
Drummers who want to play without opening a recording program, or who rely on multi-zone pads and cymbals.
Someone does it better
BFD Player also runs as a standalone program, so you can play your e-kit through it without opening a recording program.
Price (US)
FreeFree. A donation made on the donate page gets a key that removes the start screen; the page lists amounts to donate, not a price for the key.Checked on .
Free tier
The full plugin with its drum kit, groove library and e-kit presets; an optional donation key only removes the start screen.
Stores
App Store not on this store. Google Play not on this store. Maker
Sources (12)
Free acoustic drum sampler.The MT Power Drum Kit is a free drum sampler offering the powerful, high-quality sounds of an acoustic, realistic drum kit.source
Plugin formats, version 2.Download the full version of MT-PowerDrumKit 2 VST/AU/AAX drum plugin for free.source
Runs in recording programs.MT-PowerDrumKit will work in most hosts that support the VST, AAX or AU standards.source
Runs as an instrument inside a recording program.The plugin should now be available as a virtual instrument in your DAW.source
E-kit presets.If you use electronic drums, here you can find a preset for your particular E-Drum modelsource
Pick the preset for your kit model.Download the preset from the list which is named as your drum set or a model which comes closest to yours.source
MIDI Learn for unmapped kits.you can simply select a field and then just hit the corresponding drum on your kit to automatically assign the sent notesource
GarageBand is Apple's free recording app: on a Mac, Apple documents USB and MIDI connections for playing and recording its software instruments, and on iPhone or iPad a Bluetooth MIDI device can play its Touch Instruments, the drums included, while you record your takes. Know before choosing it that Apple names no e-kit maps and its graded lessons cover only piano and guitar.
Best for
Play along and record, Free sounds, Phone only
Not for
Windows or Android users, and drummers who want an app to grade their drumming.
Someone does it better
BFD Player ships keymaps for various Alesis and Roland kits, while Apple publishes no e-kit maps for GarageBand.
Price (US)
FreeChecked on .
Free tier
Everything, including extra instruments, loops and sound packs from the Sound Library, which are free downloads.
Stores
App Store 4.1 (118k) listing. Google Play not on this store. Maker
Sources (10)
A recording app, not a plugin.GarageBand turns your iPad, and iPhone into a collection of Touch Instruments and a full-featured recording studiosource
Records performances on iPhone and iPad.Use a Touch Instrument, microphone, or a guitar to instantly record a performance, with support for up to 32 tracks.source
Free extra sounds.Use the Sound Library to download additional free instruments, loops, and sound packssource
USB or MIDI input on Mac.You can connect a USB or MIDI music keyboard to your computer to play and record software instruments.source
Bluetooth MIDI on iPhone.You can connect a compatible Bluetooth® MIDI device to your iPhone, and use it to play and control Touch Instruments in GarageBand.source
Drums are a Touch Instrument.Using the Drums Touch Instrument, you can play a drum kit simply by tapping the onscreen drums.source
Virtual drummer on Mac.GarageBand features Drummer, a virtual session drummer that takes your direction and plays along with your song.source
Lessons are guitar and piano.Get started with 40 Basic Lessons for guitar and piano covering classical, blues, rock, and popsource
DTX402 Touch turns a phone or tablet, cabled to a Yamaha DTX402 series module, into a screen for the module's 10 training modes, a Challenge Mode that tests you on 10 practice songs, a recorder and kit editing with over 280 sounds. Know before choosing it that it works only with the DTX402K, DTX432K and DTX452K and needs a USB cable plus a Lightning or OTG adapter.
Best for
Kit settings, Learn with scoring, Phone only
Not for
Anyone without a Yamaha DTX402K, DTX432K or DTX452K kit.
Someone does it better
Clone Hero accepts any brand's MIDI kit through its built-in mapper and keeps an official song setlist with public leaderboards, while DTX402 Touch works only with DTX402 series kits.
Price (US)
FreeChecked on .
Free tier
The whole app; it needs a DTX402 series kit and a USB cable with a Lightning or OTG adapter.
Challenge Mode tests you.“Challenge Mode” is a new function on the DTX402 Touch that tests your skill.source
Certificate for a mistake-free run.If you can play all 10 practice songs without making a mistake, you will receive asource
Recorder.lets you record a drum solo or play along with a song to self-assess your performancesource
Training modes include notation reading.The exercises are a fun way to learn to read drum music notation, play with dynamics and develop your sense of timing.source
Rec'n'Share records phone video together with a Yamaha kit's stereo digital audio over a USB cable and a backing track from your own music files, with tempo detection, A-B looping and AI track separation to turn down the original drummer. Know before choosing it that it is built around a compatible Yamaha drum kit (EAD10, DTX10, DTX8, DTX6 or DTX402 series), and Google Play users rate it poorly.
Best for
Play along and record, Phone only
Not for
Owners of other brands' kits, or drummers who want lessons or scoring.
Someone does it better
GarageBand records MIDI and audio from any brand's kit on a Mac, while Rec'n'Share is built to record from compatible Yamaha instruments.
Price (US)
FreeChecked on .
Free tier
The whole app; recording needs a compatible Yamaha instrument and a USB cable with a Lightning or OTG adapter, and track separation uses are limited without one.
Records audio and video with songs.Rec'n'Share allows you to record audio and video along with songs from your music library and then share your performances with the world.source
USB cable to a Yamaha instrument.To use the app, you will need to connect your smart device to a compatible Yamaha digital instrument using a USB cablesource
Records camera video and the kit's digital audio.record video from your phone’s camera, stereo digital audio from your Yamaha product and stereo backing tracks from your music librarysource
Compatible Yamaha drum products.DTX10 Series DTX8 Series DTX6 Electronic Drum Kits DTX402 Seriessource
Tempo detection and section repeat.the app’s tempo detection lets you add a click, change the tempo and select sections to repeat.source
AI track separation.AI-based Audio track separation function analyzes your favourite songs and allows you to split up to three tracks from each songsource
Limited without a Yamaha instrument.If the App is not connected to the compatible instrument, the number of times this function can be used is limited.source
Your own music files only, no DRM.Only music data that is not protected by DRM(Digital rights management) can be used with this App.source
V-Drums Play is Roland's current free phone app for V-Drums owners: paired over Bluetooth MIDI, it selects, renames and groups kits, sets the metronome and records your drumming on the module. Know before choosing it that it works only with the V71, V51 and V31 modules, so TD-02, TD-07 and TD-17 owners have no Roland phone app for their module; Roland's pages for those kits point to Melodics for V-Drums, a desktop app, instead.
Best for
Kit settings
Not for
Owners of a TD-02, TD-07, TD-17 or other older V-Drums module, and anyone wanting lessons, scoring or sound editing from a phone.
Someone does it better
DTX402 Touch lets Yamaha DTX402 owners edit kit sounds (tuning, volume, panning, reverb) from the phone, while V-Drums Play's kit tools stop at selecting, naming, coloring, grouping and adding a picture to kits.
Price (US)
FreeChecked on .
Free tier
The whole app; it needs a Roland V71, V51 or V31 module.
What it is and which modules.V-Drums Play is a free companion app that lets you control essential functions on the V71, V51 and V31 V-Drums modules from your smartphonesource
Records your drumming.Record your drumming to capture performances and check your progresssource
Connects over Bluetooth MIDI.Set the “Bluetooth MIDI” settings of your drum sound module to “ON”.source
MIDI recording on the module.configuring MIDI recording using your smartphonesource
Store listing compatibility.V-Drums Play is compatible with the V31, V51 and V71 V-Drums sound modules, as well as all V-Drums kits that include them.source
Roland's drum apps page.Control essential functions on the V51 and V31 V-Drums modules from your smartphone.source
TD-17 owners are pointed to Melodics.Develop playing and timing with free Melodics™ for V-Drums software for macOS and Windowssource
TD-07 owners are pointed to Melodics, a desktop app.Melodics™ is a desktop app that connects to your V-Drums.source
Clone Hero is a rhythm game that officially takes any MIDI drum kit over a USB or MIDI cable through its built-in mapper, scores every hit against falling note lanes, and adds an official setlist and public leaderboards. Know before choosing it that its charts are game lanes mapped to your pads rather than drum notation, and its developers ended feature work with V1.1 in 2026 to move to a new game, with bug fixes continuing.
Best for
Learn with scoring
Not for
Drummers who want to read real drum notation, follow structured lessons or record themselves.
Someone does it better
DTX402 Touch's training modes teach reading drum notation and timing, while Clone Hero scores you on game lanes; that app works only with Yamaha DTX402 series kits.
Price (US)
FreeFree: downloads from clonehero.net need no purchase and the site lists no price.Checked on .
Free tier
The whole game with its official setlist and online play; an account is needed only to submit scores to the public leaderboards.
Stores
App Store not on this store. Google Play not on this store. Maker
Sources (14)
Any MIDI drum kit.It's playable with any 5 or 6 fret guitar controller, any midi drum kit, any game controller and even your keyboard!source
Platforms.Clone Hero is a classic instrument based rhythm game for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS.source
Built-in MIDI mapper.Clone Hero has a built-in MIDI mapper for e-kitssource
Mapping detail.It supports multiple MIDI notes per mapping, and individual MIDI note velocity thresholds.source
USB or MIDI cable.Connect your e-kit with either a USB-B-to-USB-A (printer) cable, or a MIDI cable connected to the MIDI Out port of the kitsource
MIDI drum input added in v1.0.Add midi input for drumssource
MIDI input on mobile builds.MIDI input is also now fully supported on mobile, giving you even more options for how you want to play.source
Scores and leaderboards.Leaderboards mode connects you to the CH Leaderboards servers, where every score you set is submitted, validated, and posted publiclysource
Roland's V-Drums Play app works only with the V71, V51 and V31 modules, and Roland's own pages point TD-02, TD-07 and TD-17 owners to Melodics instead. Yamaha's two apps cover the DTX402 family and a handful of modules. For most electronic kits, the useful apps come from someone else, and nearly all of them accept any brand that sends MIDI.
Better sounds still need a computer
Every drum sound program here runs on a Mac or a Windows computer only, as a standalone program, a plugin or both, and three of them are free to start: Steven Slate Drums 5.5 Free, BFD Player and MT-PowerDrumKit 2. GarageBand is the only option in the table that also plays its own drum sounds on an iPhone or iPad.
Scoring is rarer than it looks
Melodics, Clone Hero, Yamaha's DTX402 Touch and our own Drum Coach say they score what you play over MIDI, and Drum Coach labels its e-kit scoring as beta, for exercises only. DTX402 Touch scores only Yamaha's DTX402 kits. Drumeo's app does not say it reads a kit at all.
Method
How we checked
Where the facts come from. Every spec, feature tick and claim comes from the maker's own page, a store listing, a manual or a retailer's spec sheet, read on 2026-10-07, and the exact words relied on are kept with each row (open "Sources" on any card). Store ratings and review counts are the stores' own on that date, pulled through Sonar, an app-store analytics service. A feature is marked yes only when one of those sources says it; when none does, it is shown as unknown rather than as no.
How it was checked. Every row was researched once and then handed to a second, independent pass whose only job was to break it: open the same pages, check every spec, every tick, every rating and every quote. Rows it could not confirm were corrected, marked unknown, or dropped before publishing.
What this page does not measure yet. We have not put a drum recording through every app at half speed and compared how the hits survive. Time-stretching smears sharp attacks, and drums are all sharp attacks, so it matters; when we test it, the method will be here.
Prices. Every price is in US dollars, read on 2026-10-07 on the store or page named next to it, with a link: Sweetwater, Musician's Friend or the maker's own store for gear and books, the US App Store's in-app purchase list or the maker's pricing page for apps. When a maker sells for less on its own website than in the app, both are shown. Prices change, so the date is part of the fact: check the store before you buy. Nothing on this page is an affiliate link.
FAQ
Questions drummers ask about apps and software for electronic drum kits, compared.
To learn with scoring, Melodics or Clone Hero. For better sounds on a computer, EZdrummer 3, Superior Drummer 3, Addictive Drums 2, or a free program such as Steven Slate Drums 5.5 Free. To record yourself on an iPhone or iPad, GarageBand. Most of them work with any kit that sends MIDI over USB.
Not for the module itself. Roland's V-Drums Play app supports only the V71, V51 and V31 modules, and Roland's pages point TD-02, TD-07 and TD-17 owners to Melodics.
Yes, with a USB cable and the right adapter, or over Bluetooth MIDI on modules that have it. Melodics, Drum Coach and GarageBand say they accept both; check which connections your module has first.
Steven Slate Drums 5.5 Free, BFD Player and MT-PowerDrumKit 2 are free and come with presets for electronic kits. GarageBand is free on a Mac, iPhone and iPad.
