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WebEDrums
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Apps for electronic drum kits in 2026: an honest roundup

First the disclosure: we make WebEDrums, one of the seven apps below. The facts on this page are the same ones we keep for the comparison table, taken from the vendors' own pages and store listings on October 10, 2026; where a vendor does not say, the page says so rather than guess. Prices are the vendors' list prices at that date and vary by region. If you only want a lesson plan, or only want a console game, the right answer is not ours, and the page says so too.

Published by WebEDrums Updated

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Three full plays a day, every feature, no account. Chrome or Edge.

How were these apps chosen and compared?

Included: software that takes input from an electronic drum kit, over MIDI or its own detection, and lets you play along to songs or lessons on it. Left out: drum machines and plug-ins (music production, not playing), tap games for phones, and console-only games; Rock Band 4 is in our comparison table because people ask, but it runs on a PlayStation or an Xbox, so it gets one line at the end rather than a card. Each app is described on five points: where it runs, where the songs come from, whether it reads an e-kit over MIDI, what it offers for practice, and what it costs. The "when it is the better choice" paragraphs are written to send you away from WebEDrums when that is the honest answer.

Which app does what?

WebEDrums

  • Runs on: Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS with Chrome or Edge; Firefox with limits; phones and tablets by touch. Install needed? No: a browser tab. Optional install as an app..
  • Songs: Your own folder of community charts, plus built-in groove lessons by level. Formats: .chart, .mid, .sng, Rock Band CON.
  • Electronic kit: Yes, any USB MIDI kit, over Web MIDI. Pro drums (cymbals and toms as separate notes): Yes.
  • Practice: section loops: Yes, with drag handles; slow-down that keeps the pitch: Yes, any tempo down to a quarter, picked in BPM; metronome that follows the song: Yes, on the song's tempo map, beats or eighths; weakest-sections heat map: Yes; timing calibration: Yes, from six seconds of your own hits.
  • Price: Free: 3 plays a day, a play counts after 30 seconds. Pro $6 a month billed yearly ($72), or $10 monthly.

When it is the better choice: you already keep Clone Hero, YARG or Rock Band charts and want to play them on your kit from a browser tab, on a laptop or Chromebook you cannot or do not want to install a game on, with Pro drums and the practice tools above. It is not a course and has no catalogue; the songs are the community's charts, read from your own folder.

Clone Hero

  • Runs on: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android. Install needed? Yes, download and unzip.
  • Songs: Your own folder of community charts. Formats: .chart, .mid, .sng.
  • Electronic kit: Yes, in the desktop app. Pro drums (cymbals and toms as separate notes): Yes.
  • Practice: section loops: Yes, in practice mode; slow-down that keeps the pitch: Yes; metronome that follows the song: Not stated by the vendor; weakest-sections heat map: No; timing calibration: Audio and video offset.
  • Price: Free.

When it is the better choice: The reference for guitar and drum charts, with the biggest community and the most polished desktop experience. Pick it when you have a machine you can install software on and want every option the community has built. Use WebEDrums when you want the same charts on a machine you cannot or do not want to install on, such as a work laptop or a Chromebook.

YARG

  • Runs on: Windows, macOS, Linux. Install needed? Yes, desktop download.
  • Songs: Your own folder of community charts, plus a free built-in setlist. Formats: .chart, .mid, .sng, CON.
  • Electronic kit: Yes, in the desktop app. Pro drums (cymbals and toms as separate notes): Yes.
  • Practice: section loops: Yes, in practice mode; slow-down that keeps the pitch: Yes; metronome that follows the song: Not stated by the vendor; weakest-sections heat map: No; timing calibration: Audio and video offset.
  • Price: Free.

When it is the better choice: An open-source rhythm game that reads Clone Hero and Rock Band formats and ships a free setlist. Pick it for vocals, multiple instruments and local multiplayer. WebEDrums is the simpler choice when you only play drums and want a quick session in a browser tab.

Melodics

  • Runs on: Windows, macOS, iPad. Install needed? Yes, desktop and iPad app.
  • Songs: Built-in lesson library. Formats: Its own lessons only.
  • Electronic kit: Yes, in the desktop app. Pro drums (cymbals and toms as separate notes): Not applicable.
  • Practice: section loops: Yes, per lesson; slow-down that keeps the pitch: Yes; metronome that follows the song: Yes, six sounds, quarter to sixteenth notes; weakest-sections heat map: Lesson progress; timing calibration: Yes.
  • Price: Subscription from about $11 a month billed yearly; limited free tier; varies by region.

When it is the better choice: A structured practice app with lessons, courses and licensed material, not a game. Pick it when you want a curriculum. WebEDrums suits players who learn by playing songs they chose themselves.

Play Drums Online

  • Runs on: Any browser, phones and tablets included. Install needed? No: a browser tab.
  • Songs: Catalogue of about 2,000 tabs; MP3 or YouTube transcription. Formats: Its own catalogue and AI transcriptions.
  • Electronic kit: Yes, over MIDI. Pro drums (cymbals and toms as separate notes): Not applicable.
  • Practice: section loops: Yes; slow-down that keeps the pitch: Yes; metronome that follows the song: Not stated by the vendor; weakest-sections heat map: Score per song; timing calibration: Not stated by the vendor.
  • Price: Free tier; Basic about $6 a month billed yearly ($70 a year), Premium about $8 ($100 a year).

When it is the better choice: A browser drum site with its own catalogue of tabs and an AI transcriber that turns an MP3 or a YouTube link into a drum sheet; it also runs on phones and tablets. Pick it when you want a ready-made catalogue and notation-style playback. WebEDrums suits players who already have Clone Hero, YARG or Rock Band charts and want the full highway, Pro drums and Star Power, with nothing uploaded.

Drumeo

  • Runs on: Web, iOS, Android. Install needed? No in the browser; iOS and Android apps.
  • Songs: Lesson library and about 2,500 song transcriptions. Formats: Its own lessons and transcriptions only.
  • Electronic kit: Not stated by the vendor. Pro drums (cymbals and toms as separate notes): Not applicable.
  • Practice: section loops: Yes, playback tools per song; slow-down that keeps the pitch: Yes; metronome that follows the song: Not stated by the vendor; weakest-sections heat map: Lesson progress; timing calibration: Not stated by the vendor.
  • Price: Subscription from about $19 a month billed yearly (lessons only) or $23 with songs; $30 monthly; 7-day trial.

When it is the better choice: The biggest drum lesson platform: a step-by-step curriculum, hundreds of courses, live coaching and a library of song transcriptions with playback tools, in the browser or the Musora apps. Pick it when you want a teacher and a syllabus. WebEDrums is the game: your own charts, a scrolling highway, a USB kit judged hit by hit, nothing uploaded. Many drummers use both.

Beatlii

  • Runs on: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android. Install needed? Yes, desktop and mobile apps.
  • Songs: Catalogue of about 100 songs and courses. Formats: Its own songs and lessons only.
  • Electronic kit: Yes, over cable or Bluetooth. Pro drums (cymbals and toms as separate notes): Not applicable.
  • Practice: section loops: Guided practice with adaptive tempo; slow-down that keeps the pitch: Adaptive tempo; metronome that follows the song: Not stated by the vendor; weakest-sections heat map: Per-section timing and dynamics report; timing calibration: Not stated by the vendor.
  • Price: Free download; subscription from about $5 a month or about $100 a year; lifetime about $250.

When it is the better choice: A drum-learning app for e-kits with a note highway and sheet music, instant feedback on timing and dynamics, courses and a catalogue of about 100 songs, on desktop and mobile. Pick it when you want lessons with feedback on your own kit. WebEDrums suits players who have their own Clone Hero, YARG or Rock Band charts and want a browser tab with nothing to install.

Rock Band 4, for completeness: PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series; disc and the official dlc store; e-kits connect through a midi adapter; varies by kit. The console game with official songs, a store and a living-room setup. Pick it when you play on a PlayStation or Xbox and are happy buying songs. WebEDrums suits players who already keep community charts and want to play them on a computer with their own e-drum kit.

Which one should I pick?

  • You want to be taught. Drumeo for a syllabus and a teacher's voice, Melodics or Beatlii for lessons that listen to your kit and score you. None of them plays community charts.
  • You have community charts and a computer you can install on. Clone Hero or YARG. Clone Hero has the biggest community and the most options; YARG adds vocals, other instruments and a free setlist. Both are free.
  • You want a ready catalogue in a browser. Play Drums Online, with its own tabs and an MP3 or YouTube transcriber, on phones and tablets too.
  • You have community charts and want a browser tab. WebEDrums: the same files, Pro drums, loops, slow-down, a metronome and the heat map, nothing to install, three full plays a day free.
  • You play on a console. Rock Band 4, with its store, and an adapter for your kit that varies by model.

What can I use for free?

Clone Hero and YARG are free in full. WebEDrums gives three full plays a day with every feature and no account; Pro removes the daily limit. The lesson apps each have a trial or a limited free tier, listed under their price above as the vendors describe it; their value is the lesson content, which is what the subscription buys. None of the lesson apps reads community charts, and no chart-based game offers lessons, so the free question usually answers itself once you know which of the two you want.

Sources

Checked on October 16, 2026. If one of these pages has changed and this guide has not caught up, tell us on the contact page.

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