Choosing a drum chart app for iPad
The iPad on the hi-hat stand has replaced the binder for a lot of drummers. The apps that put charts on it fall into three kinds, and the right one depends on whether you write charts or just read them.
What matters at the kit
- Readable at arm's length. Big type, one song per screen, no scrolling mid-song.
- Fast to make. If building a chart takes longer than learning the song, you will go back to paper.
- Works offline. Venue Wi-Fi is not a thing you can count on.
- Your charts stay yours. If the app disappears or the subscription lapses, you should still have the files.
- Prints. There will be a night the iPad is dead.
The three kinds of app
Chart builders
Apps built around the section-and-repeat chart that working drummers use. Drum Chart Builder is the established one: a web app for building, an iPad app for reading, setlists, sharing with subs. It is a subscription, around $50 a year for building charts and $70 a year to share them, with a free read-only tier.
Rhythm Writer is the same idea with a different set of choices: the groove is painted on a grid and shown as real notation, with playback so you can hear what you wrote, phrases nested under a section for grooves that change mid-section, a compact print mode, and a gig view for tablets. It is $29 a year, free for three songs, with no account, and the charts are plain files in a folder you choose.
Notation apps
Soundslice, MuseScore and Aered write full drum notation and do it well. They are the right tool for transcribing a part note for note or writing exercises. For a gig chart they produce too much: every bar written out, several pages per song, and more time entering notes than the chart saves.
PDF and setlist readers
forScore, Music Stand and the setlist apps display what you already have. If your charts are PDFs, scans or photos, these are excellent readers. They do not help you write a chart.
Side by side
| Rhythm Writer | Drum Chart Builder | Notation apps | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $29 per year, 3 songs free | $50 to $70 per year | Free to $5 per month |
| Account needed | No | Yes | Usually |
| Groove as notation | Yes, from a grid | Text and pattern library | Yes, note by note |
| Playback | Yes, with click, swing, count-in | Pattern playback | Yes |
| Phrases within a section | Yes | Sections | Not applicable |
| Letter, compact mode, PDF, PNG | Yes | Yes | |
| Offline | Yes, installable | App caches charts | Varies |
| Where files live | A folder you pick, JSON | Their servers | Their servers or files |
| Sharing with subs | Export a file | Built in, on the higher tier | Links |
Prices as of October 2026 from each product's own site; check before you buy. Sharing is Drum Chart Builder's clear strength if you run a church team or a sub network and want charts pushed to people. Rhythm Writer's strengths are the notation, the playback, owning your files, and the price.
Installing Rhythm Writer on an iPad
Open rhythmwriter.app in Safari, tap the share button, and choose Add to Home Screen. It opens full screen like any app, works without a connection, and the Gig view button shows one screen-sized page at a time with big staves. Tap the right edge to turn the page.
Chart your next song in Rhythm Writer
Paint the groove on a grid, see it as notation, hear it back, print it. Free for three songs, $29 a year for unlimited.
Open the app Learn more