Compared
Groove IO vs Beatlii
Beatlii is a drum lesson app that scores your playing on an electronic kit, for Windows, macOS, iOS and Android. The table below compares it with Groove IO. The Beatlii column was taken from the pages of Beatlii on 29 September 2026.
“A new way to learn, have fun, and keep your groove in drumming”
Side by side
| What | Beatlii | Groove IO |
|---|---|---|
| E-kit MIDI input | Yes Connect an electronic kit for instant feedback; any e-kit is stated to work | Yes Any module that sends MIDI over USB; General MIDI map by default, any map learned by hitting each pad |
| Mic input | No Beatlii’s own comparison with Melodics says acoustic kits are not supported yet | Yes Calibrate once for your room and level |
| Own catalogue | Yes Courses by level and genre written by professional drummers; its own article says it has no commercial songs | Partly Warm-ups, ladders, a groove catalogue, forty rudiments, lessons and a community catalogue; no songs |
| Your own files | Not stated on their site Import of your own charts, MIDI files or audio is not stated | Yes Engraved PDF charts converted to scores; MIDI import; your own audio or a YouTube link |
| Scoring | Yes Real-time feedback on timing and dynamics, with worldwide leaderboards | Yes Per drum against the score, wrong pads called out, verdict and tier at the end of the take |
| Teacher roster | Yes A classroom dashboard for adding students, switched on by request; what it shows a teacher is not stated | Yes Educator: roster of 25, single-use invite links, sharing with a note, recordings with a feedback thread |
| Notation editor | Not stated on their site Lessons show as drum notation or a note highway; an editor is not stated | Yes Groove Studio: eleven drum voices, repeats, accents and ghosts, MIDI in and out |
| Web-based | Not stated on their site Windows, macOS, iOS and Android apps; browser use is not stated | Yes Browser on a laptop or desktop. Chrome or Edge read live MIDI; Firefox needs its MIDI permission; Safari cannot read a kit live. |
Each answer in the Beatlii column links to the page it came from. “Not stated on their site” means we could not find it there on 29 September 2026. It does not mean no.
Which one to pick
Where Beatlii is the better fit
Beatlii is the better fit if you want game-style courses and leaderboards on an e-kit, an app for your phone, or a single lifetime payment.
Where Groove IO is the better fit
Groove IO answers yes on mic input, your own files, notation editor and web-based. The Beatlii site either rules these out or does not mention them.
Price
- Beatlii
- Free tier with 21 lessons and 2 courses; $14.99 a month, $99 a year or $249 once for lifetime access
beatlii.com - Groove IO
- Every plan is free during early access; Pro will be £7 a month.
See the plans
Prices are in the currency each site shows, as read on 29 September 2026.