Comparison

Meditation Drum HD vs Handpan Sim

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

Head to head
About

Meditation Drum HD

Experience the unique sounds of the Hang drum and Steel tongue drum on your smartphone. This app offers a meditative musical experience, perfect for spiritual growth and relaxation, using professionally recorded sounds. No prior musical skill is required to play.

Highlights
  • Hang drum and Steel tongue drum sounds
  • Professional studio recordings
  • Meditative and spiritual experience
  • No musical skills required
  • Play anytime, anywhere
  • Supports iPhone and iPad
Features
Read full description

This is not just another music application. Now you can enjoy the magic sound of the Hang drum and Steel tongue drum (Pan Drum) in your smartphone. The sounds of these magical instruments are unique! Steel tongue drum dates back to the Tibetan singing bowls. Playing the drum you heal your soul, you harmonize your chakras, you clean and repair your body's energy balance. With this app you get the opportunity to plunge into the world of meditation and spiritual growth in any place and at any time! The application uses real drums sounds recorded in a professional studio. Playing the dream drum is possible for everyone since it does not require any skills and professional knowledge, only a desire to know more about your innerself and discover your soul. P.S. And one more thing, use headphones for better experience

About

Handpan Sim

Explore the meditative sounds of the handpan with this simulator. It offers authentic tones, microtonal tuning, and adjustable effects for creative musical expression. Record and share your performances easily.

Highlights
  • Authentic handpan sounds
  • Microtonal tuning
  • Adjustable reverb and chorus effects
  • Dynamic key sensitivity
  • Multiple play modes
  • Built-in performance recorder
  • Screen recording capability
Features
Read full description

Handpan Sim puts a real-sounding handpan drum on your iPhone and iPad. Every tone is sampled from a real handpan and rings out naturally in a warm room, so a single tap already sounds like music. No account, no lessons to sit through: open the app and play. PLAY IT LIKE THE REAL THING - Tap a tone field for melody and the centre for the deep Ding. Use several fingers for chords. - Tak and Knuckle keys add percussion beside the drum. On iPad, a hit on the bare shell plays a tak. - Touch dynamics: hits at the centre of a field sound fuller, hits near the edge softer, and every hit varies slightly, like a real pan. - Slide to play: run your finger across the fields to play fast rolls without lifting it. - Built on a low-latency audio engine for tight, responsive play. 63 HANDPAN SCALES, ANY DING - Kurd, Celtic Minor and Amara, Hijaz, Pygmy and Low Pygmy, Integral, Mystic, La Sirena, Aegean, Sabye, Equinox, Golden Gate, Magic Voyage, Ysha Savita, Avalon, Akebono, Insen, Raga Desh, Saladin and many more. - Move the Ding up or down to play any scale in the key you want. - Search by name or note, browse by family and preview a scale before it goes on stage. - Centered or Split note layout, with note names, numbers or both. LOOP AND LAYER - The Looper records a phrase and repeats it so you can play over it. - Add layer after layer, mute or balance each one, undo and redo. - Set tempo, beats per bar and count-in, or tap the tempo in. Change the tempo and the loop stretches to fit. - A metronome keeps you in time. RECORD AND SHARE - Record performances of up to 30 minutes. - Save a loop as a recording, with the number of repeats you choose. - Share any take as a WAV file to your DAW, messages or social apps. YOUR STAGE - Fourteen finishes, from Leather and Brass to Nitrided Obsidian and Rose Gold. - An ambient lamp and strike glow you can tune to any colour. - Reverb, master volume and haptic feedback. - iPhone in portrait, iPad in portrait and landscape. GREAT FOR Meditation and yoga sessions, relaxing after work, sound healing practice, songwriting, film and game sketches, or simply trying a handpan before you buy one. FREE TO PLAY The full instrument, the Looper, the metronome and recording are free. Kurd 9, Amara 9 and Hijaz 9 are open from the start, and any other scale opens for the session with a short ad. HANDPAN SIM PREMIUM - All 63 scales, with no ads to unlock them - Two handpans on stage at once - Keep every take and loop in your library - All fourteen finishes - No ads Premium is offered as a yearly subscription with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers, a monthly subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. A subscription renews automatically unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the period ends. You can manage or cancel subscriptions in your App Store account settings. Any unused part of a free trial is forfeited when you buy a subscription. Terms of Use: https://alyakastudio.com/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://alyakastudio.com/privacy-policy/

Screenshots

Meditation Drum HD4 screens
Handpan Sim4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Handpan Sim at 4.5 against Meditation Drum HD's 3.5. Handpan Sim also leads on update cadence (every 5 months vs every 15 months) and ratings volume (43 vs 14). Meditation Drum HD's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Meditation Drum HD sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Handpan Sim sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Handpan Sim holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 14 and 43 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 47% of Meditation Drum HD's written reviews are positive against 40% of Handpan Sim's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Meditation Drum HD ships an update every 15 months, Handpan Sim every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Meditation Drum HD versus Handpan Sim: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMeditation Drum HDHandpan Sim
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (14 ratings)4.5 (43 ratings) — better
Positive reviews46.7% of reviews — better40.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1443 — better
Update frequencyEvery 15 monthsEvery 5 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS10.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size176 MB71 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDmitriy BedyukhovAlper Kahriman

Customer experience

Meditation Drum HD

All ratings14 ratings
Positive57.1%
Neutral21.4%
Negative21.4%
Written reviews30 reviews
Positive46.7%
Neutral13.3%
Negative40.0%

Handpan Sim

All ratings43 ratings
Positive83.7%
Neutral7.0%
Negative9.3%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative40.0%

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Meditation Drum HD

One-time5
  • Small support$0.99
  • Unlock all scales$1.99
  • Unlock screen record$1.99
Show 2 more
  • Medium Support$4.99
  • Large support$9.99
3 purchases

Handpan Sim

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Premium Yearly7 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$29.99

Questions

Is Meditation Drum HD free?
Meditation Drum HD is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Handpan Sim free?
Handpan Sim is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Meditation Drum HD or Handpan Sim?
Handpan Sim is rated higher. Meditation Drum HD averages 3.5 out of 5 from 14 ratings, while Handpan Sim averages 4.5 from 43 ratings.
Do Meditation Drum HD or Handpan Sim have ads?
Handpan Sim shows ads; Meditation Drum HD does not.
Which is updated more often, Meditation Drum HD or Handpan Sim?
Meditation Drum HD ships an update every 15 months, and Handpan Sim every 5 months. Most recently, Meditation Drum HD was updated on November 2, 2026 and Handpan Sim on November 8, 2026.

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