Comparison

Harp Real vs Handpan Rhythms

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

Head to head
About

Harp Real

This app simulates a 27-string lever harp, offering a realistic playing experience with a wide frequency range. Practice songs with adjustable speed and transposition, or play in real-time. Record and share your music.

Highlights
  • 27-string lever harp simulation
  • Frequency range C3 to A6#
  • Offline and online song practice
  • Adjustable song speed and transposition
  • Reverb effect
  • Normal and RealTime play modes
  • Autoplay option
  • Record, playback, and share functionality
Features
Read full description

The Harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps have been known since antiquity in Asia, Africa and Europe, dating back at least as early as 3500 BC. The instrument had great popularity in Europe during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, where it evolved into a wide range of variants with new technologies, and was disseminated to Europe's colonies, finding particular popularity in Latin America. Although some ancient members of the harp family died out in the Near East and South Asia, descendants of early harps are still played in Myanmar and parts of Africa, and other defunct variants in Europe and Asia have been utilized by musicians in the modern era. Harps vary globally in many ways. In terms of size, many smaller harps can be played on the lap, whereas larger harps are quite heavy and rest on the floor. Different harps may use strings of catgut, nylon, metal, or some combination. While all harps have a neck, resonator, and strings, frame harps have a pillar at their long end to support the strings, while open harps, such as arch harps and bow harps, do not. Modern harps also vary in techniques used to extend the range and chromaticism (e.g., adding sharps and flats) of the strings, such as adjusting a string's note mid-performance with levers or pedals which modify the pitch. The pedal harp is a standard instrument in the orchestra of the Romantic music era (ca. 1800–1910) and the contemporary music era. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harp) The Harp Real is Lever Harp (Celtic Harp) 27 strings simulation app with lever feature. Frequency range: C3 -> A6#. More offline and online songs for practice (With the ability to change speed, transpose, reverb). Play with 2 modes: - Normal - RealTime You can choose autoplay for listening songs. Record feature: record, play back and share to your friends. ** Songs is updated regularly

About

Handpan Rhythms

Create and hear your own Handpan rhythms with simple notation. Practice with a metronome and explore example rhythms. Play a virtual Handpan directly within the app.

Highlights
  • Compose custom Handpan rhythms
  • Hear rhythms with virtual Handpan
  • Practice with clap metronome
  • Explore example rhythms
  • Play virtual Handpan
  • Custom scale support (premium)
  • Rhythm save/export/import (premium)
Features
Read full description

Using this app you can write your own Handpan rhythm with simple notations and hear how it sounds like with a virtual Handpan! The app also includes a set of popular rhythms as examples. You can also play the rhythm along with the clap sound as a metronome for practicing the tempo. The writing system is based on the names of the Handpan strokes with a precise timing. The user sets the number of beats in the rhythm. Each beat is shown with a box. The time duration of each beat is specified by BPM. This time duration is divided equally between all the notes written in the beat box. Also, you can play a virtual Handpan in the app, if you have no access to a real one. The premium version enables the custom scale, rhythm save, export, and import features. It also removes all ads from the app. The in-app purchase for accessing the premium version is a single-time payment which never expires.

Screenshots

Harp Real4 screens
Handpan Rhythms4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Harp Real at none against Handpan Rhythms's 1. Harp Real also leads on ratings volume (645 vs 6) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.6). Handpan Rhythms's advantage is update cadence (every 4 months vs every 15 months). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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. Handpan Rhythms sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Harp Real asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Harp Real holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Harp Real has 645 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 68% of Harp Real's written reviews are positive against 75% of Handpan Rhythms's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Harp Real ships an update every 15 months, Handpan Rhythms every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Harp Real versus Handpan Rhythms: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHarp RealHandpan Rhythms
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (645 ratings) — better4.5 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews67.9% of reviews75.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings645 — better6
Update frequencyEvery 15 monthsEvery 4 months — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size97 MB55 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSon Truong NgocBita Sobhani

Customer experience

Harp Real

All ratings635 ratings
Positive91.8%
Neutral4.4%
Negative3.8%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive67.9%
Neutral7.1%
Negative25.0%

Handpan Rhythms

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Harp Real

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • No sound output for some users
  • Volume control not easily accessible
  • Incorrect pitches in some instances
  • App not functioning properly on some devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Background play functionality
  • Transpose button
  • Second hand notes for all songs
  • Better documentation/tutorial

Handpan Rhythms

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Harp Real

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Handpan Rhythms

One-time1
  • Premium$14.99

Questions

Is Harp Real free?
Harp Real is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Handpan Rhythms free?
Handpan Rhythms is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Harp Real or Handpan Rhythms?
Harp Real is rated higher. Harp Real averages 4.7 out of 5 from 645 ratings, while Handpan Rhythms averages 4.5 from 6 ratings.
Do Harp Real or Handpan Rhythms have ads?
Both Harp Real and Handpan Rhythms show ads.
Which is updated more often, Harp Real or Handpan Rhythms?
Harp Real ships an update every 15 months, and Handpan Rhythms every 4 months. Most recently, Harp Real was updated on October 21, 2026 and Handpan Rhythms on October 7, 2026.

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