Comparison

Kalimbar vs Kalimba Master

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

Head to head
About

Kalimbar

This app offers a realistic kalimba simulation with customizable tones, effects, and a metronome. Record and overdub performances, share them with a companion app, and enjoy a simple staff notation display. Many features are available for free, with no ads during screen recording.

Highlights
  • Realistic kalimba sounds
  • Customizable tone and transposition
  • Metronome and tuner
  • Recording and overdubbing
  • Staff notation display
  • Portrait and landscape modes
Features
Read full description

Kalimbar supports layouts with 17, 34, or 41 keys. It is a full-featured kalimba performance app used by professional kalimba players. • Portrait and landscape support with realistic kalimba sounds • A wide range of tones, with quick tone switching from the performance screen • Rich customization for transposition, note-name display, pin appearance, original wallpapers, and more • Pin outline display and shadow movement that responds to device tilt • Effects • Metronome • Tuner / tuning fork • Recording and playback • Layer your performances with additional recording. • Change the key and tempo during playback. • Performance data can be shared with the sister app Melodician. • Simple staff display • Many other features are available for free. No ads are shown during screen recording. FAQ Q. I notice latency between tapping and hearing sound. A. We recommend using the device speaker or a wired connection, such as earphones, headphones, USB-C, or Lightning audio. Bluetooth audio is more likely to have noticeable latency due to how wireless audio works. Q. Sounds or animations become unstable with three-finger or larger multi-touch gestures. A. If Settings > Accessibility > Zoom is turned on, iOS/iPadOS gives priority to three-finger system gestures, which can interfere with this app. If needed, temporarily turn off Zoom while using the app.

About

Kalimba Master

Learn and play the kalimba with this virtual instrument app. It offers a wide song library, interactive lessons, and even music games to help you practice. Connect to a real kalimba for note recognition or simply enjoy playing the virtual keys.

Highlights
  • Virtual 17-key kalimba
  • Extensive song library
  • Note recognition mode
  • Audio recording
  • Interactive lessons
  • Music games
  • Magic Kalimba mode
Features
Read full description

Kalimba Master is a cute and customizable app version of the kalimba instrument. This Kalimba tutor is one of the best virtual Kalimba for mobile & tablet. The app offers tons of songs with easy lessons, and we add new tabs every week! Don't waste more time, start playing now!... Features: - Full string Kalimba with 17 keys - Play with 650,000+ song from music songbooks - Connect with real Kalimba with notes recognition mode - Be able to record audio while playing - Lessons mode for easy learning - Music games to practice - Magic Kalimba mode added

Screenshots

Kalimbar1 screens
Kalimba Master4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Kalimbar at 100% against Kalimba Master's 29%. Kalimbar also leads on rating (4.0 vs 2.1). Kalimba Master's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (14 vs 1). On price, update cadence, 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. Kalimbar sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Kalimba Master sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Kalimbar holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 2.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Kalimba Master has 14 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Kalimbar's written reviews are positive against 29% of Kalimba Master's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Kalimbar ships an update fortnightly, Kalimba Master every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Kalimbar versus Kalimba Master: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKalimbarKalimba Master
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (1 ratings) — better2.1 (14 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better28.6% of reviews
Number of ratings114 — better
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.611.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size137 MB143 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYuichi SatoSENSOR NOTES JOINT STOCK COMPANY

Customer experience

Kalimbar

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Kalimba Master

All ratings13 ratings
Positive23.1%
Neutral15.4%
Negative61.5%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive28.6%
Neutral14.3%
Negative57.1%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Kalimbar

Subscriptions2
  • All features + Ad-Free Monthly$1.991 Month
  • All features & Ad-Free Yearly$19.991 Year
2 purchases

Kalimba Master

One-time2
  • Kalimba Master Pro$0.99
  • Kalimba Master Vip$2.99

Questions

Is Kalimbar free?
Kalimbar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Kalimba Master free?
Kalimba Master is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Kalimbar or Kalimba Master?
Kalimbar is rated higher. Kalimbar averages 4.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Kalimba Master averages 2.1 from 14 ratings.
Do Kalimbar or Kalimba Master have ads?
Kalimbar shows ads; Kalimba Master does not.
Which is updated more often, Kalimbar or Kalimba Master?
Kalimbar ships an update fortnightly, and Kalimba Master every 3 weeks. Most recently, Kalimbar was updated on October 30, 2026 and Kalimba Master on October 25, 2026.

Other comparisons