Comparison

Ocarina vs Harp Real

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

Head to head
About

Ocarina

Transform your device into a virtual flute and create music with intuitive touch and breath controls. Explore a global community of players, share your performances, and access a vast library of popular song scores.

Highlights
  • Virtual ocarina instrument
  • Breath and touch controls
  • Global player community
  • Performance sharing
  • Online songbook
  • Customizable keys and modes
Read full description

One of Apple's All-Time Top 20 Apps, Smule’s Ocarina turns your iPhone into an ancient flute. With no musical training required, you'll blow away your friends and family with your new talent. "If everyone had the Ocarina app there would be no more wars" - David Pogue "One of the most original entertainment programs to emerge from the App Store" - Wall Street Journal "Ocarina is one of the most magical programs I've ever seen" - NY Times ___________________________ Sensitive to your breath, touch and movements, Ocarina is more versatile than an actual flute: • Blow air into your mic to create music • Touch combinations of holes to play notes • Tilt to change vibrato rate and depth • Advanced users can change keys and modes, including C-Major and Zeldarian mode With Ocarina, you can also hear people learning to play around the world: • Listen in on Ocarina players all over the world just by tapping the globe icon • Rate your favorite performances • Name your Ocarina so others can listen to you play • Share your favorite performances with family and friends via e-mail • Record and archive your favorite performances on your own “My Ocarina” web page ___________________________ Ocarina fans from all over the world have posted hundreds of free easy–to-read scores for popular songs. Just go to http://ocarina.smule.com and click on 'Songbook'. Top Songs: Theme from Zelda Amazing Grace Theme from Harry Potter My Heart Will Go On Mario Brothers Theme Zelda's Lullaby Poker Face ___________________________ Watch some great (and not so great) Ocarina performances on YouTube: www.youtube.com/smuleage Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/smule Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/smule Try other Smule apps: iPad: Magic Fiddle, Magic Piano & Glee Karaoke iPhone/iPod: I Am T-Pain, Glee Karaoke, Leaf Trombone, Sonic Lighter & Zephyr

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

Screenshots

Ocarina3 screens
Harp Real4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Harp Real at 4.7 against Ocarina's 3.6. Harp Real also leads on ratings volume (649 vs 138). Ocarina's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 15 months). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Harp Real holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 138 and 649 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 78% of Ocarina's written reviews are positive against 68% of Harp Real's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ocarina ships an update every 2 months, Harp Real every 15 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Ocarina versus Harp Real: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOcarinaHarp Real
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.6 (138 ratings)4.7 (649 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.4% of reviews — better67.9% of reviews
Number of ratings138649 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 15 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS8.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB97 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSmuleSon Truong Ngoc

Customer experience

Ocarina

All ratings138 ratings
Positive64.5%
Neutral6.5%
Negative29.0%
Written reviews1,211 reviews
Positive78.4%
Neutral6.7%
Negative14.9%

Harp Real

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

User reviews

Ocarina

From 138 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great for Zelda fans
  • 👍 Easy to use and learn
  • 👍 Impressive global community
  • 👍 Versatile and customizable
  • 👍 Excellent value for money

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Microphone/touch sensitivity issues
  • 🔋 Potential damage to device microphone
  • 🔋 Low volume on newer devices
  • 🐛 Bugs and crashes
  • 🔍 Lack of advanced features

Harp Real

From 649 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎵 Realistic harp sound quality
  • 💰 Free app with premium features
  • 🎛️ Adjustable parameters (reverb, room size, tuning levers)
  • 🎼 Built-in songs included
  • 😌 Relaxing and enjoyable to play

Room to improve

  • 📢 Unexpected ads during gameplay
  • 📖 Lack of instruction manual/documentation
  • 🔊 Sound issues for some users
  • 🎵 Pitch accuracy problems reported
  • ❌ Missing second hand notes for some songs

Bugs and requests

Ocarina

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Microphone not working properly
  • Buttons not registering properly
  • Frequent crashes on newer devices
  • Compatibility issues with iPhone 4/4S
  • Random notes playing unexpectedly

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more instrument sounds
  • Implement recording and sharing features
  • Provide in-app song sheets and tutorials
  • Add more holes/notes for better playability
  • Improve global community features

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

In-app purchases

None

Ocarina

No in-app purchases

None

Harp Real

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ocarina free?
Ocarina is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Harp Real free?
Harp Real is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Ocarina or Harp Real?
Harp Real is rated higher. Ocarina averages 3.6 out of 5 from 138 ratings, while Harp Real averages 4.7 from 649 ratings.
Do Ocarina or Harp Real have ads?
Harp Real shows ads; Ocarina does not.
Which is updated more often, Ocarina or Harp Real?
Ocarina ships an update every 2 months, and Harp Real every 15 months. Most recently, Ocarina was updated on October 23, 2026 and Harp Real on November 3, 2026.

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