Comparison

Dhol vs Bongos

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

Head to head
About

Dhol

Experience the joy of playing the Dhol on your iPhone or iPod Touch. This app allows you to tap out rhythms with your fingers, offering multiple drum sounds and the ability to play along with your music library. It also features a unique Bluetooth connection mode for interactive learning and playing with friends.

Highlights
  • Virtual Dhol instrument
  • Multiple drum sounds
  • Play along with music
  • Bluetooth Dhol-E Connect
  • Interactive learning mode
  • Tap-based controls
Features
Read full description

For all the Bhangra fans around the world, you can now play the Dhol on the go on your iPhone or iPod Touch using Dhol-E. Dhol is a musical instrument played in the Asian subcontinent especially in the northern part of India in Punjab. Playing the Dhol on Dhol-E is as simple as tapping on the screen using your fingers. Other features of Dhol-E include 3 sounds (one for each side of the Dhol and one for tapping on the Dhol barrel itself) and the ability to play the Dhol to a song in your iPod collection. For optimal sound quality use headsets or for even better results connect to powered external speakers. Let Dhol-E bring out the real Dholi inside you. Version 2.0 adds a revolutionary new method to teach and learn the Dhol using "Dhol-E Connect". Using "Dhol-E Connect" you can connect to a another iPhone/iPod running Dhol-E over Bluetooth. Once connected you can see your friend play the Dhol on your screen and follow/play along. To connect using Dhol-E Connect just follow these easy steps -Make sure both phones are running the latest version of Dhol-E -On both devices press the Dhol-E Connect button. -Within a few minutes both the devices should see each other and display the name of the device. -On any one of the device tap on the device name and click the accept button on the other device. -To change Dhol-E Connect options tap on the Settings icon on your iPhone home screen and scroll down to Dhol-E. (Note: Dhol-E Connect requires an in-app upgrade on both devices and does not support the original iPhone and the original iPod) iPad Owners: Download the exclusive iPad only Dhol-E HD app! Check out the Dhol-E Fan Page on Facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dhol-E-iPhoneiPod-App/130114227036549

About

Bongos

Experience realistic bongo drumming with professionally recorded sounds that change based on where you strike the drums. This app offers high-quality samples, additional percussion, and low latency for an immersive musical experience on your iPhone or iPad.

Highlights
  • 18 high-quality bongo samples
  • Cowbell and sticks percussion
  • Professionally recorded & mastered sounds
  • No latency for precise playing
  • Multitasking support for playing along with music
  • Universal app for iPhone and iPad
Features
Read full description

The ultimate Bongos for your iPhone and iPad 18 with professionally recorded and mastered sounds: Depending where you hit the bongos sounds varies! It doesn’t matter if you are a professional musician, want to become a bongocero or just want to drum for fun - you should get this app! Features: ⇒ 18 high quality bongo samples ⇒ More percussion: Cowbell and sticks ⇒ Professionally recorded & mastered sounds ⇒ No latency for fast and exact playing! ⇒ Optimized for iPhone / iPad speakers, headphones and external speakers ⇒ Supports multitasking: Play along with your own music ⇒ HD Retina Graphics for iPhone, iPod touch and the new iPad ⇒ 2 Apps in 1: Universal App for iPhone AND iPad To play along with your own music, start the music on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad and start the app. Important: If you can't hear anything on your device, please make sure, you turned up the ringtone volume and enabled application sounds in the iPhone settings menu. --------- Make sure to leave a comment with ideas and wishes for future versions in your review!

Screenshots

Dhol2 screens
Bongos2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Dhol at 4.7 against Bongos's 3.3. Dhol also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (91% vs 64%). Bongos's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 7 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. Dhol sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and Bongos sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Dhol holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dhol has 145 ratings behind it against 24, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of Dhol's written reviews are positive against 64% of Bongos's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dhol ships an update every 7 months, Bongos every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Dhol versus Bongos: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDholBongos
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (145 ratings) — better3.3 (24 ratings)
Positive reviews90.8% of reviews — better64.1% of reviews
Number of ratings145 — better24
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS10.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB39 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMutual Image LLC.Skunk Brothers GmbH

Customer experience

Dhol

All ratings145 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral3.4%
Negative4.8%
Written reviews163 reviews
Positive90.8%
Neutral4.3%
Negative4.9%

Bongos

All ratings24 ratings
Positive54.2%
Neutral8.3%
Negative37.5%
Written reviews276 reviews
Positive64.1%
Neutral13.8%
Negative22.1%

User reviews

Dhol

From 145 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎉 Jam and chill
  • 👍 Great app to help practice dhol beats
  • 🎉 Awesome
  • 👍 Excellent app with good functionality
  • 👍 Nice app to practice dhol skills

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Lags and delays when playing
  • 🐛 Not working, no shop beats
  • 🔊 Sound could be better and more nuanced
  • 🐛 Doesn't load, stuck on settings
  • 🔊 Doesn't sound like a real dhol

Bongos

From 24 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Realistic bongo sounds
  • 🎶 Encourages musical creativity
  • 🤗 Fun for all ages
  • 💻 Works well on mobile devices

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
  • 🙄 Repetitive after a while
  • 📢 Intrusive ads
  • 🔊 Could use louder/better sound

Bugs and requests

Dhol

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Lags and delays when playing
  • Not working, no shop beats
  • Doesn't load, stuck on settings
  • No sound on iPhone 5

Requested features

8 requests
  • Update and improve sound effects
  • Add kin and ke as well as dha ne ge and click
  • Add option to record when playing with songs
  • Add more accurate sounds and ghir ghira
  • Add volume setting to be louder when playing along to tracks
Show 3 more
  • Add ability to change sounds, dugga side could use different sample
  • Add dark mode option
  • Add advanced analytics dashboard

Bongos

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Sound not working on some devices
  • Rotation issues on certain phones
  • Ads covering up playing area

Requested features

4 requests
  • Record and playback feature
  • More instrument options
  • Ability to tune/adjust bongos
  • Integration with music apps

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Dhol

One-time6
  • Peer Connect Upgrade$0.99
  • Dhol With Khanda$0.99
  • Disable Ads$0.99
Show 3 more
  • Dhol Bling$0.99
  • DholE Dance$0.99
  • Get Everything!$4.99
1 purchases

Bongos

One-time1
  • Bongos Ad-Free$1.99

Questions

Is Dhol free?
Dhol is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Bongos free?
Bongos is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Dhol or Bongos?
Dhol is rated higher. Dhol averages 4.7 out of 5 from 145 ratings, while Bongos averages 3.3 from 24 ratings.
Do Dhol or Bongos have ads?
Bongos shows ads; Dhol does not.
Which is updated more often, Dhol or Bongos?
Dhol ships an update every 7 months, and Bongos every 2 months. Most recently, Dhol was updated on September 28, 2026 and Bongos on September 29, 2026.

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