Comparison

Mouth Harp vs Hand Drums

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

Head to head
About

Mouth Harp

This app simulates the sound of a mouth harp, a folk instrument. By touching the screen to your lips and adjusting your mouth cavity, you can alter the instrument's sound, similar to a "wah wah" pedal effect on a guitar. An in-app guide helps new users learn to play.

Highlights
  • Mouth harp sound simulation
  • Touchscreen interface
  • Adjustable mouth cavity effect
  • Interactive "hot spots" guide
  • Folk instrument sounds
Features
Read full description

The mouth harp is a small folk instrument also known as a jaw harp or jew's harp. When you hold it to your mouth and change the size of your mouth cavity, the sound of the instrument changes, similar to a guitar played through a "wah wah" pedal. To play the mouth harp app: 1) Touch the iPhone screen to your lips. 2) Tap the thin end of the mouth harp to hear a "twang" sound. 3) Move your lips further apart or closer together to change the frequency response of the sound. If you're having trouble, tap the (?) icon to show the "hot spots" on the screen. To see how the app works before you buy it, to send feedback or to request help, please visit http://www.mouthharpapp.com. >>> If you have a problem or a suggestion, please contact me before writing a bad review. I have no way to respond or help you if you publish your complaints in a review, but I respond promptly to all emails. <<<

About

Hand Drums

Explore a collection of 25 professionally recorded hand drums, including bongos, congas, and djembes. Play along to a metronome, custom beats, or your own music library. Record and share your drumming creations.

Highlights
  • 25 professionally recorded hand drums
  • Play along to metronome, beats, and loops
  • Record and share drumming sessions
  • Pitch and roll controls
  • Play along with iPod music
  • Visual 3D effects
Features
Read full description

If you've always wanted to play the bongos, conga, or any other hand drum, or already know how, Hand Drums Free is for you! Easy to use, extremely fun and entertaining, Hand Drums Free features 25 unique hand drums, including Bongos, Conga, Djembe, Doumbek, Cajon, Tabla and more, all professionally recorded in high quality 16 bit stereo. You can play alone, to a metronome, or to unique Pocket Beats and Loops. You can even play along to the music on your iPod right from within Hand Drums Free. With features including pitch control, ability to share and export your recordings (optional in-app purchase), metronome, drum rolls, drum loops, and more, you'll sound like a pro from the moment you start playing! FEATURES: • 25 different hand drums, all professionally recorded in high-quality 16-bit stereo: Bendir, Bongo, Bongo Jam, Boudran, Cajon, Conga, Djembe, Doumbek, Duff, Electronic Drums, Frame Drum, Frame Drum with Bells, Mini Djembe, Pakhawaj, Snare & Bass, Tabla, Talking Drum, Tambourine, Timbale, and Tom Tom, with more to follow. • 4 Unique Playing Zones on each drum create a realistic drumming experience. • Share your recordings through email, Facebook, and Twitter • Export your recordings to your computer (optional in-app purchase) • Visual 3D effect when drums are hit maximizes the drumming experience • Metronome with 43 sounds to choose from and variable speed switch (BPM) • 67 Pocket Beats and Loops to play along to • PlayAlong Beats: 16 new loops with basic bass drum, hi-hat or snare beats, to play along for added rhythmic expression! • Slide your finger between the drums • Shake your device to play sounds to your favorite music • Play drum heads simultaneously • Play along with your favorite music by easily accessing your iPod music right from within Hand Drums Free • Volume controls for both the drum sounds and music • Pitch control allows for unlimited drum sounds • Rolls on drums with variable speed adjustment (BPM) • Using headphones will allow you to fully enjoy the high quality sounds of Hand Drums Free PRIVACY POLICY: http://codyrotwein.com/privacy.html

Screenshots

Mouth Harp2 screens
Hand Drums4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Hand Drums at 4.0 against Mouth Harp's 3.3. Hand Drums also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 19 months). Mouth Harp's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume 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. Hand Drums sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Mouth Harp asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Hand Drums holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 11 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 40% of Mouth Harp's written reviews are positive against 17% of Hand Drums's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mouth Harp ships an update every 19 months, Hand Drums every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Mouth Harp versus Hand Drums: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMouth HarpHand Drums
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (4 ratings)4.0 (11 ratings) — better
Positive reviews40.0% of reviews — better16.7% of reviews
Number of ratings411 — better
Update frequencyEvery 19 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS8.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB62 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperArlo LeachDrum Starz

Customer experience

Mouth Harp

All ratings4 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative60.0%

Hand Drums

All ratings11 ratings
Positive63.6%
Neutral18.2%
Negative18.2%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive16.7%
Neutral8.3%
Negative75.0%

In-app purchases

None

Mouth Harp

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Hand Drums

One-time2
  • Hand Drums Upgrade$0.99
  • Exporting$0.99

Questions

Is Mouth Harp free?
Mouth Harp is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hand Drums free?
Hand Drums is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Mouth Harp or Hand Drums?
Hand Drums is rated higher. Mouth Harp averages 3.3 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Hand Drums averages 4.0 from 11 ratings.
Do Mouth Harp or Hand Drums have ads?
Hand Drums shows ads; Mouth Harp does not.
Which is updated more often, Mouth Harp or Hand Drums?
Mouth Harp ships an update every 19 months, and Hand Drums every 3 months. Most recently, Mouth Harp was updated on October 23, 2026 and Hand Drums on October 27, 2026.

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