Comparison

Bongos vs Drum Pad Machine

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

Head to head
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!

About

Drum Pad Machine

Create professional-quality music and unique tracks with a variety of styles and sound packs. Utilize instruments, FX, and sequencing for creative sound design. Learn through beat school lessons and share your creations instantly.

Highlights
  • Multiple music styles (Hip-hop, Trap, House, etc.)
  • Professional sound packs
  • Drum and Piano instruments
  • Sequencing with tempo and EQ
  • Beat School lessons
  • Quick music sharing
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Make your own music like a pro. Create sick beats, perfect and perform unique tracks! Features: • Great variety of music styles: Hip-hop, Drum & Bass, Trap, Dubstep, House, and many others; • Unique sound packs. Get access to professional-quality audio samples created by professional musicians and DJs; • Instruments & FX. Use Drum & Piano for creative sound designs; • Sequencing. Get studio effects including Tempo Regulation and EQ; • Beat School. Try the lessons for each sound pack to improvise freely; • Quick sharing. Share your music with the world. Enjoy this powerful, yet easy-to-use tool to get the best music experience! Drum Pad Machine Premium Drum Pad Machine Premium Subscription allows you to unlock all the sound packs, get new releases, and remove ads. Choose from different subscription options. Payment will be charged to Apple ID Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed by you and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to Apple ID Account Settings. For more information please visit the link https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202039. Unused portion of a free-trial period will be forfeited when a user decides to subscribe. EULA: https://easybrain.com/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://easybrain.com/policy.html

Screenshots

Bongos2 screens
Drum Pad Machine4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Drum Pad Machine at 4.6 against Bongos's 3.3. Drum Pad Machine also leads on ratings volume (674K vs 24) and chart position (#192 vs unranked). Bongos's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence 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. Bongos sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Drum Pad Machine sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Drum Pad Machine holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Drum Pad Machine has 674K ratings behind it against 24, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 64% and 63% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bongos ships an update every 2 months, Drum Pad Machine every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Bongos versus Drum Pad Machine: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBongosDrum Pad Machine
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (24 ratings)4.6 (674K ratings) — better
Positive reviews64.1% of reviews — better63.3% of reviews
Number of ratings24674K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank—#192 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size39 MB230 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSkunk Brothers GmbHEasybrain Ltd

Customer experience

Bongos

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

Drum Pad Machine

All ratings674,050 ratings
Positive90.3%
Neutral4.7%
Negative5.0%
Written reviews2,284 reviews
Positive63.3%
Neutral8.5%
Negative28.3%

User reviews

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

Drum Pad Machine

From 674K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🤩 Incredible music-making experience
  • 👍 Easy to learn and use
  • 🎶 Wide variety of music genres and beats
  • 🎓 Helpful tutorials and lessons
  • 🎧 High-quality sound samples

Room to improve

  • 🤬 Excessive and repetitive ads
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🐛 Occasional glitches and crashes
  • 🤔 Limited customization options
  • ⏱️ Lessons and tutorials move too fast

Bugs and requests

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

Drum Pad Machine

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Recordings sometimes stop unexpectedly
  • Difficulty registering multiple button presses simultaneously
  • Compatibility issues on older devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add a search function to find specific beats
  • Allow users to create and share their own custom beats
  • Implement a pause/resume feature for recordings
  • Provide more granular control over tempo and timing

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Bongos

One-time1
  • Bongos Ad-Free$1.99
5 purchases

Drum Pad Machine

Subscriptions5
  • Drum Pad Machine Pro - Weekly3 Days trial$7.997 Days
  • Music Beat Maker Premium7 Days trial$7.997 Days
  • Drum Pad Machine Pro - Monthly$14.991 Month
Show 2 more
  • Beatmaker Premium7 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • Drum Pad Machine Pro - Annual$46.991 Year

Questions

Is Bongos free?
Bongos is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Drum Pad Machine free?
Drum Pad Machine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Bongos or Drum Pad Machine?
Drum Pad Machine is rated higher. Bongos averages 3.3 out of 5 from 24 ratings, while Drum Pad Machine averages 4.6 from 674K ratings.
Do Bongos or Drum Pad Machine have ads?
Both Bongos and Drum Pad Machine show ads.
Which is updated more often, Bongos or Drum Pad Machine?
Bongos ships an update every 2 months, and Drum Pad Machine every 3 months. Most recently, Bongos was updated on September 23, 2026 and Drum Pad Machine on September 25, 2026.

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