Bongos vs Rassel
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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!
Rassel
Turn your iPhone into a shaken percussion instrument with realistic sound and handling. Choose from four different instruments and adjust their settings for a lifelike experience.
- Four percussion instruments: Egg, Shaker, Tambourine, Bells
- Realistic audio rendering engine
- Gyroscope-based velocity control
- Adjustable instrument tightness (loose, normal, tight)
- Loudness boost option
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Rassel – Pocket Shaker transforms your iPhone to a shaken percussion instrument. Just pick up the device and shake it. This initial version comes with four different instruments: Egg, Shaker, Tambourine and Bells. Just swipe the screen to change between them. Unlike similar apps, Rassel is based on a unique audio rendering engine that accounts for continuous velocity changes based on how the sampled instruments are agitated. The device’s gyroscope is directly mapped to this velocity which makes any movement sound the way a real instrument would. We’ve tried to fine-tune the app to be as lifelike as possible, both in sound and handling response. We think we got pretty close. Features: - Instruments: Egg, Shaker, Tambourine and Bells - Choose between loose, normal or tight setting - Loudness boost option
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Bongos at Free against Rassel's $0.99. Rassel's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 3.3) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On device support and iOS requirement 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
Bongos is free to download; Rassel costs $0.99 up front. Bongos sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Rassel asks for nothing beyond the download.
Rassel holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 24 and 78 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of Bongos's written reviews are positive against 80% of Rassel's.
Bongos ships an update every 2 months, Rassel every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Bongos | Rassel |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.99 |
| Rating | 3.3 (24 ratings) | 4.7 (78 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 65.7% of reviews | 80.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 24 | 78 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 39 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Skunk Brothers GmbH | Klevgrand Produkter AB |
Customer experience
Bongos
Rassel
User reviews
Bongos
From 24 App Store ratingsWhat 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
Rassel
From 78 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🤩 Realistic sound and feel
- 👍 Intuitive and simple UI
- 💰 Free to use
- 🚀 Responsive accelerometer
- 💡 Innovative concept
Room to improve
- 🔉 Too quiet volume
- 🔇 No sound for some users
- 🎚️ Limited sound variations
- 🎚️ Some sounds too closed/dull
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
Rassel
Reported bugs
5 issues- App crashes on load
- No sound output
- Cannot exit 'about' screen
- App does not open
- Screen lock stops sound
Requested features
13 requests- AUv3 support
- Inter-App Audio support
- More percussion sounds
- More instrument variations
- Haptic feedback
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- MIDI support
- Ability to use while screen is locked
- Louder volume option
- Voiceover accessibility
- Custom sample import
- Vibration for realism
- Tambourine accent function
- More dynamic sound options for tambourine
In-app purchases
Bongos
- Bongos Ad-Free$1.99
Rassel
No in-app purchases








