Comparison

Bongos vs Djembe!

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

Djembe!

Experience the authentic sound of African drums on your mobile device. Explore various drum types, play along to beats, or jam with your own music. Features include realistic graphics, high-quality audio, and recording capabilities.

Highlights
  • Multiple African drum types
  • Professionally recorded sounds
  • Play along to beats and loops
  • Integrates with iPod music
  • Recording and sharing options
  • Realistic 3D visual effects
  • Metronome with adjustable tempo
Features
Read full description

Have you always wanted to play an African drum? Now you can, anytime, anywhere, with Djembe! Featuring professionally recorded sounds and high quality graphics, Djembe! is the ultimate African drumming app for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. You can play a large Djembe, small Djembe, or even play intricate beats like a pro with 2 different Djembe jams. Play alone, to the metronome with 43 different sounds, or to over 80 unique Pocket Beats and Loops. You can even play along to your favorite music on your iPod right from within Djembe!. With features including amazing 3D effect when hitting the drums, low latency 16-bit stereo sounds, slide 'n play, pitch control, ability to share and export your recordings (optional in-app purchase), drum rolls, and more, you'll sound like a pro from the moment you start playing! FEATURES: • 7 different layouts: Large Djembe, Small Djembe, Djembe Jam 1, Djembe Jam 2, African Drum, Bata Drum, and Talking Drum • 4 Unique Playing Zones on each drum create a realistic sounding drum • 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) • 63 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 Djembe! • 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 Djembe! Free PRIVACY POLICY: http://codyrotwein.com/privacy.html

Screenshots

Bongos2 screens
Djembe!4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Djembe! at 4.7 against Bongos's 3.3. Bongos's advantage is review sentiment (64% vs 52%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, ratings volume, 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 Djembe! sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Djembe! holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 24 and 46 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 64% of Bongos's written reviews are positive against 52% of Djembe!'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bongos ships an update every 2 months, Djembe! every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Bongos versus Djembe!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBongosDjembe!
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (24 ratings)4.7 (46 ratings) — better
Positive reviews64.1% of reviews — better52.2% of reviews
Number of ratings2446 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size39 MB45 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperSkunk Brothers GmbHDrum Starz

Customer experience

Bongos

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

Djembe!

All ratings46 ratings
Positive95.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative4.3%
Written reviews23 reviews
Positive52.2%
Neutral8.7%
Negative39.1%

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

Djembe!

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Bongos

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

Djembe!

One-time2
  • Djembe! Upgrade$0.99
  • Exporting$0.99

Questions

Is Bongos free?
Bongos is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Djembe! free?
Djembe! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Bongos or Djembe!?
Djembe! is rated higher. Bongos averages 3.3 out of 5 from 24 ratings, while Djembe! averages 4.7 from 46 ratings.
Do Bongos or Djembe! have ads?
Both Bongos and Djembe! show ads.
Which is updated more often, Bongos or Djembe!?
Bongos ships an update every 2 months, and Djembe! every 3 months. Most recently, Bongos was updated on September 23, 2026 and Djembe! on September 22, 2026.

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