Bongos vs Darbuka
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!
Darbuka
Transform your device into a darbuka, a traditional Middle Eastern hand drum. Play rhythms with your fingers, record your music, and share your creations with others. This universal app is compatible with iPhone and iPad.
- Virtual darbuka drum
- Finger drumming interface
- Music recording
- Share recordings
- Universal app support
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The darbuka is a goblet shaped hand drum used mostly in the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe. Turn your device into a darbuka drum that you can play with your fingers. Features: • record the music you're playing • share your records • universal app, support iPhone, iPad
Screenshots
Verdict
Bongos and Darbuka both sit at 3.3 stars, but that hides the real split: 66% of Bongos's written reviews are positive against 42% of Darbuka's. Bongos also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, ratings volume 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
Both are free to download. Bongos sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Darbuka sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Bongos holds the better App Store score, 3.3 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 24 and 11 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of Bongos's written reviews are positive against 42% of Darbuka's.
Bongos ships an update every 2 months, Darbuka every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Bongos | Darbuka |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.3 (24 ratings) — better | 3.1 (11 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 65.7% of reviews — better | 41.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 24 — better | 11 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 39 MB | 14 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Skunk Brothers GmbH | Dmytro Denys |
Customer experience
Bongos
Darbuka
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
Darbuka
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Bongos
- Bongos Ad-Free$1.99
Darbuka
- Remove Advertisement$0.99
