i vs Hand Drums
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
i
This app offers a fun and engaging way to explore music through a virtual xylophone experience. It includes a music game with a song library, composition tools, and various sound sets, designed for users of all ages.
- 8 high-quality sound sets
- Play Music or Play Game modes
- Library of 70 classic songs
- Customizable skins and backgrounds
- Multitouch and sliding support
- AI-generated music compositions
- Record and replay compositions
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Play along i-XyloPhone for "kids" of all ages! It’s the best Xylophone on the App Store! Try it now: it's FREE and really FUN!!! This app was in the Top20 in US, UK, Russia, China, France, Australia, Spain, Canada, Italy, etc. and featured in the "New & Noteworthy" in several stores! Compose your songs or play the music game. Two apps in one! Are you ready for this great music experience? Some features: * 8 different high quality sound sets (xylophone, marimba, metallophone, glockenspiel, vibraphone, etc.) + Cat & Dog sound sets for your kids. * Play Music or Play Game modes. * Learn music with a library of 70 classic songs! * Customize your music experience with 3 different skins for the xylophone and 6 beautiful backgrounds. * Supports multitouch and sliding between bars. * Two difficulty levels to ensure longevity. Music AI to create virtually infinite music compositions for game mode. Each match is new and different! * Expressly and exclusively designed for the iPad, with a beautiful, immediate and intuitive user interface. * Record and re-play your composition. * Solo play feature. Let the iPad express its own creativity composing a song... * Beautiful graphic in HD. * Playable for everybody and anybody! Really fun for all ages! * Do you have additional features/improvements to suggest for the next update? Just contact us! *** And have fun making your music compositions! *** Download also our other Music Applications on App Store, some are FREE! Thanks for using our products. Feedback is always welcome to: support@dighentis.com App Store reviews are greatly appreciated, thank you.
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: i at 4.5 against Hand Drums's 4.0. i also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Hand Drums's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 7 months) and ratings volume (11 vs 2). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. i sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Hand Drums sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
i holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hand Drums has 11 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 20% of i's written reviews are positive against 17% of Hand Drums's.
i ships an update every 7 months, Hand Drums every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | i | Hand Drums |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (2 ratings) — better | 4.0 (11 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 20.0% of reviews — better | 16.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 11 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 41 MB | 62 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Alessandro Benedettini | Drum Starz |
Customer experience
i
Hand Drums
In-app purchases
i
- Unlock Additional Skins for Xylophone and Additional Backgrounds$0.99
- Remove Advertising from App$0.99
- Unlock All Songs (70 Songs in Total)$0.99
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- Unlock the Full App Version and Remove ADs$1.99
Hand Drums
- Hand Drums Upgrade$0.99
- Exporting$0.99









