Comparison

Djembe Thumb Drum vs djembeföla!

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

Head to head
About

Djembe Thumb Drum

This app simulates a Djembe drum with customizable pitch and volume for bass, tone, and slap sounds. It allows users to play along in drum circles with friends.

Highlights
  • Realistic Djembe drum simulation
  • Customizable bass, tone, and slap sounds
  • Adjustable pitch and volume
  • Play with friends in drum circles
  • Fast and responsive interface
Features
Read full description

A djembe at your fingertips. Play realistic bass, tone and slap sounds on your iPhone or iPad, with no ads to interrupt your rhythm. PLAY THE THREE DISTINCT SOUNDS Tap the drum to move between deep bass, open tones and crisp slaps. Explore your own rhythms, practice patterns or join a jam with friends. MAKE THE SOUND YOURS Adjust the pitch and volume of bass, tone and slap independently. Find the balance that suits the way you play. BRING YOUR RHYTHM INTO THE ROOM Connect your device to an external speaker for a bigger sound and fuller bass. Use a compatible wired connection and the adapter your device requires. JUST YOU AND THE DRUM Open Djembe and start playing. A focused, ad-free instrument for spontaneous rhythms, percussion practice and drum circles. Tap in. Find your rhythm.

About

djembeföla!

Explore and learn traditional West African rhythms with this comprehensive drumming app. Features authentic recordings, customizable playback, and detailed cultural information. Perfect for students and enthusiasts aiming for certification.

Highlights
  • Dozens of traditional rhythms
  • Djembe and dunun parts with individual controls
  • Customizable tempo and volume
  • Metronome with shekere/clave sounds
  • In-depth rhythm information and maps
  • Supports TTMDA curriculum for certification
Features
Read full description

Inspired by Master Djembeföla, Mamady Keïta, and designed for students and enthusiasts worldwide, djembeföla! is the most comprehensive West African drumming app available today. Scroll through dozens of traditional rhythms, each with djembe and dunun parts, using sorting options such as Region, Ethnic Group, Cultural Purpose, and more. Press play and following the djembe signal, the selected rhythm plays in a continuous loop, as the cursor visually marks each beat. With master tempo and volume controls, as well as separate volume sliders and mute buttons for each djembe and dunun part (including the dunun bells) djembefola! is infinitely customizable. A Signal Repeat selector allows the user to hear the signal repeat, and choose between several different intervals. A selectable Metronome function keeps you in time with traditional shekere or clave sounds. Press the 'i' (info) button for more in-depth information about the rhythm, including maps -- information that is vital to the preservation of West African drumming culture. Play it through headphones for individual woodshedding, or through a home stereo or PA system via WiFi or BlueTooth to play as a group. Set the sorting function to 'LEVELS' and djembeföla! is uniquely set up to follow TamTam Mandingue Djembe Academy's curriculum for certification. With links to TTMDA and ClubTTM, djembeföla! is the perfect tool to help you achieve your TTMDA certification. In-app purchases mean you can go at your own pace -- start with the Beginner Levels Module, and when you're ready, explore the Intermediate and Advanced Modules. There's even a Dununba Rhythms Module with 21 Dununba Rhythms, and now modules with rhythms created by Mamady Keïta. Features: • over 120 rhythms available in Version 2.0, • multiple sorting groups - alphabetical, ethnic group, region, purpose, and TTM curriculum levels • actual recordings instead of samples - means it sounds organic and authentic instead of computer-generated. • single page interface - you don't have to switch pages to view the notation, or change the mix. • master tempo control - slide left or right for .75x to 1.5x the rhythm's default tempo, and simply tap the control to return the tempo to the rhythm's default value. • individual mute and volume controls - emphasize whichever parts you want to hear more clearly. • signal repeat option for repeating the signal at varying cycles • new metronome options including shekere & clave • in-app purchases - build your library of rhythms as you go, with available rhythm packs from Beginner to Advanced, and more *note: with initial purchase, 8 rhythms have full functionality: Abondan Balakulandjan Bao Denadon Kotedjuga Kuku Mendiani Takosaba • links to TTMDA and ClubTTM - one of the world's most in-depth resources for West African drumming culture, the TTMDA site lists all kinds of drumming events and workshops, as well as links to TTMDA Certified Teachers all over the world. There's an online store, and with ClubTTM, there are countless hours of video posted by both Mamady Keïta and TTM Certified Teachers.

Screenshots

Djembe Thumb Drum4 screens
djembeföla!4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: djembeföla! at 80% against Djembe Thumb Drum's 24%. djembeföla! also leads on ratings volume (35 vs 2) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 4 months). Djembe Thumb Drum's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On ads and device support 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

Djembe Thumb Drum costs $2.99 and djembeföla! $4.99 up front. djembeföla! sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Djembe Thumb Drum asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Djembe Thumb Drum holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: djembeföla! has 35 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 24% of Djembe Thumb Drum's written reviews are positive against 80% of djembeföla!'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Djembe Thumb Drum ships an update every 4 months, djembeföla! every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Djembe Thumb Drum versus djembeföla!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDjembe Thumb Drumdjembeföla!
Price$2.99 — better$4.99
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better4.7 (35 ratings)
Positive reviews23.8% of reviews80.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings235 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.013.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB158 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperThumb WizardsTom Taylor

Customer experience

Djembe Thumb Drum

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive23.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative76.2%

djembeföla!

All ratings35 ratings
Positive91.4%
Neutral2.9%
Negative5.7%
Written reviews45 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral6.7%
Negative13.3%

In-app purchases

None

Djembe Thumb Drum

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

djembeföla!

One-time6
  • MK Originals Beginner Pack$9.99
  • BEGINNER Rhythm Pack$9.99
  • MK Originals Intermediate Pack$14.99
Show 3 more
  • MK Originals Advanced Pack$14.99
  • INTERMEDIATE Rhythm Pack$14.99
  • DUNUNBA Rhythm Pack$14.99

Questions

Is Djembe Thumb Drum free?
Djembe Thumb Drum costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is djembeföla! free?
djembeföla! costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Djembe Thumb Drum or djembeföla!?
Djembe Thumb Drum is rated higher. Djembe Thumb Drum averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while djembeföla! averages 4.7 from 35 ratings.
Do Djembe Thumb Drum or djembeföla! have ads?
Neither Djembe Thumb Drum nor djembeföla! shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Djembe Thumb Drum or djembeföla!?
Djembe Thumb Drum ships an update every 4 months, and djembeföla! every 6 weeks. Most recently, Djembe Thumb Drum was updated on October 12, 2026 and djembeföla! on October 22, 2026.

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