Comparison

Djembe Thumb Drum vs Djembe!

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

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

Djembe Thumb Drum4 screens
Djembe!4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Djembe! at Free against Djembe Thumb Drum's $2.99. Djembe! also leads on review sentiment (52% vs 24%) and ratings volume (46 vs 2). Djembe Thumb Drum's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). On update cadence 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! is free to download; Djembe Thumb Drum costs $2.99 up front. Djembe! sells 2 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: Djembe! has 46 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 52% of Djembe!'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, Djembe! every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Djembe Thumb Drum versus Djembe!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDjembe Thumb DrumDjembe!
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better4.7 (46 ratings)
Positive reviews23.8% of reviews52.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings246 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB45 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperThumb WizardsDrum Starz

Customer experience

Djembe Thumb Drum

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

Djembe!

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

In-app purchases

None

Djembe Thumb Drum

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Djembe!

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

Questions

Is Djembe Thumb Drum free?
Djembe Thumb Drum costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Djembe! free?
Djembe! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Djembe Thumb Drum or Djembe!?
Djembe Thumb Drum is rated higher. Djembe Thumb Drum averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Djembe! averages 4.7 from 46 ratings.
Do Djembe Thumb Drum or Djembe! have ads?
Djembe! shows ads; Djembe Thumb Drum does not.
Which is updated more often, Djembe Thumb Drum or Djembe!?
Djembe Thumb Drum ships an update every 4 months, and Djembe! every 3 months. Most recently, Djembe Thumb Drum was updated on October 12, 2026 and Djembe! on October 14, 2026.

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