# Hand Drums vs Robo Darbuka

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Robo Darbuka at 80% against Hand Drums's 17%. Hand Drums's advantage is rating (4.0 vs 3.7) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 6 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hand Drums sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Robo Darbuka sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Hand Drums holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11 and 3 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 17% of Hand Drums's written reviews are positive against 80% of Robo Darbuka's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Hand Drums ships an update every 3 months, Robo Darbuka every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hand Drums | Robo Darbuka |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.0 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hand-drums/id476913839/reviews)** | [3.7 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/robo-darbuka/id1440536775/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **11** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 16.7% of reviews | **80.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 months** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 62 MB | 20 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Drum Starz](https://appshunter.io/developer/299477766) | [Bita Sobhani](https://appshunter.io/developer/1372721132) |

## What reviewers say

### Hand Drums

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hand-drums/id476913839)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hand Drums Upgrade | $0.99 | one-time |
| Exporting | $0.99 | one-time |


### Robo Darbuka

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/robo-darbuka/id1440536775)

Create and play custom rhythms with virtual percussion instruments. Explore a library of traditional beats or compose your own unique phrases. Practice tempo and timing with built-in metronome features.

**Highlights:** Custom rhythm creation, Virtual Darbuka, Bendir, cymbals, Library of popular rhythms, Rhythm playback with metronome, Bellydance rhythm variations, Premium features: save, export, import

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium | $12.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hand Drums free?

Hand Drums is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Robo Darbuka free?

Robo Darbuka is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Hand Drums or Robo Darbuka?

Hand Drums is rated higher. Hand Drums averages 4.0 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Robo Darbuka averages 3.7 from 3 ratings.

### Do Hand Drums or Robo Darbuka have ads?

Both Hand Drums and Robo Darbuka show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hand Drums or Robo Darbuka?

Hand Drums ships an update every 3 months, and Robo Darbuka every 6 months. Most recently, Hand Drums was updated on October 27, 2026 and Robo Darbuka on October 26, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*