Comparison

Hand Drums vs PercussionSS IA Vol.2

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

Head to head
About

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.

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
Read full description

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

About

PercussionSS IA Vol.2

This music app offers a collection of 25 percussion instruments. It includes recording functionality to capture vocals or voice memos, with options to send recordings via email. Users can also play along with music from other apps.

Highlights
  • 25 percussion instruments
  • Recording function
  • Send recordings via email
  • Play with other music apps
  • iTunes file sharing support
  • Scale display on keyboard
Features
Read full description

PercussionSS IA Vol.2 is a music application that features 25 different percussion in one package. TingklikSS is a free application that also allows you to get other musical instruments through in-app purchases. Note: please find the details about each music instrument on our website. http://hdoapp.sakura.ne.jp/percussionssiav2_en.html Added the recording function! It picks the surrounding sounds as well, and you can use it in many different ways such as recording your vocals or creating a voice memo. You can also send the recorded data via email. Note that the maximum attachment size of an email depends on the iOS device you are using. Please contact your cell phone service provider for further information. * A 10 seconds recording is around 450 kB. - Support iTunes file sharing(http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4094?viewlocale=en_US) Added the play with other music app button on the right side of the record button (however, this disables the recording). For example, you can play along with your favorite songs on Music app. Now you can select the audio file format when recording. If you want to send a file via email, record at "22kHz / 8 bit" to reduce the file size. - Users who have a problem with the musical instrument app that doesn't make any sound. (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5137?viewlocale=en_US) - Display scale on keyboard - Support orientation - Record button / Play button / Stop button / Send the sound data via Email button - Support iTunes file sharing - Play with other music app button - Shows ads - Set Contents - TingklikSS(Free) Range: Slendro scale 2 octaves (11 keys) - AgogosSS(Paid) Range: C4-C6 2 octaves (25 keys) - CrotalesSS(Paid) Range: C3-E5 2.5 octaves (29 keys) - CarillonSS(Paid) Range: C3-C6 3 octaves (37 keys) - iPad, iPad mini Range: C4-C6 2 octaves (25 keys) - iPhone, iPod Touch - KalimbaSS(Paid) Range: B1-D4 2 octaves (17 keys) - MbiraSS(Paid) Range: G2-G5 3 octaves (21 keys) - WaterGlassSS(Paid) Range: C5-C7 2 octaves (25 keys) - SteelpanTP(Tenor Pan)(Paid) Range: C4-E6 2.5 octaves (29 keys) - SteelpanDS(Double Seconds Pans)(Paid) Range: F5-A#5 2.5 octaves (30 keys) - SteelpanTC(Triple Cello Pans)(Paid) Range:B2-C#5 2.5 octaves (27 keys) - TimpaniSS(Paid) Range:D1-G2 1.5 octaves (18 keys) - NaalSS(Paid) Range: 15 tones - DjembeSS(Paid) Range: 8 tones - BodhranSS(Paid) Range: 16 tones - CongaSS(Paid) Range: 4 tones - AtabaqueSS(Paid) Range: 16 tones - NaqqaraSS(Paid) Range: 8 tones - AshikoSS(Paid) Range: 16 tones - DholSS(Paid) Range: 28 tones - DumbekSS(Paid) Range: 17 tones - BendirSS(Paid) Range: 15 tones - CajonSS(Paid) Range: 3 tones - BongoSS(Paid) Range: 6 tones - DoiraSS(Paid) Range: 19 tones - TingklikSS_DoReMi(Paid) Range: C2-C4 2 octaves (25 keys)

Screenshots

Hand Drums4 screens
PercussionSS IA Vol.24 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Hand Drums at 4.0 against PercussionSS IA Vol.2's 2.3. Hand Drums also leads on ratings volume (11 vs 3). PercussionSS IA Vol.2's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Hand Drums sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and PercussionSS IA Vol.2 sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Hand Drums holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 2.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11 and 3 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 17% of Hand Drums's written reviews are positive against 14% of PercussionSS IA Vol.2's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hand Drums ships an update every 3 months, PercussionSS IA Vol.2 every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Hand Drums versus PercussionSS IA Vol.2: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHand DrumsPercussionSS IA Vol.2
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (11 ratings) — better2.3 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews16.7% of reviews — better14.3% of reviews
Number of ratings11 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.09.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size62 MB269 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperDrum StarzYUJI HASEBE

Customer experience

Hand Drums

All ratings11 ratings
Positive63.6%
Neutral18.2%
Negative18.2%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive16.7%
Neutral8.3%
Negative75.0%

PercussionSS IA Vol.2

All ratings3 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive14.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative85.7%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Hand Drums

One-time2
  • Hand Drums Upgrade$0.99
  • Exporting$0.99
10 purchases

PercussionSS IA Vol.2

One-time10
  • CrotalesSS$1.99
  • KalimbaSS$1.99
  • TimpaniSS$1.99
Show 7 more
  • AgogosSS$2.99
  • CarillonSS$2.99
  • MbiraSS$2.99
  • WaterGlassSS$2.99
  • SteelpanTP$2.99
  • SteelpanDS$3.99
  • SteelpanTC$3.99

Questions

Is Hand Drums free?
Hand Drums is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PercussionSS IA Vol.2 free?
PercussionSS IA Vol.2 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Hand Drums or PercussionSS IA Vol.2?
Hand Drums is rated higher. Hand Drums averages 4.0 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while PercussionSS IA Vol.2 averages 2.3 from 3 ratings.
Do Hand Drums or PercussionSS IA Vol.2 have ads?
Hand Drums shows ads; PercussionSS IA Vol.2 does not.
Which is updated more often, Hand Drums or PercussionSS IA Vol.2?
Hand Drums ships an update every 3 months, and PercussionSS IA Vol.2 every 3 weeks. Most recently, Hand Drums was updated on November 1, 2026 and PercussionSS IA Vol.2 on November 1, 2026.

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