# Djembe! vs Kalimba Real

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Kalimba Real at none against Djembe!'s 2. Kalimba Real also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (73% vs 50%). On price, rating, ads and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Djembe! sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Kalimba Real asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Djembe! against 4.6 for Kalimba Real. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Kalimba Real has 1.1K ratings behind it against 46, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 50% of Djembe!'s written reviews are positive against 73% of Kalimba Real's.

Djembe! ships an update every 3 months, Kalimba Real fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Djembe! | Kalimba Real |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (46 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/djembe/id480770201/reviews)** | [4.6 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kalimba-real/id1447240841/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 46 | **1.1K** |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | **72.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 45 MB | 92 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **10.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Drum Starz](https://appshunter.io/developer/299477766) | [Son Truong Ngoc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1447240720) |

## What reviewers say

### Djembe!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/djembe/id480770201)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Djembe! Upgrade | $0.99 | one-time |
| Exporting | $0.99 | one-time |


### Kalimba Real

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kalimba-real/id1447240841)

This app simulates playing a Kalimba, an African thumb piano, with real audio. It offers multiple instrument types, song tabs for practice, and various playing modes. Users can create, import, export, and share their own Kalimba tabs, and record and export audio.

**Highlights:** Real Kalimba audio simulation, Multiple Kalimba instrument types, Offline and online song tabs, Create and export custom tabs (PDF), MIDI import/export, Audio recording and export (.wav), Tab sharing and downloading

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great sound quality
- 💡 Helpful tutorials and lessons
- 🎶 Charming and fun to play
- 👍 Easy to learn for beginners
- 💡 Ability to create and share custom music

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Connectivity issues with external apps
- 🔋 Battery draining quickly
- 🔍 Unintuitive user interface
- 💰 Intrusive advertisements
- 🔇 Sound quality issues

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes frequently
- No sound output on some devices
- Buttons/UI elements blocked by ads

**Requested features**

- Save frequently played tabs
- Add support for triplets
- Display full song notation
- Improve responsiveness on larger devices


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Djembe! free?

Djembe! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Kalimba Real free?

Kalimba Real is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Djembe! or Kalimba Real?

Djembe! is rated higher. Djembe! averages 4.7 out of 5 from 46 ratings, while Kalimba Real averages 4.6 from 1.1K ratings.

### Do Djembe! or Kalimba Real have ads?

Both Djembe! and Kalimba Real show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Djembe! or Kalimba Real?

Djembe! ships an update every 3 months, and Kalimba Real fortnightly. Most recently, Djembe! was updated on October 29, 2026 and Kalimba Real on October 29, 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.*