# Bongos! vs SL OCTAPAD

The clearest difference is rating: Bongos! at 4.4 against SL OCTAPAD's 3.0. Bongos! also leads on ratings volume (60 vs 1). SL OCTAPAD's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and review sentiment (100% vs 71%). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bongos! sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. SL OCTAPAD asks for nothing beyond the download.

Bongos! holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bongos! has 60 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 71% of Bongos!'s written reviews are positive against 100% of SL OCTAPAD's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Bongos! ships an update every 3 months, SL OCTAPAD fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bongos! | SL OCTAPAD |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (60 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bongos/id483719120/reviews)** | [3.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sl-octapad/id6743361484/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **60** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 70.6% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 48 MB | 76 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | +9 | 4+ |
| Developer | [Drum Starz](https://appshunter.io/developer/299477766) | [Amila Rathnayake](https://appshunter.io/developer/1802446958) |

## What reviewers say

### Bongos!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bongos/id483719120)

Experience the thrill of playing bongos and congas on your mobile device. This app offers high-quality sounds, realistic drumming experiences, and the ability to play along with your own music. Share and export your creations to sound like a pro.

**Highlights:** High-quality 16-bit stereo sounds, Realistic 3D visual effects, Play along to your music, Metronome with 43 sounds, 67 Pocket Beats and Loops, Share and export recordings

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

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


### SL OCTAPAD

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sl-octapad/id6743361484)

Experience the authentic sounds of Sri Lankan and Indian percussion with this intuitive app. Explore pre-configured kits and easily create rhythms on the go, perfect for musicians and enthusiasts.

**Highlights:** Authentic Sri Lankan and Indian percussion sounds, Pre-configured percussion kits, Intuitive and user-friendly interface, Portable digital percussion kit, Ideal for practice and creative exploration

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bongos! free?

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

### Is SL OCTAPAD free?

SL OCTAPAD is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Bongos! or SL OCTAPAD?

Bongos! is rated higher. Bongos! averages 4.4 out of 5 from 60 ratings, while SL OCTAPAD averages 3.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Bongos! or SL OCTAPAD have ads?

Both Bongos! and SL OCTAPAD show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bongos! or SL OCTAPAD?

Bongos! ships an update every 3 months, and SL OCTAPAD fortnightly. Most recently, Bongos! was updated on October 23, 2026 and SL OCTAPAD on October 25, 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.*