Bongos! vs Notation
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Bongos!
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.
- 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
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Now anyone can play the bongos anytime, anywhere with Bongos! Featuring high quality sounds and graphics, Bongos! Free is the ultimate drumming app for the iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. You can play the Bongos, a Bongo Jam, and Bongos and Conga together. Play alone, to the metronome with 43 different sounds, or to our unique Pocket Beats and Loops. You can even play along to your favorite music on your iPod! With features including 3D visual effects, low latency, slide-and-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. Bongos! is the grooviest drum app ever! FEATURES: • 3 different screens to choose from, all professionally recorded in high quality 16-bit stereo: Bongos, Bongo Jam, and Bongos and Conga. • 3 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) • 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 Bongos! 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 Bongos! Free PRIVACY POLICY: http://codyrotwein.com/privacy.html
Notation
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YOUR DIGITAL SHEET MUSIC LIBRARY. MORE ROOM FOR MUSIC. Keep your scores organized, add personal annotations and work on challenging passages: Notation brings your PDF library and powerful music tools together on iPad and iPhone. For musicians, students and teachers – at home, in lessons, at rehearsals and in concert. YOUR LIBRARY, ORGANIZED Import your own PDF scores and organize your repertoire into collections and setlists. Favorites, search and bookmarks help you find the right piece and passage. Add work details and notes. On-device PDF analysis suggests metadata; you decide what to accept. Read your music, turn pages and zoom in on details. The included sample score “Recuerdos de la Luna” lets you try things out right away. PRACTICE WITH LOOPS AT YOUR OWN PACE Link imported audio or your own recordings to your scores. Place markers in the waveform to define practice sections and repeat exactly the passage you want to work on. Adjust playback speed for the entire track or your loops and progress step by step. Notation automatically estimates the BPM. If needed, correct the value manually or tap the beat with TAP. Confirm manual entries; a valid TAP result is saved automatically after a short pause. These features work with both imported audio and your own recordings. MAKE YOUR SCORES YOUR OWN Add fingerings, highlight important passages and write personal reminders directly on the page. Use the pen, text, musical symbols and shapes – from a simple line to a music staff. Colors, line widths and layers help you organize your annotations. Use Apple Pencil on compatible iPads, or draw and annotate with your finger in Drawing mode on iPhone. RECORD, LISTEN, KEEP PRACTICING Record your playing and listen alongside the corresponding score. Then use your recording to practice with loops and adjusted playback speed. A metronome and chromatic tuner round out your toolkit. KEEP TRACK OF YOUR PRACTICE See how long you have practiced and which pieces you have worked on. Weekly, monthly and yearly views show your practice history. Select today or a previous practice day in the calendar to explore its details. CONNECTED ON IPAD AND IPHONE Sync your library data through iCloud across devices using the same Apple Account. PDF and audio files are stored in iCloud Drive. Content already available on your device can also be used without an internet connection. A short interactive introduction helps you get started. Notation is available in German, English, Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese (Brazil). START FREE. EXPAND WITH PRO. Use Notation without a time limit with up to: • 5 of your own PDF files • 5 imported audio tracks • 5 of your own recordings Each limit applies separately. The included sample score does not count. Items in Trash continue to take up a slot until permanently deleted. Pro removes these quantity limits with a one-time In-App Purchase – no subscription. The price is shown before you buy. Restore your Pro purchase using the same purchase account. GOOD TO KNOW Requires iOS 26 or iPadOS 26 or later. Imports, saved recordings and syncing require iCloud Drive to be enabled and sufficient storage. Recording and the tuner require microphone access. Notation does not automatically play PDF scores and is not music notation software. Audio files, a sheet music catalog and additional iCloud storage are not included. Other content and practice times shown in screenshots are sample data.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Notation at none against Bongos!'s shown. Notation also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 months). Bongos!'s advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Bongos! sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Notation sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Bongos! ships an update every 3 months, Notation every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Bongos! | Notation |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (60 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 72.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 60 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 48 MB | 16 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Drum Starz | Moritz Kuntz |
In-app purchases
Bongos!
- Bongos! Upgrade$0.99
- Exporting$0.99
Notation
- Pro$9.00









