# Bongos! vs Notation

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bongos! | Notation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (60 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bongos/id483719120/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **60** | — |
| Positive reviews | 72.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 48 MB | 16 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Drum Starz](https://appshunter.io/developer/299477766) | [Moritz Kuntz](https://appshunter.io/developer/6810807204) |

## 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 |


### Notation

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notation-sheet-music-and-loops/id6817260005)

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro | $9.00 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bongos! free?

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

### Is Notation free?

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

### Do Bongos! or Notation have ads?

Bongos! shows ads; Notation does not.

### Which is updated more often, Bongos! or Notation?

Bongos! ships an update every 3 months, and Notation every 4 days. Most recently, Bongos! was updated on November 1, 2026 and Notation on November 8, 2026.

---

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