The Baobab vs String Groove
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Baobab
An interactive storybook app featuring a bilingual narrative in English and American Sign Language (ASL). It includes vivid illustrations, audio voice-overs, and a 170-word ASL glossary to enhance literacy skills.
- Original ASL and English story
- Vivid watercolor illustrations
- Interactive narrative
- English to ASL vocabulary translation
- Audio voice-over for vocabulary
- 170-word ASL glossary
- Research-based bilingualism design
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The Baobab is an original story about a curious little girl who embarks on an adventure. Complete with enthralling illustrations and talented American Sign Language (ASL) storytelling, this bilingual interactive storybook app features a rich American Sign Language glossary with 170 English to ASL words. Features: • Original and charming story told in ASL and English! • Vivid Retina supported watercolor illustrations. • Easy & accessible navigation designed for children. • Rich interactive narrative with direct English to ASL vocabulary video translation. • Audio voice-over provided for all vocabulary words. • 170-word American Sign Language glossary! Parents can learn ASL along with their child. • App design is based on proven research in bilingualism and visual learning. The ability to view the story in both, ASL and English leads to greater literacy skills in both languages in young children. All the revenues go towards research and further development of more storybook apps.
String Groove
Learn to improvise on string instruments with this app. It offers written notation, listening examples, and play-along exercises across various musical styles. Designed for students, teachers, and professionals, it makes music theory practical and fun.
- Improvisation instruction for string players
- Multiple musical styles (Jazz, Rock, Blues, etc.)
- Support for Treble, Alto, and Bass clefs
- Play-along exercises
- Spoken instruction and listening examples
- Practical music theory integration
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String Groove ® teaches improvisation to string players through written notation, listening examples, play along exercises and spoken instruction to students. Musical styles: Jazz, Rock, Fiddle, Blues, Latin, Middle Eastern and more. Notation: Treble, Alto (viola) and Bass clef and works for all members of the string family. String Groove can work for other C instruments outside of the string family such as flute and bassoon. Audience: String students, teachers and professionals who want to learn how to improvise and teach improvisation. Recommended Level: Ability to play: Violin - Most notes in the first position Viola – Some notes in the 3rd position Cello - Some notes in the 5th position Other - Students not familiar with flats (or upper registers for viola and cello) can still work with String Groove if they limit themselves to familiar notes. String Groove is designed for the traditional string student and some music reading music is expected, however, it is possible to use String Groove entirely by ear. The Advanced sections consist of technical etudes, rhythmic and bowing exercises in the styles associated with each chapter. Throughout String Groove, Mr. Groove (or Mr. G) for short offers helpful ideas for improvising when selected. Music Theory is utilized in a practical and fun way. The basic sections introduce key signatures, chords and intervals. The advanced sections introduce jazz theory with the understanding that the user comprehends basic music theory. String Groove is ideal for music teachers who would like to teach improvisation to String Students. The App is an extension of the book and CD “String Groove, Ideas for Improvising” by Edgar Gabriel and is the result of his experience teaching improvisation workshops, courses and studio lessons. Compatible with iPad.
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: String Groove at Free against The Baobab's $4.99. String Groove also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.4) and review sentiment (100% vs 68%). The Baobab's advantage is ratings volume (28 vs 4) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 14.0). On ads, 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
String Groove is free to download; The Baobab costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
String Groove holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Baobab has 28 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of The Baobab's written reviews are positive against 100% of String Groove's.
The Baobab ships an update every 35 months, String Groove every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The Baobab | String Groove |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.4 (28 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 68.4% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 28 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 35 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPad | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 14.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 576 MB | 204 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Gallaudet University | EDGAR GABRIEL |
Customer experience
The Baobab
String Groove
In-app purchases
The Baobab
No in-app purchases
String Groove
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is The Baobab free?
Is String Groove free?
Which has better reviews, The Baobab or String Groove?
Do The Baobab or String Groove have ads?
Which is updated more often, The Baobab or String Groove?
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