Handpan Rhythms vs Handpan Sim
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Handpan Rhythms
Create and hear your own Handpan rhythms with simple notation. Practice with a metronome and explore example rhythms. Play a virtual Handpan directly within the app.
- Compose custom Handpan rhythms
- Hear rhythms with virtual Handpan
- Practice with clap metronome
- Explore example rhythms
- Play virtual Handpan
- Custom scale support (premium)
- Rhythm save/export/import (premium)
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Using this app you can write your own Handpan rhythm with simple notations and hear how it sounds like with a virtual Handpan! The app also includes a set of popular rhythms as examples. You can also play the rhythm along with the clap sound as a metronome for practicing the tempo. The writing system is based on the names of the Handpan strokes with a precise timing. The user sets the number of beats in the rhythm. Each beat is shown with a box. The time duration of each beat is specified by BPM. This time duration is divided equally between all the notes written in the beat box. Also, you can play a virtual Handpan in the app, if you have no access to a real one. The premium version enables the custom scale, rhythm save, export, and import features. It also removes all ads from the app. The in-app purchase for accessing the premium version is a single-time payment which never expires.
Handpan Sim
Explore the meditative sounds of the handpan with this simulator. It offers authentic tones, microtonal tuning, and adjustable effects for creative musical expression. Record and share your performances easily.
- Authentic handpan sounds
- Microtonal tuning
- Adjustable reverb and chorus effects
- Dynamic key sensitivity
- Multiple play modes
- Built-in performance recorder
- Screen recording capability
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Handpan Sim puts a real-sounding handpan drum on your iPhone and iPad. Every tone is sampled from a real handpan and rings out naturally in a warm room, so a single tap already sounds like music. No account, no lessons to sit through: open the app and play. PLAY IT LIKE THE REAL THING - Tap a tone field for melody and the centre for the deep Ding. Use several fingers for chords. - Tak and Knuckle keys add percussion beside the drum. On iPad, a hit on the bare shell plays a tak. - Touch dynamics: hits at the centre of a field sound fuller, hits near the edge softer, and every hit varies slightly, like a real pan. - Slide to play: run your finger across the fields to play fast rolls without lifting it. - Built on a low-latency audio engine for tight, responsive play. 63 HANDPAN SCALES, ANY DING - Kurd, Celtic Minor and Amara, Hijaz, Pygmy and Low Pygmy, Integral, Mystic, La Sirena, Aegean, Sabye, Equinox, Golden Gate, Magic Voyage, Ysha Savita, Avalon, Akebono, Insen, Raga Desh, Saladin and many more. - Move the Ding up or down to play any scale in the key you want. - Search by name or note, browse by family and preview a scale before it goes on stage. - Centered or Split note layout, with note names, numbers or both. LOOP AND LAYER - The Looper records a phrase and repeats it so you can play over it. - Add layer after layer, mute or balance each one, undo and redo. - Set tempo, beats per bar and count-in, or tap the tempo in. Change the tempo and the loop stretches to fit. - A metronome keeps you in time. RECORD AND SHARE - Record performances of up to 30 minutes. - Save a loop as a recording, with the number of repeats you choose. - Share any take as a WAV file to your DAW, messages or social apps. YOUR STAGE - Fourteen finishes, from Leather and Brass to Nitrided Obsidian and Rose Gold. - An ambient lamp and strike glow you can tune to any colour. - Reverb, master volume and haptic feedback. - iPhone in portrait, iPad in portrait and landscape. GREAT FOR Meditation and yoga sessions, relaxing after work, sound healing practice, songwriting, film and game sketches, or simply trying a handpan before you buy one. FREE TO PLAY The full instrument, the Looper, the metronome and recording are free. Kurd 9, Amara 9 and Hijaz 9 are open from the start, and any other scale opens for the session with a short ad. HANDPAN SIM PREMIUM - All 63 scales, with no ads to unlock them - Two handpans on stage at once - Keep every take and loop in your library - All fourteen finishes - No ads Premium is offered as a yearly subscription with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers, a monthly subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. A subscription renews automatically unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the period ends. You can manage or cancel subscriptions in your App Store account settings. Any unused part of a free trial is forfeited when you buy a subscription. Terms of Use: https://alyakastudio.com/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://alyakastudio.com/privacy-policy/
Screenshots
Verdict
Handpan Rhythms and Handpan Sim both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 75% of Handpan Rhythms's written reviews are positive against 40% of Handpan Sim's. Handpan Sim's advantage is ratings volume (43 vs 6). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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. Handpan Rhythms sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Handpan Sim sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Handpan Rhythms against 4.5 for Handpan Sim. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Handpan Sim has 43 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 75% of Handpan Rhythms's written reviews are positive against 40% of Handpan Sim's.
Handpan Rhythms ships an update every 4 months, Handpan Sim every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Handpan Rhythms | Handpan Sim |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (6 ratings) | 4.5 (43 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews — better | 40.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 6 | 43 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 55 MB | 71 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bita Sobhani | Alper Kahriman |
Customer experience
Handpan Rhythms
Handpan Sim
In-app purchases
Handpan Rhythms
- Premium$14.99
Handpan Sim
- Premium Monthly$2.991 Month
- Premium Yearly7 Days trial$14.991 Year
- Lifetime Premium$29.99






