# Shaker Box vs Bongos

The clearest difference is rating: Bongos at 4.1 against Shaker Box's 2.5. Bongos also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 18 months). Shaker Box's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (23% vs 0%). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Shaker Box sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Bongos asks for nothing beyond the download.

Bongos holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bongos has 36 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 23% of Shaker Box's written reviews are positive against 0% of Bongos's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Shaker Box ships an update every 18 months, Bongos fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shaker Box | Bongos |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shaker-box/id667486112/reviews) | **[4.1 (36 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bongos-drum-percussion-pad/id1520189699/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **36** |
| Positive reviews | **22.7% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 18 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 8 MB | 577 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Steven Barnegren](https://appshunter.io/developer/632311869) | [Satomi Uchida](https://appshunter.io/developer/1340507560) |

## What reviewers say

### Shaker Box

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shaker-box/id667486112)

This app transforms your iPhone into a musical instrument, offering a variety of shaker sounds. Explore different playing modes, including shake, tap, and loop, to create rhythms and beats.

**Highlights:** Playable music shakers, Shake, tap, and loop modes, Professionally recorded sounds, Precise shaking recognition, Support for 4/4 and 3/4 time signatures

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock All Shakers | $1.99 | one-time |


### Bongos

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bongos-drum-percussion-pad/id1520189699)

This app provides a realistic finger bongo pad experience with high-quality sounds. Practice along to songs, customize bongo positions, and utilize built-in metronome and recording features for jam sessions and lessons.

**Highlights:** Realistic finger bongo pad, High-quality sound selection, Customizable bongo positions, Built-in metronome (30-300 BPM), Recording and loop functions, Practice along to songs

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Shaker Box free?

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

### Is Bongos free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Shaker Box or Bongos?

Bongos is rated higher. Shaker Box averages 2.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Bongos averages 4.1 from 36 ratings.

### Do Shaker Box or Bongos have ads?

Bongos shows ads; Shaker Box does not.

### Which is updated more often, Shaker Box or Bongos?

Shaker Box ships an update every 18 months, and Bongos fortnightly. Most recently, Shaker Box was updated on October 14, 2026 and Bongos on October 27, 2026.

---

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