Comparison

DEEMO vs Thumper

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

DEEMO

Experience a captivating piano rhythm game with a heartwarming fairytale story. Play over 60 free songs, unlock more as you progress, and immerse yourself in a world of music and mystery. This standalone game offers intuitive gameplay and a touching narrative.

Highlights
  • 60+ free songs in story mode
  • Unlock more tracks and progress story
  • Original piano songs from famous composers
  • Simple and intuitive rhythm gameplay
  • Explore scenes and find hidden elements
  • Offline play supported
Read full description

"Never Left Without Saying Goodbye." The world acclaimed, mobile rhythm game that's touched over 10 million players. Created by the team that brought you Cytus, the original Rayark team has created a whole new texture to the piano rhythm game DEEMO. A girl who fell from the skies and lost her past; Deemo, who plays the piano all alone in the world of the treehouse; an accidental encounter between the two. The music flows as the fingers hit the piano keys. The start of a fairytale journey has begun... Game Features: -60+ free songs in story mode, including more than 220 songs -Unlock more tracks as the game progresses, experience a story that will move you -Accompany Deemo and engage with this stunning, modern fairytale -Plenty of original piano songs in various music genres, many composed by famous composers from around the world -Simple and intuitive gameplay, experience touching emotion through music -Through tapping and sliding, follow the rhythm to play along -Explore the scenes, piece together the clues, and obtain hidden in-game elements -Stand-alone game; no need to have internet connection to play -Twitter and Facebook score sharing function. Proceed to Youtube for official videos.

About

Thumper

Experience intense rhythm-based action with brutal physicality and blistering speed. Navigate nine epic levels as a space beetle, confronting terrifying bosses and a maniacal giant head. Enjoy a pounding original soundtrack and psychedelic visuals.

Highlights
  • Nine epic levels
  • Adrenalizing boss battles
  • Psychedelic visuals
  • Original soundtrack
  • Smooth 60 FPS performance
  • PLAY + mode
Features
Read full description

*** Winner of Apple Design Award 2019 *** Thumper is rhythm violence: classic action, blistering speed, and brutal physicality. You are a space beetle. Brave the void and confront a maniacal giant head. With this special pocket edition, you can play all nine epic levels with one hand. Hurtle forward, master new moves, and survive terrifying boss battles. Propelled by a pounding original soundtrack, you'll feel every crushing impact. To reach synesthetic bliss, you must conquer rhythm hell. ■ Features ■ ・ Nine epic levels ・ Adrenalizing boss battles ・ Psychedelic visuals and original soundtrack ・ Smooth 60 FPS in portrait and landscape (and up to 120 FPS on supported devices) ・ PLAY + mode (increased challenge and speed) ・ Full screen display on iPhone X ・ iCloud Sync ■ Please Note ■ Wireless headphones can add significant audio latency. For the best experience, wired headphones or integrated speakers are strongly recommended.

Screenshots

DEEMO4 screens
Thumper4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Thumper at none against DEEMO's 10. Thumper also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). DEEMO's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.6) and review sentiment (90% vs 77%). On ads, chart position 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

DEEMO costs $1.99 and Thumper $4.99 up front. DEEMO sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Thumper asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

DEEMO holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: DEEMO has 5.1K ratings behind it against 663, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of DEEMO's written reviews are positive against 77% of Thumper's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DEEMO ships an update every 2 months, Thumper every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
DEEMO versus Thumper: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDEEMOThumper
Price$1.99 — better$4.99
Rating4.9 (5.1K ratings) — better4.6 (663 ratings)
Positive reviews90.5% of reviews — better76.8% of reviews
Number of ratings5.1K — better663
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#13#12 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size2.8 GB471 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperRayark International LimitedDrool LLC

Customer experience

DEEMO

All ratings5,075 ratings
Positive97.3%
Neutral0.7%
Negative2.1%
Written reviews463 reviews
Positive90.5%
Neutral2.6%
Negative6.9%

Thumper

All ratings663 ratings
Positive89.7%
Neutral3.6%
Negative6.6%
Written reviews267 reviews
Positive76.8%
Neutral10.1%
Negative13.1%

User reviews

DEEMO

From 5.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💎 Beautiful music and art
  • 🎨 Unique and charming story
  • 🎹 Immersive piano-based gameplay
  • 🕰️ Nostalgic and memorable experience
  • 👍 Smooth and responsive controls

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive DLC and in-app purchases
  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and performance issues
  • 🤔 Difficulty calibration can be tricky
  • 🔒 Lost progress and purchases not restored

Thumper

From 663 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fantastic visuals
  • 🎶 Immersive audio experience
  • 👍 Intuitive touch controls
  • 🎮 Great port from console versions
  • 💯 Challenging yet rewarding gameplay

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional control issues
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🤔 Tilt controls can be frustrating

Bugs and requests

DEEMO

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Crashes on cutscenes and loading screens
  • Unresponsive controls and timing issues

Requested features

3 requests
  • More free songs and content
  • Improved cloud save and data restoration
  • Optimization for newer devices

Thumper

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Game crashes during boss battles
  • Inconsistent performance on older devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add controller support
  • Improve lane switching mechanics
  • Provide option to disable tilt controls
  • Implement cloud save sync

In-app purchases

10 purchases

DEEMO

One-time10
  • Rayark Selection Vol.1$3.99
  • Rayark Selection Vol.2$3.99
  • MILI Collection$3.99
Show 7 more
  • V.K Collection$3.99
  • Rayark Selection Vol.3$3.99
  • Cytus Selection Vol.1$3.99
  • Cytus Selection Vol.2$3.99
  • Knight Iris$3.99
  • M2U X NICODE Collection$3.99
  • Forgotten Hourglass$9.99
None

Thumper

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is DEEMO free?
DEEMO costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Thumper free?
Thumper costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, DEEMO or Thumper?
DEEMO is rated higher. DEEMO averages 4.9 out of 5 from 5.1K ratings, while Thumper averages 4.6 from 663 ratings.
Do DEEMO or Thumper have ads?
Neither DEEMO nor Thumper shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DEEMO or Thumper?
DEEMO ships an update every 2 months, and Thumper every 3 weeks. Most recently, DEEMO was updated on September 25, 2026 and Thumper on September 24, 2026.
Which is more popular, DEEMO or Thumper?
DEEMO currently peaks at #13 in the App Store charts, and Thumper at #12. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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