# Mintzer Big Band Essentials vs RealPlay

The clearest difference is price: RealPlay at Free against Mintzer Big Band Essentials's $7.99. RealPlay also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 19 months) and rating (4.8 vs 4.4). Mintzer Big Band Essentials's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 17.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

RealPlay is free to download; Mintzer Big Band Essentials costs $7.99 up front. Mintzer Big Band Essentials sells 9 one-off in-app purchases and RealPlay sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.29 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

RealPlay holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RealPlay has 171 ratings behind it against 20, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of Mintzer Big Band Essentials's written reviews are positive against 73% of RealPlay's.

Mintzer Big Band Essentials ships an update every 19 months, RealPlay every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mintzer Big Band Essentials | RealPlay |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $7.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.4 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mintzer-big-band-essentials/id1061261675/reviews) | **[4.8 (171 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/realplay/id6760606889/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 20 | **171** |
| Positive reviews | 58.3% of reviews | **73.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 19 months | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Freemium** |
| Size | 700 MB | 113 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Fuzzy Music, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/534683214) | [RealPlay LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1885286626) |

## What reviewers say

### Mintzer Big Band Essentials

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mintzer-big-band-essentials/id1061261675)

This music app offers an immersive big band experience, allowing users to isolate or mute individual instrument tracks from a library of 10 tunes. Charts and parts can be printed or emailed directly from the application.

**Highlights:** Isolate or mute individual instrument tracks, Play along with a big band, Library of 10 tunes, Print or email charts and parts, Supports multiple instruments

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

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| El Caborojeño | $2.99 | one-time |
| Havin' Some Fun Package | $2.99 | one-time |
| Ellis Island Package | $2.99 | one-time |
| Original People Package | $2.99 | one-time |
| New Rochelle Package | $2.99 | one-time |
| Runferyerlife Package | $2.99 | one-time |
| Latin Dance Package | $2.99 | one-time |
| Tribute Package | $2.99 | one-time |
| All Songs Bundle | $19.99 | one-time |


### RealPlay

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/realplay/id6760606889)

Practice music with authentic backing tracks performed by professional musicians. Customize tempo, key, and mix for focused learning. Features over 100 standard chord progressions with an expanding library.

**Highlights:** Authentic backing tracks, 100+ standard chord progressions, Real-time tempo adjustment, Instrument isolation and mixing, Instant transposition to all keys

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| RealPlay Pro Monthly | $3.29 | per month |
| RealPlay Pro Yearly | $21.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mintzer Big Band Essentials free?

Mintzer Big Band Essentials costs $7.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is RealPlay free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Mintzer Big Band Essentials or RealPlay?

RealPlay is rated higher. Mintzer Big Band Essentials averages 4.4 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while RealPlay averages 4.8 from 171 ratings.

### Do Mintzer Big Band Essentials or RealPlay have ads?

Neither Mintzer Big Band Essentials nor RealPlay shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Mintzer Big Band Essentials or RealPlay?

Mintzer Big Band Essentials ships an update every 19 months, and RealPlay every 5 days. Most recently, Mintzer Big Band Essentials was updated on October 26, 2026 and RealPlay on October 31, 2026.

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