Strum Machine vs Super Slow Downer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Strum Machine
Generate realistic backing tracks for practice with real instrument audio. Customize chord progressions, keys, and tempo. Features a large song library, song editor, and band customization options. Works offline and syncs across devices.
- Realistic instrument audio backing tracks
- Customizable chord progressions, keys, and tempo
- Extensive song library
- Simple song editor
- Band and instrument customization
- Cross-platform syncing and offline mode
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Elevate your music practice with customizable backing tracks generated with audio from real instruments (guitar, mandolin, and standup bass). Strum Machine can play any chord progression, in any key, at any speed. It's the only backing-track app built specifically for players of bluegrass, old-time, fiddle tunes, and other such genres. (Although it works pretty good for some jazz/swing now, too!) Why musicians of all levels love Strum Machine: • Realistic Sound: Backing tracks are assembled in real time from studio-quality instrument recordings. • Quick Adjustments: Instantly adjust the speed/tempo, change the key, loop part of a song, etc. • Auto-Speedup: Gradually increase the BPM at the end of every repetition for training purposes. • Chord Reference: Clean, beautiful chord charts, which can be displayed in letters or numbers (i.e. "1-4-5"). • Extensive Library: Over 1,300 songs (mostly from bluegrass and old-time) ready to go, with thousands more posted on the community forum. • Simple Song Editor: Add your own songs (or edit existing ones) in minutes. Almost every chord you can play on a guitar is available for use. • Customize the Band: Choose from a variety of built-in band styles, then optionally customize each instrument individually – adjust the strumming pattern, add automatic bass runs, and more. • Organize & Share: Create song lists for practicing or even performing, and share them with your friends or on the community forum. • Cross-Platform: Sync your custom songs, lists, and preferences with any device you use Strum Machine on: phone, tablet, or computer. (It works offline, too!) • Responsive Support: If you run into any problems or have questions, write us an email or post a message on the forum and someone will get back to you within a few days! Strum Machine is under active development and we're always working on ways to make the app even more useful to our users... while keeping it uncluttered and intuitive first and foremost. Discover how Strum Machine can improve your music practice today! Download Strum Machine and play a handful of demo songs instantly, without signing up. For the full experience, including access to all built-in songs and the ability to create your own, start a free trial. Terms of Use: https://strummachine.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://strummachine.com/privacy
Super Slow Downer
This music app lets you adjust playback speed without altering pitch, perfect for learning songs. You can loop sections, speed up or slow down tracks from 25% to 200%, and even change the key.
- Adjust playback speed (25%-200%)
- Maintain original pitch
- Loop song sections
- Change song key
- Load local music files
- Supports iCloud Drive
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Super Slow Downer allows you to slow the play of music while maintaining pitch. Super Slow Downer allows you to play songs in a loop at a slower speed. It's great for musicians trying to learn new songs. You can select any part of a song to repeat at normal speed. You can also slow the song down or even speed it up by changing the speed between 25% (0.25X) and 200% (2X speed). The pitch remains the same as you change speed. As an option, you can separately adjust the pitch in addition to the speed. If you want to change the key the song is in, you can do so in the app. Setup loops by touching the "loop" button during playback. You can load music files that are saved on your iCloud Drive or select music files on your device's music library (owned music appearing in the Music app). This app does not support Apple Music streaming music or Spotify streaming music. Super Slow Downer is a great app musicians, music transcribers or dancers wanting a tool to make their practices better.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Strum Machine at Free against Super Slow Downer's $0.99. Strum Machine also leads on review sentiment (89% vs 50%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). Super Slow Downer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On rating, ads 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
Strum Machine is free to download; Super Slow Downer costs $0.99 up front. Strum Machine sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Super Slow Downer asks for nothing beyond the download.
Strum Machine holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 120 and 27 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of Strum Machine's written reviews are positive against 50% of Super Slow Downer's.
Strum Machine ships an update fortnightly, Super Slow Downer every 3 months. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.
| Parameter | Strum Machine | Super Slow Downer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (120 ratings) — better | 4.6 (27 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 88.7% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 120 — better | 27 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #156 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.4 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 77 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Luke Abbott LLC | Thomas Backes |
Customer experience
Strum Machine
Super Slow Downer
In-app purchases
Strum Machine
- Monthly Subscription14 Days trial$4.991 Month
Super Slow Downer
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Strum Machine free?
Is Super Slow Downer free?
Which has better reviews, Strum Machine or Super Slow Downer?
Do Strum Machine or Super Slow Downer have ads?
Which is updated more often, Strum Machine or Super Slow Downer?
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