Comparison

DownBeat Mag vs Heady Set

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

Head to head
About

DownBeat Mag

Explore the world of Jazz, Blues, and beyond with in-depth interviews, historical features, and expert reviews. Access back issues and future content through various subscription options.

Highlights
  • In-depth interviews
  • Historical music features
  • World-class reviews
  • Blindfold Test articles
  • Access to back and future issues
  • Subscription options
Features
Read full description

DownBeat is the granddaddy of American music magazines. Our editors, writers and photographers scour the world to bring back the best of Jazz, Blues & Beyond. From insightful interviews and historical gems to world-class reviews and iconic features like the Blindfold Test, DownBeat delivers an insider's guide to jazz, improvised music and all of its offshoots. Auto Renewing subscription: *Back issues and future issues are available for purchase within the App. You can purchase single issues for $3.99 (non-subscription). Future issues are also available through the following auto-renewing subscription(s): DownBeat Magazine subscriptions - 3-month subscription for $9.99, 6-month subscription for $15.99 and a 1-year subscription for $23.99 automatically renewed until canceled. Payment for all purchases will be charged to your iTunes account at the confirmation of your purchase. The subscription will include the current issue if you do not already own it, and subsequently published future issues. Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. This subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period, your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. The cost of the renewal will match the initial subscription price. You may turn off auto-renewing subscriptions by going to your user’s Account Settings after purchase. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during your active subscription period. Please find our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy here: https://downbeat.com/site/terms and https://downbeat.com/site/privacy

About

Heady Set

Track your concert experiences and share them with friends. Get personalized statistics about your favorite artists, songs, and venues. This app is free and ad-free, built for music lovers.

Highlights
  • Setlist tracking
  • Show history
  • Friend sharing
  • Personalized stats
  • Artist tracking
  • Song tracking
  • Venue tracking
Features
Read full description

Heady Set is the setlist tracker built for the jam band and live music community. Log every show you attend, keep a running history of the songs and venues you've experienced, and unlock personalized stats about the artists you love — Grateful Dead, Phish, Billy Strings, or whoever's on your tour list this year! TRACK YOUR SHOWS Build a complete log of every concert you've been to - venue, date, setlist, and who you went with. Your show history becomes a permanent, personal archive of your live music journey. PERSONALIZED STATS See how many times you've seen your favorite songs live, which venues you frequent most, how your most-seen artists stack up against each other, and how your concert-going has evolved over time. SHARE WITH FRIENDS Compare notes with friends, see who was at the same shows as you, and relive tours together. FREE. NO ADS. NO CATCH. Heady Set is a passion project built by a fan, for fans. It's free today and will stay free and ad-free - always. No paywalls, just a tool for people who love music. Have a question, feature request, or bug to report? Reach out to me directly at aaron@headyset.net - I love hearing from users and will do my best to make your ideas come to life!

Screenshots

DownBeat Mag3 screens
Heady Set4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Heady Set at 5.0 against DownBeat Mag's 1.5. Heady Set also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 39). DownBeat Mag's advantage is ratings volume (15 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.4). On price, update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. DownBeat Mag sells 39 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Heady Set asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Heady Set holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: DownBeat Mag has 15 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DownBeat Mag ships an update every 2 months, Heady Set every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
DownBeat Mag versus Heady Set: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDownBeat MagHeady Set
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.5 (15 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews7.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings15 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size57 MB60 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperMaher Publications Inc.AARON THEODORE KY-RIESENBACH

Customer experience

DownBeat Mag

All ratings15 ratings
Positive6.7%
Neutral6.7%
Negative86.7%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive7.1%
Neutral7.1%
Negative85.7%

Heady Set

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

39 purchases

DownBeat Mag

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription$2.991 Month
  • 1-Year Subscription$23.991 Year
One-time37
  • DownBeat Mag Jan 2020 Issue$3.99
  • DownBeat Feb 2023 Issue$3.99
  • DownBeat 2022-12$3.99
Show 34 more
  • DownBeat Mag 2021-10$3.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2021-04$3.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2022-03$3.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2021-01$3.99
  • DownBeat December 2021$3.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2023-04$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag May 2023 Issue$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2023-08$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2023-09$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2023-10$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2023-11$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2023-12$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2024-01$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2024-02$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2026-07$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2026-09$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2026-10$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2026-11$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2026-08$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2026-03$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2025-10$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2025-12$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2025-09$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2025-08$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2025-07$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2025-05$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2025-03$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2025-02$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2025-01$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2024-12$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2024-05$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2024-11$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2024-08$4.99
  • DownBeat Mag 2024-07 Future$4.99
None

Heady Set

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is DownBeat Mag free?
DownBeat Mag is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Heady Set free?
Heady Set is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, DownBeat Mag or Heady Set?
Heady Set is rated higher. DownBeat Mag averages 1.5 out of 5 from 15 ratings, while Heady Set averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do DownBeat Mag or Heady Set have ads?
Neither DownBeat Mag nor Heady Set shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DownBeat Mag or Heady Set?
DownBeat Mag ships an update every 2 months, and Heady Set every 3 months. Most recently, DownBeat Mag was updated on October 27, 2026 and Heady Set on October 18, 2026.

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