Comparison

Quartet 1 vs Pianoteq 8

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

Head to head
About

Quartet 1

Practice and perform jazz standards with high-quality backing tracks. Mute your instrument, change keys, adjust tempo, and loop sections. Features animated chord diagrams and playlist creation for an enhanced musical experience.

Highlights
  • Live jazz standards backing tracks
  • Mute your instrument
  • Change key and tempo
  • Loop practice sections
  • Animated chord diagrams
  • Multi-app playlist creation
  • Multitrack export
Features
Read full description

Practice and perform jazz standards on another level with Quartet. And with a host of brand-new features plus an additional 50 new versions of the most played standards, the top-selling jazz play along apps just got even better. No subscriptions. No in-app purchases. Yours to keep! Volume 1 now includes 200 stunning jazz standards recorded exclusively by 8 of the world’s best jazz musicians. All ‘live’ studio recordings with intros, endings and top line solos. Whether you play jazz piano, guitar, saxophone, trumpet, bass, drums…simply mute your instrument from the Quartet for the ultimate jazz play along. And for jazz singers too, each edition of Quartet is an unrivalled collection of jazz backing tracks powerful enough to gig with. Change key on the fly. Speed up or slow down the audio seamlessly. Loop sections and slow them right down for practice. Select the number of repeats. Choose from preset mixes or create your own custom mix using the new onboard mixer. Arrange each song exactly the way you want it with the new automated ‘Arranger’ feature. Add a touch of reverb and you’re good to go. Improve your skills with full screen animated chord diagrams for Piano, Guitar and Ukulele. Search the entire Quartet song library (700 songs) by composer, style, BPM, associated artist and more. Build and share multi-app playlists and easily export PDF chord charts for every song. Export your stereo mix or export the multitrack if you want to develop the high quality separated parts in GarageBand or whatever DAW you use. Either way, all recordings are offered to you royalty-free giving you endless creative possibilities. The 200 jazz standards in Quartet Volume 1 include improvisations in the style of… ‘All Blues’, ‘All of Me’, ‘All The Things You Are’, ‘Autumn Leaves’, ‘Beautiful Love’, ‘Blue Bossa’, ‘Body and Soul’, ‘Caravan’, ‘Cherokee’, ‘Cry Me a River’, ‘Fever’, ‘Georgia on my Mind’, ‘Giant Steps’, ‘Girl From Ipanema’, ‘Have You Met Miss Jones?’, ‘Love for Sale’, ‘Rhythm Changes’, ‘Satin Doll’, ‘Someday My Prince Will Come’, ‘Summertime’…and 180 more! Install Quartet on all of your iOS devices plus your Mac devices (M series only) at no extra cost. Ready to take your jazz standards to another level? Hear lots more and see the full song lists at www.quartetapp.com Featured artists Saxophones and Flutes Andy Panayi Credits - Shirley Bassey, Paul McCartney, Seth MacFarlane, Elaine Paige, Salena Jones, Elvis Costello, Georgie Fame, Helen Shapiro, Madeline Bell, Freddie Hubbard, Wynton Marsalis, Joe Lovano, Roy Hargrove Dave O’Higgins Credits - Joey Calderazzo, Joe Locke, Eric Alexander, Max Ionata, Joe Lovano, Phil Woods, Nancy Wilson, Peggy Lee, Kurt Elling, Wayne Shorter, Eddie Gomez, Jamie Cullum, Stéphane Grappelli, Michel Legrand Graeme Blevins Recording and performing credits include Phil Collins, Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue, Kyle Eastwood, Mark Knopfler, Quincy Jones, Mark Ronson, Tom Jones, Taylor Swift Guitar Nigel Price Credits - James Taylor Quartet, Van Morrison, Nigel Price Organ Trio. Voted ‘Best Guitarist’ in the 2016 British Jazz Awards Piano Graham Harvey Credits - Incognito (MD), Stacey Kent, George Benson, Hamish Stuart, Will Lee, Philip Bailey, Chaka Khan, The BBC Big Band, Madeline Bell, Jocelyn Brown, Mica Paris, Sir Cliff Richard Bass Geoff Gascoyne Credits - Jamie Cullum (MD), Sting, Van Morrison, Bill Bruford, Mari Wilson, Paloma Faith, Georgie Fame, Gloria Estefan, Guy Barker, Charlie Watts, Benny Golson, Jacqui Dankworth, Bob Dorough, John Martyn, Eartha Kitt Drums Sebastiaan de Krom Credits - Herbie Hancock, John Scofield, Phil Woods, Dave Holland, Jamie Cullum, Guy Barker, Wynton Marsalis, Clark Terry, Tim Garland Rod Youngs Credits - Gil Scott-Heron, Lee Konitz, Sia, Courtney Pine, Jon Hendricks, Hugh Masekela, Natalie Cole, Mica Paris, Juliet Roberts, BBC Concert Orchestra, Ronnie Laws, Jocelyn Brown

About

Pianoteq 8

This virtual instrument uses advanced physical modeling to generate realistic sounds for a wide range of instruments, including pianos, electric pianos, and guitars. It offers compact file sizes and faithful sound reproduction, making it ideal for musicians on the go. Connect a MIDI device and start playing, or use it as a plugin in other music applications.

Highlights
  • Physical modeling sound generation
  • Simulates pianos, electric pianos, guitars, and more
  • Realistic playability
  • Compact file size
  • Works as a plugin
  • MIDI device compatible
Features
Read full description

PIANOTEQ: THE ULTIMATE VIRTUAL INSTRUMENT Pianoteq is an award-winning virtual instrument that simulates a wide range of instruments including pianos, electric pianos, harpsichords, vibraphones, guitars, steel drums, and more, using advanced physical modeling. Unlike traditional virtual instruments that use recorded sounds, Pianoteq generates sounds in real-time by calculating the physics of how strings vibrate and how the soundboard radiates sound. Why Pianoteq Stands Out: - Realistic Playability: By modeling the physical properties of instruments, Pianoteq replicates the playability and complex behavior of real acoustic instruments. - Compact Size: Without large samples, Pianoteq's file size is much smaller than other virtual instruments, making it ideal for your iOS device. Trusted by the Best: Steinway, KAWAI, Bösendorfer, C. Bechstein, Petrof, Steingraeber, Grotrian, Blüthner, and Hohner have all endorsed Pianoteq for its faithful sound reproduction. Getting Started: - Connect a MIDI device to your iPad/iPhone. - Launch Pianoteq. - Start playing! Pianoteq also works as a plugin in any Audio Unit host application, such as GarageBand, AUM, Cubasis, Camelot, and more. Note: All instruments run in demo mode (with some keys disabled) until you purchase a Pianoteq STAGE license (unlocks two instruments) or link to an existing Pianoteq user account with a valid license. Licenses purchased on the App Store are valid across other supported platforms (macOS, Windows, Linux).

Screenshots

Quartet 14 screens
Pianoteq 83 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Pianoteq 8 at Free against Quartet 1's $19.99. Pianoteq 8 also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.6). Quartet 1's advantage is review sentiment (85% vs 74%). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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

Pianoteq 8 is free to download; Quartet 1 costs $19.99 up front. Quartet 1 sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Pianoteq 8 sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Quartet 1 against 4.6 for Pianoteq 8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 191 and 133 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 85% of Quartet 1's written reviews are positive against 74% of Pianoteq 8's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Quartet 1 versus Pianoteq 8: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterQuartet 1Pianoteq 8
Price$19.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (191 ratings) — better4.6 (133 ratings)
Positive reviews84.5% of reviews — better73.6% of reviews
Number of ratings191 — better133
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size706 MB54 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUK Music Apps LtdModartt

Customer experience

Quartet 1

All ratings155 ratings
Positive93.5%
Neutral2.6%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews110 reviews
Positive84.5%
Neutral10.0%
Negative5.5%

Pianoteq 8

All ratings133 ratings
Positive89.5%
Neutral2.3%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews91 reviews
Positive73.6%
Neutral4.4%
Negative22.0%

User reviews

Quartet 1

From 191 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎶 Excellent sound quality
  • 🎸 Real musicians' performance
  • 👍 Great value for money
  • 🚀 Flexible tempo and key changes
  • 🎵 Inspiring for practice

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Clunky UI
  • 😵 Fiddly tempo adjustment
  • 🎚️ Limited mixer options
  • 🎛️ No individual instrument volume control
  • 🎚️ Sound quality degradation with tempo/key changes

Pianoteq 8

From 133 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎶 Realistic piano sounds
  • 💻 Cross-platform compatibility
  • 💡 Physical modeling technology
  • 🤏 Small app size
  • 🎹 High playability and expressiveness

Room to improve

  • 💸 Expensive pricing
  • 🤔 Steep price for casual users
  • 🛒 Difficult purchase process
  • 💻 Requires additional license slot
  • 👎 Terrible user interface

Bugs and requests

Quartet 1

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • Playlists disappear
  • Playlists replaced by old ones
  • Looping parts not saved
  • Edits wiped out
  • Cannot put song into desired key
Show 7 more
  • Abrupt endings with no turnarounds
  • Out of tune bass
  • Crash when making playlist changes
  • Doesn't remember key/tempo from last session
  • Clicks when using iPad OS
  • Double charge for app
  • No actual endings found

Requested features

29 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Tap tempo button
  • Ability to create own charts
  • Export to WAV and MP3
  • Export chord chart in different ways
Show 24 more
  • Drum-only option
  • Two versions of songs at different tempos
  • Metronome/click track
  • Pan tracks to left/right channel
  • Type in tempo directly
  • Slider for tempo change
  • Search within playlists
  • Cloud-based sync
  • iReal-type portrait display
  • Real Jazz Guitar chords
  • Global default for chord transpose
  • More variations in chorus repeats
  • Actual song endings with variations
  • MIDI out function
  • Split screen on tablet
  • Add tags to ends of tunes
  • Fix pitch shifting on drums
  • Lower price for stem export
  • Adjustable font size for chords
  • Vertical mode
  • AUV3 version
  • Edit tunes at bar level
  • Create new tunes within the app
  • More standards/tunes

Pianoteq 8

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • Some keys do not work
  • Significant latency issues
  • Cannot activate due to missing serial number
  • Stuttering audio on iOS
  • App not updated for new iOS
Show 3 more
  • Impossible to order from App Store
  • Bug in purchase through App Store
  • MIDI file saving not working

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add Yamaha p125 instrument
  • iPad only version
  • Add second row of keyboard
  • Increase/decrease number of visible keys

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Quartet 1

One-time5
  • Upgrade song$0.99
  • Buy 10 tokens$8.99
  • Buy 20 tokens$14.99
Show 2 more
  • Buy 50 tokens$22.99
  • Upgrade all songs$49.99
10 purchases

Pianoteq 8

One-time10
  • Use existing licenceFree
  • Upgrade to latest version$29.99
  • Electric Pianos$49.99
Show 7 more
  • Hohner Collection$49.99
  • Classical Guitar$49.99
  • Grand Shigeru Kawai SK-EX$49.99
  • Grand Bösendorfer 280VC$49.99
  • Stage to Standard$129.99
  • Standard to Pro$129.99
  • Pianoteq STAGE$139.00

Questions

Is Quartet 1 free?
Quartet 1 costs $19.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Pianoteq 8 free?
Pianoteq 8 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Quartet 1 or Pianoteq 8?
Quartet 1 is rated higher. Quartet 1 averages 4.7 out of 5 from 191 ratings, while Pianoteq 8 averages 4.6 from 133 ratings.
Do Quartet 1 or Pianoteq 8 have ads?
Neither Quartet 1 nor Pianoteq 8 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Quartet 1 or Pianoteq 8?
Quartet 1 ships an update every 2 months, and Pianoteq 8 every 2 months. Most recently, Quartet 1 was updated on November 3, 2026 and Pianoteq 8 on November 3, 2026.

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