# Quartet 1 vs Pianoteq 9

The clearest difference is price: Pianoteq 9 at Free against Quartet 1's $19.99. Pianoteq 9 also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and rating (4.9 vs 4.7). Quartet 1's advantage is review sentiment (85% vs 72%) and chart position (#190 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Pianoteq 9 is free to download; Quartet 1 costs $19.99 up front. Quartet 1 sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Pianoteq 9 sells 19 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Pianoteq 9 holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 185 and 58 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 85% of Quartet 1's written reviews are positive against 72% of Pianoteq 9's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Quartet 1 ships an update every 2 months, Pianoteq 9 every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 27, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Quartet 1 | Pianoteq 9 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $19.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.7 (185 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/quartet-1/id1623038041/reviews) | **[4.9 (58 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pianoteq-9/id6736754495/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **185** | 58 |
| Positive reviews | **84.5% of reviews** | 72.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#190** | — |
| Size | 706 MB | 68 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [UK Music Apps Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/579320222) | [Modartt](https://appshunter.io/developer/1363148724) |

## What reviewers say

### Quartet 1

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/quartet-1/id1623038041)

**Currently charting:** #190 Top Paid · Music (US App Store)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Upgrade song | $0.99 | one-time |
| Buy 10 tokens | $8.99 | one-time |
| Buy 20 tokens | $14.99 | one-time |
| Buy 50 tokens | $22.99 | one-time |
| Upgrade all songs | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- Playlists disappear
- Playlists replaced by old ones
- Looping parts not saved
- Edits wiped out
- Cannot put song into desired key

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Tap tempo button
- Ability to create own charts
- Export to WAV and MP3
- Export chord chart in different ways


### Pianoteq 9

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pianoteq-9/id6736754495)

This virtual instrument app uses advanced physical modeling to generate realistic sounds for pianos, electric pianos, harpsichords, and more. It offers compact file sizes and is trusted by renowned instrument makers. Unlock full instrument access with a license.

**Highlights:** Physical modeling sound generation, Realistic playability, Compact file size, Wide range of instruments, Plugin support for DAWs, New Syngular synthesizer

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (19)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Use existing licence | Free | one-time |
| Upgrade to latest version | $29.00 | one-time |
| Classical Guitar | $49.99 | one-time |
| Steelpans | $49.99 | one-time |
| Grand Blüthner | $49.99 | one-time |
| Grand Petrof | $49.99 | one-time |
| Grand YC5 | $49.99 | one-time |
| Harp | $49.99 | one-time |
| Grand Steinway B | $49.99 | one-time |
| Grand Shigeru Kawai SK-EX | $49.99 | one-time |
| Grand Steingraeber | $49.99 | one-time |
| Grand Bösendorfer 280VC | $49.99 | one-time |
| Electric Pianos | $49.99 | one-time |
| Hohner Collection | $49.99 | one-time |
| Upright U4 | $49.99 | one-time |
| Syngular | $49.99 | one-time |
| Stage to Standard | $129.99 | one-time |
| Standard to Pro | $129.99 | one-time |
| Pianoteq STAGE | $139.00 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Quartet 1 free?

Quartet 1 costs $19.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Pianoteq 9 free?

Pianoteq 9 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Quartet 1 or Pianoteq 9?

Pianoteq 9 is rated higher. Quartet 1 averages 4.7 out of 5 from 185 ratings, while Pianoteq 9 averages 4.9 from 58 ratings.

### Do Quartet 1 or Pianoteq 9 have ads?

Neither Quartet 1 nor Pianoteq 9 shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Quartet 1 or Pianoteq 9?

Quartet 1 ships an update every 2 months, and Pianoteq 9 every 3 weeks. Most recently, Quartet 1 was updated on October 27, 2026 and Pianoteq 9 on October 27, 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.*