Comparison

Pianoteq 8 vs Quartet 3

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

Head to head
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).

About

Quartet 3

Enhance your jazz performance and practice with live studio recordings of jazz standards. Mute your instrument to play along, change keys, adjust tempo, and loop sections for focused learning. Features animated chord diagrams and playlist creation for seamless practice sessions.

Highlights
  • Live jazz standards play-along
  • Mute your instrument
  • Change key and tempo
  • Loop sections for practice
  • 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, the top-selling jazz play along apps just got even better. No subscriptions. No in-app purchases. Volume 3 includes another 100 stunning jazz standards recorded exclusively by 6 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 ‘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 (650 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 100 jazz standards in Quartet Volume 3 include improvisations in the style of… ‘After You’ve Gone’, ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’, ‘At Last’, ‘Baubles, Bangles & Beads’, ‘Blueberry Hill’, ‘Blues’ (in all keys), ‘Breezin’’, ‘Chameleon’, ‘Down by the Riverside’, ‘Freedom Jazz Dance’, ‘How Long Has This Been Going On?’, ‘Ladies in Mercedes’, ‘On the Street Where You Live’, ‘Second Time Around’, ‘Someone To Watch Over Me’, ‘Summer Knows’, ‘Só Danço Samba’, ‘Too Marvelous for Words’, ‘Who Can I Turn To?’, ‘With a Song in My Heart’… and 80 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 more at www.quartetapp.com Featured artists on Quartet Volume 3 Guitar Nigel Price Nigel has recorded with many big-name artists, performing on over 50 albums, most recently Van Morrison’s studio album ‘Keep Me Singing’. A former member of The James Taylor Quartet, Nigel was voted the UK’s ‘Best Guitarist’ in the 2016 British Jazz Awards and is “…probably the most dynamic and gifted guitarist on the British jazz scene today” [All About Jazz]. Trumpet Steve Fishwick Steve has performed and recorded with many leading European jazz musicians including Sir John Dankworth, George Mraz, Dado Moroni, Claus Raibler, Tony Lakatos and the WDR big band. In the USA, Steve has performed and recorded with Anita O' Day, Ron Carter, Jimmy Heath, Peter Erskine, Eric Harland, Scott Hamilton, Herb Geller Saxophones and Flutes Andy Panayi Credits include Shirley Bassey, Jessye Norman, Paul McCartney, Seth MacFarlane, Elaine Paige, Elvis Costello, Georgie Fame, Helen Shapiro, Madeline Bell, Patty Austin, Freddie Hubbard, Wynton Marsalis, Billy Cobham Piano Graham Harvey Credits include Incognito (MD), Stacey Kent, George Benson, M People, Hamish Stuart, The Jones Girls, Philip Bailey, Chaka Khan, The BBC Big Band, Madeline Bell, Jocelyn Brown, Mica Paris, Sir Cliff Richard Bass Geoff Gascoyne Credits include Jamie Cullum (MD), Sting, Van Morrison, Bill Bruford, Mari Wilson, Paloma Faith, Georgie Fame, Gloria Estefan, Guy Barker, Charlie Watts, Chris Standring, Everything But The Girl, Benny Golson, Jacqui Dankworth, John Martyn, Eartha Kitt Drums Sebastiaan de Krom Credits include Herbie Hancock, John Scofield, Phil Woods, Dave Holland, Jamie Cullum, Guy Barker, Wynton Marsalis

Screenshots

Pianoteq 83 screens
Quartet 34 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Pianoteq 8 at Free against Quartet 3's $16.99. Pianoteq 8 also leads on ratings volume (133 vs 14) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.6). Quartet 3's advantage is review sentiment (90% vs 74%). On rating, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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 3 costs $16.99 up front. Pianoteq 8 sells 28 one-off in-app purchases and Quartet 3 sells 5 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 — 4.6 for Pianoteq 8 against 4.5 for Quartet 3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pianoteq 8 has 133 ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 74% of Pianoteq 8's written reviews are positive against 90% of Quartet 3's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pianoteq 8 ships an update every 2 months, Quartet 3 every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on September 27, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Pianoteq 8 versus Quartet 3: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPianoteq 8Quartet 3
PriceFree — better$16.99
Rating4.6 (133 ratings) — better4.5 (14 ratings)
Positive reviews73.6% of reviews90.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings133 — better14
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size54 MB503 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperModarttUK Music Apps Ltd

Customer experience

Pianoteq 8

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

Quartet 3

All ratings14 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews20 reviews
Positive90.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.0%

User reviews

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

Quartet 3

From 14 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Superb tool for drum teachers
  • 👍 Huge selection of styles and tempos
  • 👍 Ability to mute drums for playing along
  • 👍 High-quality audio recordings
  • 👍 Intuitive and easy to use interface

Bugs and requests

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

Quartet 3

No bugs or feature requests surfaced in reviews.

In-app purchases

28 purchases

Pianoteq 8

One-time28
  • Use existing licenceFree
  • Upgrade to latest version$29.99
  • Grand C. Bechstein DG$49.99
Show 25 more
  • Grand Blüthner$49.99
  • Celeste$49.99
  • Grand Grotrian$49.99
  • Electric Pianos$49.99
  • Hohner Collection$49.99
  • Grand Petrof$49.99
  • Grand Steingraeber$49.99
  • Grand Steinway B$49.99
  • Upright U4$49.99
  • Grand YC5$49.99
  • Classical Guitar$49.99
  • Grand K2$49.99
  • Grand Shigeru Kawai SK-EX$49.99
  • Vibes: Vibraphones V-B & V-M$49.99
  • Harp$49.99
  • Harpsichord$49.99
  • Kremsegg collection 1$49.99
  • Grand Steinway D$49.99
  • Karsten collection$49.99
  • Kremsegg collection 2$49.99
  • Grand Bösendorfer 280VC$49.99
  • Steelpans$49.99
  • Stage to Standard$129.99
  • Standard to Pro$129.99
  • Pianoteq STAGE$139.00
5 purchases

Quartet 3

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$39.99

Questions

Is Pianoteq 8 free?
Pianoteq 8 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Quartet 3 free?
Quartet 3 costs $16.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pianoteq 8 or Quartet 3?
Pianoteq 8 is rated higher. Pianoteq 8 averages 4.6 out of 5 from 133 ratings, while Quartet 3 averages 4.5 from 14 ratings.
Do Pianoteq 8 or Quartet 3 have ads?
Neither Pianoteq 8 nor Quartet 3 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pianoteq 8 or Quartet 3?
Pianoteq 8 ships an update every 2 months, and Quartet 3 every 5 weeks. Most recently, Pianoteq 8 was updated on September 27, 2026 and Quartet 3 on September 27, 2026.

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