Comparison

iReal Pro vs Jazz Licks

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

Head to head
About

iReal Pro

This app provides a virtual band accompaniment for musicians to practice with, offering realistic sounding instruments and a variety of styles. It also functions as a digital chord chart book, allowing users to create, edit, and share their own song charts.

Highlights
  • Virtual band accompaniment
  • Create, edit, and share chord charts
  • Thousands of downloadable songs
  • Chord diagrams and scale recommendations
  • Practice exercises and transposition
  • Export charts and audio
  • Cloud synchronization
Features
Read full description

iReal Pro is two things musicians love in one app: a realistic backing band that plays along with you, and a huge free library of chord charts you can pull up anytime — at practice, at a jam session, or on a gig. Need to transpose a song for a singer? Done. Want to practice with a full rhythm section behind you? Hit play. Named one of TIME Magazine's 50 Best Inventions and trusted by thousands of students, teachers, and pros at schools like Berklee College of Music — iReal Pro has been helping musicians get better since 2008. BAND • 50 accompaniment styles — Swing, Bossa Nova, Blues, Funk, Rock, Bluegrass, Reggae, Latin, Gypsy Jazz, Country, and more • Customize each style with acoustic or electric piano, Fender Rhodes, guitars, upright or electric bass, drums, vibraphone, organ • 40 additional styles — blues, salsa, Brazilian — available as in-app purchases BOOK • Download thousands of free chord charts shared by the iReal Pro community • Create your own charts in minutes with the built-in editor • Organize charts into playlists for gigs, sets, or lessons PRACTICE • Adjust tempo, loop difficult sections, transpose to any key • Automatic tempo increase and key cycling for focused practice • Global Eb, Bb, F, and G transposition for horn players REFERENCE • Guitar, ukulele, and piano fingerings for any chord • Tap any chord in your chart to see how it's played • Scale suggestions for improvisation SHARE • Share charts and playlists with other iReal Pro users • Export charts as PDF or MusicXML • Export backing tracks as audio or MIDI files • Sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac with iCloud FOR TEACHERS • Create playlists of exercises or tunes for students • Use in the classroom, over live stream, or while screen-sharing lessons We're a small team of musicians who built this app because we needed it ourselves. We hope you enjoy using it as much as we do.

About

Jazz Licks

Practice jazz improvisation with scrolling sheet music, backing tracks, and automatic transposition for various instruments. Offers adjustable tempo, clef switching, and PDF export for sheet music.

Highlights
  • Melody Guide with sheet music sync
  • Backing tracks with drums
  • Automatic 12-key transposition
  • Variable tempo control
  • Clef switching (treble/bass)
  • PDF export for sheet music
  • Favorites registration
Features
Read full description

◆This is a one-time purchase app that lets you practice various jazz improvisation phrases with backing tracks. Fully compatible with transposing instruments such as trumpet and saxophone. 【Main Features】 ・Melody Guide:Phrases scroll along with the sheet music and backing, allowing you to practice in sync. Great for beginners too! ・Backing with Drums:The drum keeps the rhythm so you can focus on groove while practicing. ・Automatic 12-Key Transposition:Practice without worrying about keys, even for C, Eb, and Bb instruments. ・Variable Tempo:Easily change the tempo to various patterns via settings. ・Key Step Adjustment:Optimize difficulty by transposing up a half step, perfect fourth, or perfect fifth. ・Clef Switching:Switch between treble and bass clefs. The actual pitch follows accordingly. ・Backing Pattern Switching:Freely change styles like Swing or Bossa Nova to match the mood. ・Backing Only Playback:Practice improvisation realistically without the melody line. ・Favorites Registration:Collect your favorite phrases in one place for instant access. ・PDF Export:Convert phrases into sheet music PDFs for printing. ・Simple UI & Easy Operation:Minimalist design makes functions clear at a glance. ・More Phrases Coming Soon:Content will be expanded with updates. 【Recommended For】 ・Jazz beginners to advanced players ・Wind players who want to improve improvisation for big band or jam sessions ・Those who want to systematically learn standard jazz phrases ・Those who want to manage sheet music, backing, and tempo all in one app 【One-Time Purchase for Peace of Mind】 ・No additional payments or subscriptions ・Future phrase additions will also be provided for free

Screenshots

iReal Pro4 screens
Jazz Licks3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: iReal Pro at 4.9 against Jazz Licks's 3.7. iReal Pro also leads on ratings volume (11K vs 6) and review sentiment (83% vs 62%). Jazz Licks's advantage is price ($12.99 vs $21.99) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). On 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

iReal Pro costs $21.99 and Jazz Licks $12.99 up front. iReal Pro sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Jazz Licks asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

iReal Pro holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iReal Pro has 11K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of iReal Pro's written reviews are positive against 62% of Jazz Licks's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iReal Pro ships an update every 3 weeks, Jazz Licks every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
iReal Pro versus Jazz Licks: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriReal ProJazz Licks
Price$21.99$12.99 — better
Rating4.9 (11K ratings) — better3.7 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews83.3% of reviews — better61.9% of reviews
Number of ratings11K — better6
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#5 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.612.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size179 MB49 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTechnimo LLCGENIT Inc.

Customer experience

iReal Pro

All ratings11,148 ratings
Positive97.5%
Neutral1.2%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews1,010 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral8.0%
Negative8.7%

Jazz Licks

All ratings6 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive61.9%
Neutral14.3%
Negative23.8%

Bugs and requests

iReal Pro

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Occasional skipping or timing issues with playback
  • Trouble with registration and login process
  • Compatibility issues with newer devices or operating systems

Requested features

7 requests
  • Add ability to write rhythm notation
  • Integrate with Real Books
  • Improve sound quality and add more instrument options
  • Add melodies and lyrics support
  • Improve chord editing and customization
Show 2 more
  • Add more styles and grooves
  • Improve sync and backup functionality across devices

Jazz Licks

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

iReal Pro

One-time3
  • Blues style backing tracks$6.99
  • Salsa style backing tracks$6.99
  • Brazilian backing tracks$6.99
None

Jazz Licks

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iReal Pro free?
iReal Pro costs $21.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Jazz Licks free?
Jazz Licks costs $12.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, iReal Pro or Jazz Licks?
iReal Pro is rated higher. iReal Pro averages 4.9 out of 5 from 11K ratings, while Jazz Licks averages 3.7 from 6 ratings.
Do iReal Pro or Jazz Licks have ads?
Neither iReal Pro nor Jazz Licks shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iReal Pro or Jazz Licks?
iReal Pro ships an update every 3 weeks, and Jazz Licks every 6 days. Most recently, iReal Pro was updated on November 1, 2026 and Jazz Licks on October 29, 2026.

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