Comparison

iReal Pro vs iImprov

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

iImprov

This app offers a visual and audio reference for jazz improvisation scales and chords. It helps users train their ear by presenting chord qualities, recommended scales, and audio playback. Users can select clefs, transpose for their instrument, and view scales and chords in any key.

Highlights
  • Visual and audio scale/chord reference
  • Ear training tool
  • Organizes 25 chord qualities
  • Key selection wheel
  • Recommended scales for chords
  • Audio playback of chords and scales
  • Bass/treble clef selection
  • Instrument transposition
Features
Read full description

iImprov - Chord/Scale Compendium Overview The iImprov - Chord/Scale Compendium is an easy to use reference app that provides a visual and audio representation of the most useful scale to chord choices for jazz improvisation. In addition to being a great reference, iImprov -Chord/Scale Compendium is also a valuable ear training tool for learning the different scale and chord colors. The app organizes 25 different chord qualities into three families: Major, Minor, and Dominant. When a specific chord quality is selected, that chord is displayed in standard notation along with a key selection wheel. Depending on the chord, from 1 to 5 scales are recommended. The Fast Forward button cycles through these recommendations, and the Play button plays the currently selected chord and scale. For ease of recognition, the chords are displayed in close position (stacked 3rds), but the chord is sounded with a more practical voicing that might be encountered in a playing situation. As with other apps from JazzAppsMoblie, bass or treble clef can be selected, as well as the appropriate transposition for your instrument. All scales and chords may be presented in any key.

Screenshots

iReal Pro4 screens
iImprov3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: iImprov at $0.99 against iReal Pro's $21.99. iImprov also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 16.6). iReal Pro's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 3.7) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 24 months). 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 iImprov $0.99 up front. iReal Pro sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. iImprov 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 23, 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 57% of iImprov's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iReal Pro ships an update every 3 weeks, iImprov every 24 months. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
iReal Pro versus iImprov: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriReal ProiImprov
Price$21.99$0.99 — better
Rating4.9 (11K ratings) — better3.7 (23 ratings)
Positive reviews83.3% of reviews — better57.1% of reviews
Number of ratings11K — better23
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 24 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#5 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.68.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size179 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTechnimo LLCJazz Apps Mobile LLC

Customer experience

iReal Pro

All ratings11,154 ratings
Positive97.5%
Neutral1.2%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews1,010 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral8.0%
Negative8.7%

iImprov

All ratings23 ratings
Positive60.9%
Neutral4.3%
Negative34.8%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive57.1%
Neutral4.8%
Negative38.1%

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

iImprov

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

iImprov

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iReal Pro free?
iReal Pro costs $21.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is iImprov free?
iImprov costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, iReal Pro or iImprov?
iReal Pro is rated higher. iReal Pro averages 4.9 out of 5 from 11K ratings, while iImprov averages 3.7 from 23 ratings.
Do iReal Pro or iImprov have ads?
Neither iReal Pro nor iImprov shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iReal Pro or iImprov?
iReal Pro ships an update every 3 weeks, and iImprov every 24 months. Most recently, iReal Pro was updated on November 8, 2026 and iImprov on November 6, 2026.

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