Comparison

iReal Pro vs OL DJ

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

OL DJ

Features
Read full description

OL DJ turns your own Apple Music playlists into a non-stop personal radio station — complete with a charismatic AI DJ who talks between the songs, just like real radio. Press play and OL DJ shuffles through the music you already love, while the DJ keeps things lively: recapping the track that just played, teasing what's coming up next, calling out the time, dropping the occasional joke, and even reading you a quick news headline. Sometimes it says nothing and just lets the music run — sometimes it's full radio-DJ energy. You decide how chatty it gets. It's your library, your taste, your station. No algorithms pushing songs you don't know, no ads, no subscriptions beyond the Apple Music you already have. Key Features: • Your Music, Your Station — Plays from your Apple Music playlists and favourites. Pick specific playlists or let it roam your whole library. • A Real DJ Vibe — The DJ recaps songs, introduces what's next, calls the time, shares jokes and news headlines, and ad-libs between tracks using thousands of hand-crafted lines. • On-Device AI — On supported devices, the DJ generates fresh, context-aware lines with Apple's on-device intelligence. Everything runs locally. • Natural Voices — Uses Apple's Enhanced and Premium speech voices. Choose the DJ voice you like best. • Adjustable Chattiness — A simple slider takes the DJ from "barely talks, mostly music" all the way to non-stop banter. • Never Stops — Keeps playing in the background and with the screen locked. Control it from the lock screen, your headphones, or Siri — "Hey Siri, pause," "Hey Siri, play." • Private by Design — Your music and listening never leave your device. No accounts, no tracking, no analytics. OL DJ is perfect for anyone who misses the feel of a real radio station but wants to hear only the songs they actually love. Put it on in the car, the kitchen, or the gym, and let your own playlists become the best station you've ever tuned into. Apple Music subscription required to play your library.

Screenshots

iReal Pro4 screens
OL DJ4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: OL DJ at $4.99 against iReal Pro's $21.99. OL DJ also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3). iReal Pro's advantage is chart position (#7 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (16.6 vs 18.0). 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 OL DJ $4.99 up front. iReal Pro sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. OL DJ asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
iReal Pro versus OL DJ: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriReal ProOL DJ
Price$21.99$4.99 — better
Rating4.9 (11K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews83.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings11K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#7 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size179 MB3 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperTechnimo LLCDarren Oakey

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

OL DJ

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

OL DJ

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iReal Pro free?
iReal Pro costs $21.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is OL DJ free?
OL DJ costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do iReal Pro or OL DJ have ads?
Neither iReal Pro nor OL DJ shows ads.

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