Comparison

Steel Guitar vs L12X Solid State Amplifier

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

Head to head
About

Steel Guitar

This app offers a realistic steel guitar experience with a vast collection of instruments, amps, and effects. Craft unique tones with a customizable signal chain and control features via MIDI or accelerometer for authentic pedal steel sounds. It's ideal for musicians seeking diverse guitar tones and advanced sound shaping.

Highlights
  • 10 unique guitars
  • 8 virtual-tube amps
  • 16 classic effects
  • Customizable FX & Amps Signal Chain
  • MIDI and accelerometer control
  • Recording and looping capabilities
  • Inter-App Audio & Audiobus support
Currently charting
Read full description

Introducing the all-new Steel Guitar 2.0 — built COMPLETELY from scratch with bigger tone, more soul, and better features than ever! Combining a large collection of unique guitars, all-new realtime effects and amps processing, and a playing surface more expressive than ever, Steel Guitar is easily the most realistic sounding guitar on iOS. For unprecedented control over your tone, expand to 10 unique guitars, 8 iconic virtual-tube amps, and 16 classic effects! Build up your signal chain any way you want, thanks to a simple drag-and-drop interface that accommodates all your amps & FX connections, in any order. Steel Guitar’s axes range from 6-string electrics to acoustic, 12-string, and to even 8- and 10-string pedals steels. Amps include all the important models of the last 60 years — each one complete with channel switching, adjustable gain, and EQ. The effects include painstakingly designed virtual-analog overdrives, fuzzes, wah, tape delay, reverbs, and more! With the PRO Pack or The Whole Enchilada, gain access to Steel Guitar’s powerful tapedeck complete with recording, looping audio copy/paste and a plethora of other sharing options; or harness Steel Guitar’s powerful, user-friendly MIDI Learn to control your effects, amps and guitar parameters! Use MIDI or the accelerometer to control string-bending pedals for authentic pedal steel sounds — and you can easily configure pedal-to-string assignments via the built-in copedent matrix. Steel Guitar 2.0 is fully connected, too. With Inter-App Audio and Audiobus available out-of-the box, connect Steel Guitar to your favorite iOS DAW and jam away! Whether you’re after the soulful ring of acoustic blues, the mean and dirty crunch of Rock, or dreamy bell-like tones of a pedal steel, Steel Guitar has got your covered. • Expand to 10 unique guitars, 8 amps and 16 effects • Real time FX & Amps processing • Fully configurable FX & Amps Signal Chain • Virtual-Tube amps including classic American and British models • Virtual-Analog effects: multiple overdrives & fuzzes, reverbs, mods, tape delay & more • All new, easy-to-use guitar interface • Configurable note-snapping, normal & damped sustain • Bar slanting & string dampening gestures • String bending via MIDI or accelerometer-controlled virtual “pedals” • Fully controllable copedent (string-bending pedal map) • Inter App Audio & Audiobus • MIDI Learn & Program Changes* • Tapedeck with recording, audio copy/paste, looping and lots of other import/export options* • Save unlimited presets; import/export presets and folders • Metronome with tap tempo • Left-handed mode *Included with PRO Pack or The Whole Enchilada

About

L12X Solid State Amplifier

This app offers an analog simulation of a classic solid-state guitar amplifier, enhanced with extra channels and a contour knob for versatile tone shaping. It includes an integrated cabinet simulator with a high-quality impulse response for authentic sound.

Highlights
  • Analog simulation of Marshall Lead 12
  • Clean and Metal channels
  • Contour knob for tone shaping
  • Boost overdrive stage
  • Integrated Cab Simulator
  • Marshall cabinet IR with Celestion V30
Features
Read full description

L12X is an analog simulation inspired by the Marshall® Lead 12™ solid state amplifier of the late ‘80s. The original circuit has been modified by adding two additional channels (Clean and Metal), a Contour knob (to get a more scooped tone) and an additional Boost overdrive stage. An integrated Cab Simulator is loaded with a Marshall® cabinet IR featuring Celestion® V30 cones.

Screenshots

Steel Guitar4 screens
L12X Solid State Amplifier3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: L12X Solid State Amplifier at Free against Steel Guitar's $0.99. L12X Solid State Amplifier also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.7) and in-app purchases (none vs 5). Steel Guitar's advantage is chart position (#148 vs unranked) and review sentiment (60% vs 50%). 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

L12X Solid State Amplifier is free to download; Steel Guitar costs $0.99 up front. Steel Guitar sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. L12X Solid State Amplifier asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

L12X Solid State Amplifier holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Steel Guitar has 60 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 60% of Steel Guitar's written reviews are positive against 50% of L12X Solid State Amplifier's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Steel Guitar ships an update every 4 months, L12X Solid State Amplifier weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Steel Guitar versus L12X Solid State Amplifier: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSteel GuitarL12X Solid State Amplifier
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating3.7 (60 ratings)4.5 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.3% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings60 — better10
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#148 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS7.1 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size128 MB30 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYonac Inc.Audiority Srl

Customer experience

Steel Guitar

All ratings60 ratings
Positive61.7%
Neutral11.7%
Negative26.7%
Written reviews131 reviews
Positive60.3%
Neutral6.9%
Negative32.8%

L12X Solid State Amplifier

All ratings9 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Bugs and requests

Steel Guitar

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • Bluetooth headphones disconnect when app opens
  • App crashes on iPhone 12 and iPhone 6S
  • MIDI functionality non-functional despite being advertised
  • App freezes and requires restart
  • Slide bar locks and becomes unresponsive
Show 7 more
  • No sound output in some configurations
  • Sample rate conflicts with other apps cause lockout
  • App permanently displays upside down on some devices
  • IAA and Audiobus compatibility issues
  • Download fails with error dialog
  • App doesn't work as IAA instrument in BM3
  • Performance issues causing excessive heat on device

Requested features

13 requests
  • Full MIDI keyboard support for playing notes
  • Bluetooth/AirPods compatibility fix
  • Ability to save and switch between presets
  • Recording and audio export functionality
  • Multi-touch chord support
Show 8 more
  • String muting capability
  • Additional guitar types (Stratocaster, Nylon string, Resonator)
  • AU/VST3 plugin for Logic Pro X integration
  • Musical scales display on fretboard
  • Landscape orientation auto-rotation
  • MIDI out for recording in DAWs
  • Improved tuning text display
  • Gyroscope tilt and rotation controls

L12X Solid State Amplifier

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Steel Guitar

One-time5
  • Guitar Bundle$2.99
  • Amp Bundle$2.99
  • FX Bundle$2.99
Show 2 more
  • PRO Pack$2.99
  • The Whole Enchilada$9.99
None

L12X Solid State Amplifier

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Steel Guitar free?
Steel Guitar costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is L12X Solid State Amplifier free?
L12X Solid State Amplifier is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Steel Guitar or L12X Solid State Amplifier?
L12X Solid State Amplifier is rated higher. Steel Guitar averages 3.7 out of 5 from 60 ratings, while L12X Solid State Amplifier averages 4.5 from 10 ratings.
Do Steel Guitar or L12X Solid State Amplifier have ads?
Neither Steel Guitar nor L12X Solid State Amplifier shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Steel Guitar or L12X Solid State Amplifier?
Steel Guitar ships an update every 4 months, and L12X Solid State Amplifier weekly. Most recently, Steel Guitar was updated on November 6, 2026 and L12X Solid State Amplifier on November 5, 2026.

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