# Band vs Extrack

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Band at none against Extrack's 2. Band also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). Extrack's advantage is review sentiment (37% vs 23%). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Extrack sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Band asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.9 for Band against 4.0 for Extrack. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 38 and 29 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 23% of Band's written reviews are positive against 37% of Extrack's.

Band ships an update every 2 months, Extrack every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Band | Extrack |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.9 (38 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/band-in-a-box/id397173717/reviews) | **[4.0 (29 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/extrack-stem-separatorchord/id6504546276/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **38** | 29 |
| Positive reviews | 23.4% of reviews | **36.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Freemium** |
| Size | 771 MB | 604 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [PG Music Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/350594075) | [Yamaha Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/353469356) |

## What reviewers say

### Band

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/band-in-a-box/id397173717)

Create professional backing tracks instantly from chord progressions. Choose from thousands of styles and hear real musicians play your music. View chords, notation, and tabs, and even generate solos for improvisation.

**Highlights:** Instant backing track generation, Thousands of musical styles, RealTracks with live musicians, Chord sheet and notation display, Generated solos for improvisation, Interactive instrument displays, Record melodies via MIDI

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎵 Excellent for solo musicians and on-the-go practice
- ☁️ iCloud integration for seamless file access across devices
- 🎹 High-quality RealTracks and realistic accompaniment sounds
- 📱 Convenient mobile access to BIAB songs from desktop
- 🎯 Intuitive interface for chord entry and song creation

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and instability issues
- 💾 Critical file saving and loading failures
- 🔧 Changes to songs don't apply to playback
- 🎚️ Instrument adjustments and muting don't work
- 🔌 Requires constant server/WiFi connection for functionality

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when saving songs
- Changes to chords, styles, and form not applied to playback
- Cannot generate RealTracks, only MIDI output
- Notation feature shows whole bar rests instead of arrangements
- Playback sync lag with chord display (2+ measures behind)

**Requested features**

- Loop function for specific song segments
- Transpose functionality for practice in all keys
- Multiple chords per measure entry
- Ability to change key automatically for transposing instruments
- Mute individual instruments


### Extrack

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/extrack-stem-separatorchord/id6504546276)

Instantly split songs into individual instrument parts and analyze chords in real-time. Adjust volumes, practice "minus one" style, and visualize chord fingerings for guitar or piano. Perfect for musicians of all levels looking to jam along with their favorite tracks.

**Highlights:** Instrumental stem separation, Real-time chord analysis, Adjustable instrument volumes, Practice 'minus one' mode, Visual chord fingering guides, Tempo and key adjustment, Section looping

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Plan | $5.99 | per month |
| Yearly Plan | $39.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Band free?

Band is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Extrack free?

Extrack is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Band or Extrack?

Extrack is rated higher. Band averages 3.9 out of 5 from 38 ratings, while Extrack averages 4.0 from 29 ratings.

### Do Band or Extrack have ads?

Neither Band nor Extrack shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Band or Extrack?

Band ships an update every 2 months, and Extrack every 6 weeks. Most recently, Band was updated on October 26, 2026 and Extrack on October 27, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*