# Symphony Pro vs SessionBand Jazz 1

The clearest difference is rating: SessionBand Jazz 1 at 4.4 against Symphony Pro's 3.8. SessionBand Jazz 1 also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and price ($8.99 vs $14.99). Symphony Pro's advantage is update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (473 vs 69). On ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Symphony Pro costs $14.99 and SessionBand Jazz 1 $8.99 up front. Symphony Pro sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. SessionBand Jazz 1 asks for nothing beyond the download.

SessionBand Jazz 1 holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Symphony Pro has 473 ratings behind it against 69, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of Symphony Pro's written reviews are positive against 70% of SessionBand Jazz 1's.

Symphony Pro ships an update every 4 weeks, SessionBand Jazz 1 every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Symphony Pro | SessionBand Jazz 1 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $14.99 | **$8.99** |
| Rating | [3.8 (473 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/symphony-pro-music-notation/id412380315/reviews) | **[4.4 (69 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sessionband-jazz-1/id656630704/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **473** | 69 |
| Positive reviews | 55.9% of reviews | **69.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 weeks** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | **Freemium** | Paid |
| Size | 365 MB | 860 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.5 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Xenon Labs, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/327764518) | [UK Music Apps Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/579320222) |

## What reviewers say

### Symphony Pro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/symphony-pro-music-notation/id412380315)

Compose music notation on your iPad with intuitive handwriting recognition or traditional input methods. Create scores for various ensembles, import and export in multiple formats, and utilize a wide range of notational elements. Enjoy built-in instruments for playback and auditioning.

**Highlights:** Handwriting recognition for Apple Pencil and touch, Compose for various ensembles, Import/export MusicXML, MIDI, and more, On-screen instrument input, Real-time recording and transcription, Wide range of notational elements, Print via AirPrint

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Version 4: Complete Features Bundle | Free | one-time |
| Handwriting Recognition Tool | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Handwriting recognition is great
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🎨 Flexible for composing and arranging
- 💰 Good value for the price
- 🎹 Works well with Apple Pencil

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Clunky and unintuitive interface
- 🔊 Poor sound quality of instruments
- 🔒 Issues with saving and exporting files
- 🤔 Steep learning curve for some features

**Reported bugs**

- Project menu disappears unexpectedly
- Ties and tuplets not working correctly
- Inconsistent behavior when zooming and panning
- Instruments not transposing properly
- Frequent crashes when editing complex scores

**Requested features**

- Add guitar metronome
- Improve text and lyrics handling
- Allow more customization of page layout
- Implement better transposition and chord features
- Provide more orchestral percussion instruments


### SessionBand Jazz 1

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sessionband-jazz-1/id656630704)

Create professional-quality Jazz music using chord-based loops. This app offers a wide range of Jazz styles and features for songwriters and musicians of all levels. Generate royalty-free tracks quickly and easily.

**Highlights:** Chord-based loop creation, 15 diverse Jazz styles, Automated mixing, Auto-transpose, One-touch live recording, Real-time tempo shift, Audiobus compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎵 Realistic, high-quality instrument sounds
- 🎸 Excellent for jazz practice and improvisation
- 🎼 Easy to create custom backing tracks
- 🎹 Great piano and drum voicings
- 🔄 Flexible tempo and key transposition

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
- ⚠️ Limited chord selection and extensions
- 🎺 Repetitive and predictable saxophone phrases
- 🔧 Unintuitive interface and navigation
- 📱 Poor performance on older devices

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes frequently, especially in edit mode
- Stuttering and jerky playback on iPhone
- Audio lag after tempo changes
- Screen freezes and becomes unresponsive
- Cannot access fill style options on iPhone (below page)

**Requested features**

- Add missing chord types (m7, m6, 7, m11, maj7+, aug, dom9, dom7#11, dom7b5, slash chords)
- Play/stop button in edit screen
- Custom time signatures (especially 5/4)
- MIDI export functionality
- Import/export between app versions


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Symphony Pro free?

Symphony Pro costs $14.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is SessionBand Jazz 1 free?

SessionBand Jazz 1 costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Symphony Pro or SessionBand Jazz 1?

SessionBand Jazz 1 is rated higher. Symphony Pro averages 3.8 out of 5 from 473 ratings, while SessionBand Jazz 1 averages 4.4 from 69 ratings.

### Do Symphony Pro or SessionBand Jazz 1 have ads?

Neither Symphony Pro nor SessionBand Jazz 1 shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Symphony Pro or SessionBand Jazz 1?

Symphony Pro ships an update every 4 weeks, and SessionBand Jazz 1 every 4 months. Most recently, Symphony Pro was updated on October 28, 2026 and SessionBand Jazz 1 on October 26, 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.*