Comparison

Song vs Writers Session

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

Head to head
About

Song

Capture melody ideas and write lyrics and chords conveniently. Record audio for each song section, insert chords easily, and view diagrams for over 1000 instruments. Includes rhyme/synonym search and Dropbox backup.

Highlights
  • Write lyrics by section
  • Record audio per section
  • Chord Picker for easy insertion
  • Chord diagrams for 1000+ instruments
  • Rhyme and synonym search
  • Email songs as PDF or files
  • Dropbox backup and restore
Features
Read full description

SongWriter is a simple, yet powerful solution for songwriting on the go. Recording your ideas and writing your lyrics and chords has never been so convenient. (Now also available on Mac AppStore) Some features: ● Write your lyrics for each section of your song (ie. verse, chorus). ● Record audio for each section separately. ● Use the 'Chord Picker' to easily insert chords. ● Chords display above the lyrics when in display mode. ● Add guitar tablature. ● View Chord Diagrams - over 1000 chords included for guitar, bass, ukulele and banjo, plus you can add your own. ● Nashville Numbering System support. ● Search for rhymes or synonyms to help find inspiration. (Highlight the word you wish to find a rhyme/synonym for, only highlight the word with no space before or after the word, then touch Rhymes or Synonyms from the menu that appears.) ● Email your songs, with options to send PDF's, Songwriter Files, or MySongbook Files. ● Optional 'Passcode Lock' to protect your ideas from prying eyes. ● Backup/Restore powered by Dropbox. SUGGESTIONS If you have any suggestions of how Songwriter can be made even better, we would love to hear your ideas. Please visit www.simonsapps.com to get in touch.

About

Writers Session

This app helps songwriters by providing a central place to record and organize lyrics and melodic ideas. It features a text editor, audio recorder, rhyming dictionary, thesaurus, and tools for managing song sessions and creative inspiration.

Highlights
  • Full-featured text editor
  • Built-in audio recorder
  • Offline rhyming dictionary, thesaurus, dictionary
  • Organize sessions into folders
  • Import backing tracks
  • Collections of words and phrases
  • Export lyrics and audio
Features
Read full description

Writers Session is a perfect songwriter’s companion. It provides a single place to record and organise all your lyrics and melodic ideas. STREAMLINE THE CREATIVE PROCESS It offers a full featured text editor with a scrollable tool bar for quick access to many commonly used songwriting tools. BUILT IN AUDIO RECORDER Quickly Capture multiple recording ideas when inspiration strikes on the go. MANAGE MULTIPLE RECORDINGS Each song session contains an editable list of all your audio recorded ideas. An easy to use audio player is there for quick playback of all the recorded takes as well as exporting options. STAY ORGANIZED WITH FOLDERS Organize all your song Sessions into folders so as to get quick access and manage large lists. A COLLECTION OF WRITING TOOLS It contains a offline Rhyming dictionary, Thesaurus and Dictionary. This means that no WIFI or 3G connectivity is required to use these features. FULLSCREEN AND NIGHTTIME MODE This is great for singers or studio musicians performing in low lighted environments. The text sizes can be quickly adjusted whilst in fullscreen mode which is great for showing lyrics or chords. MORE AT YOUR FINGERTIPS: • You can Import backing tracks from your device media library. • A Collections of Words and Phrases are available for generating ideas, these are grouped into mood categories. • A List of Musical Chord Notations and Song Sections for quick entry. • Features a Quick recorder for capturing those inspirational moments with a few clicks. The recorded audio files can be then easily be transferred to any session afterwards. • Email or Airdrop Export is available to share your song lyrics and recorded audio ideas. • Various Screen Mode themes are available. • Easy Printing of Lyrics which can be sent directly to your WIFI printer. • Songs are Autosaved to prevent accidental loss of ideas. • Song Session Information such as writers credits, royalty splits, publishing details and more can be stored and displayed. These can also be exported as a PDF file. • Sessions can be searched by title or writers names as well as been filtered according to their likes. If you’ve enjoyed using Writer's Session, please leave a review.

Screenshots

Song4 screens
Writers Session4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Writers Session at Free against Song's $4.99. Writers Session also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.2) and ratings volume (2.7K vs 50). Song's advantage is iOS requirement (7.1 vs 17.0). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Writers Session is free to download; Song costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Writers Session holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Writers Session has 2.7K ratings behind it against 50, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Song's written reviews are positive against 54% of Writers Session's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Song ships an update every 3 weeks, Writers Session monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Song versus Writers Session: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSongWriters Session
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating3.2 (50 ratings)4.5 (2.7K ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.5% of reviews54.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings502.7K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS7.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB67 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperApp HoldingsOne In A Billion Ltd

Customer experience

Song

All ratings49 ratings
Positive53.1%
Neutral4.1%
Negative42.9%
Written reviews101 reviews
Positive50.5%
Neutral11.9%
Negative37.6%

Writers Session

All ratings2,661 ratings
Positive87.7%
Neutral4.9%
Negative7.4%
Written reviews109 reviews
Positive54.1%
Neutral11.0%
Negative34.9%

User reviews

Song

From 50 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use interface
  • 💡 Great for jotting down ideas
  • 📝 Organizes lyrics and ideas
  • 🎵 Useful for structuring songs
  • 🎶 Comprehensive chord library

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent bugs and glitches
  • ❌ Many features not working
  • 📉 Outdated and unmaintained
  • 💸 Paid for a broken app
  • 🗑️ Lost user data

Writers Session

From 2.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Helpful for songwriting
  • 👍 Great organizational features
  • 🎶 Useful recording capabilities
  • 💡 Combination of useful tools

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
  • 🔒 Issues with data/song loss after updates
  • 💰 Overly restrictive free version
  • 👎 Poor user interface and navigation

Bugs and requests

Song

Reported bugs

42 issues
  • Chord placing tool doesn't work
  • Exporting isn't working
  • Deleted all recordings
  • No chords would appear
  • Can't add chords to more than one song
Show 37 more
  • Dropbox linking broken
  • Text input issue (hidden text)
  • Lines disappear while editing
  • Bold chords don't work
  • Second line of lyrics disappears
  • App hasn't been updated
  • Killer bug leaves writing invisible
  • Bars at the end of verses/choruses missing
  • Cannot send song via email
  • Screen turns blank after picking a folder
  • Typing line disappears (but still works)
  • Unable to edit more than one line per section
  • Erased all songs
  • Doesn't sync to cloud
  • Dropbox update stopped working
  • Cannot get content off the app
  • New update is super faulty
  • Won't allow seeing what's being written
  • Lyrics disappear when editing
  • UI isn't clean/smooth
  • Song file stays in landscape mode
  • App won't work on new iOS
  • Cannot access lyrics/notes
  • App hasn't been updated in nearly 4 years
  • App not showing chords
  • Sub par performance
  • Features don't work or work poorly
  • App slows down phone
  • App reformatted screen for iPhone 5, blocks typing on 4s
  • Cannot playback or record songs after new update
  • Shuts off without saving added lyrics
  • Privacy policy doesn't exist
  • New update, crashes every time
  • Software wouldn't start or load
  • App crashes on startup/loading
  • App crashes when entering new song
  • App crashes when going back to existing song

Requested features

34 requests
  • Update the app
  • Fix bugs
  • Improve chord placement tool
  • Fix exporting functionality
  • Allow chords for multiple songs
Show 29 more
  • Fix Dropbox linking
  • Fix text input/display issues
  • Update for latest OS
  • Add branching folders
  • More export options
  • More customizable UI
  • Add printing option
  • Sync between devices
  • Sync with band members
  • Add lyrics/music writing credits
  • Import audio function
  • Print from app
  • Reverse chord finder
  • Add 'notes' field for capo numbers
  • Sync iPhone app with laptop app
  • Offline rhymes
  • Add ability to copyright songs
  • Import audio (cut & paste)
  • Record or import entire song
  • Support different languages (Spanish)
  • Option to disable song ratings
  • Allow viewing lyrics while recording
  • Import backing music to an audio track
  • Duplicate parts feature
  • Email final lyrics
  • Syllable counter
  • Move parts of songs to new songs
  • Trim song recording function
  • Voice recognition for typing

Writers Session

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inability to enter text while listening to audio
  • Inconsistent behavior when deleting songs
  • Issues with audio recording quality and reliability
  • Problems with in-app purchases and upgrades

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to edit/format text (bold, italic, etc.)
  • Option to organize songs into folders
  • Automatic backup and sync across devices
  • More customization options (fonts, colors, etc.)

In-app purchases

None

Song

No in-app purchases

None

Writers Session

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Song free?
Song costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Writers Session free?
Writers Session is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Song or Writers Session?
Writers Session is rated higher. Song averages 3.2 out of 5 from 50 ratings, while Writers Session averages 4.5 from 2.7K ratings.
Do Song or Writers Session have ads?
Neither Song nor Writers Session shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Song or Writers Session?
Song ships an update every 3 weeks, and Writers Session monthly. Most recently, Song was updated on October 29, 2026 and Writers Session on October 30, 2026.

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