Comparison

THR Session vs AIRSTEP Play

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

Head to head
About

THR Session

Learn guitar songs more effectively by slowing down audio, changing pitch, and isolating instrument parts. Practice with your own music library and even mute original guitar or bass tracks to play along.

Highlights
  • Slow down songs without losing quality
  • Change song pitch
  • Repeat song segments
  • Cancel original guitar/bass sound
  • Isolate guitar/bass parts
  • Adjust tempo between 50-100%
Features
Read full description

Learn songs faster and easier and play along with your music library like never before. THR Session will change your daily guitar practice forever. You can slow down songs without losing audio quality, change the pitch or repeat any segment of a song to learn even the trickiest guitar part. It even allows you to cancel out the original guitar sound; it’s like playing a session with your dream band! This app is the perfect audio toolbox for today’s guitarist and with a Yamaha THR amp, gives you a practice experience like no other. ■Features ○Guitar Cancellation/Extraction ・Cancellation: Mute the guitar and/or Bass sound from the songs in your iOS device library. ・Extraction: Isolate the guitar and/or bass parts to help you learn songs by ear ・Preset: 3 presets (Guitar High Mode / Guitar Low Mode / Bass Mode) to help you quickly find the instrument you want to cancel. ○Audio Play Functions ・A-B Repeat: Repeatedly plays a selected segment of a song. ・Key Transpose: Changes pitch of songs(± one whole step) ・Slow Down: Changes tempo of songs with no effect on the pitch(50-100%) ■System Requirement Compatible with iOS6.0 or later

About

AIRSTEP Play

Control video and audio playback hands-free for learning and practice. Adjust loop, speed, and pitch for music or lessons. Compatible with online platforms and local files.

Highlights
  • Hands-free playback control
  • Adjust loop, speed, and pitch
  • Supports online video platforms
  • Supports local audio/video files
  • Focus on instrument practice
Features
Read full description

Control the playback, loop, speed and pitch of video & audio. Compatible with major online video platforms and local audio & video files. Hands-free control of your YouTube lesson or music file as you learn, practice, jam and transcribe, so your hands and mind can 100% focus on the instrument instead of constantly touching the screen or keyboard.

Screenshots

THR Session2 screens
AIRSTEP Play4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: AIRSTEP Play at every 3 weeks against THR Session's every 3 months. AIRSTEP Play also leads on review sentiment (44% vs 34%). THR Session's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 13.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

AIRSTEP Play holds the better App Store score, 2.8 against 2.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 16 and 9 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 34% of THR Session's written reviews are positive against 44% of AIRSTEP Play's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

THR Session ships an update every 3 months, AIRSTEP Play every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
THR Session versus AIRSTEP Play: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTHR SessionAIRSTEP Play
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.6 (16 ratings)2.8 (9 ratings) — better
Positive reviews34.3% of reviews44.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings16 — better9
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS8.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB54 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperYamaha Corporation of AmericaXSONIC Inc.

Customer experience

THR Session

All ratings16 ratings
Positive37.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews35 reviews
Positive34.3%
Neutral11.4%
Negative54.3%

AIRSTEP Play

All ratings8 ratings
Positive25.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative62.5%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive44.4%
Neutral11.1%
Negative44.4%

In-app purchases

None

THR Session

No in-app purchases

None

AIRSTEP Play

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is THR Session free?
THR Session is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is AIRSTEP Play free?
AIRSTEP Play is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, THR Session or AIRSTEP Play?
AIRSTEP Play is rated higher. THR Session averages 2.6 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while AIRSTEP Play averages 2.8 from 9 ratings.
Do THR Session or AIRSTEP Play have ads?
Neither THR Session nor AIRSTEP Play shows ads.
Which is updated more often, THR Session or AIRSTEP Play?
THR Session ships an update every 3 months, and AIRSTEP Play every 3 weeks. Most recently, THR Session was updated on November 1, 2026 and AIRSTEP Play on November 3, 2026.

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