Comparison

SessionBand Jazz 1 vs RealPlay

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

Head to head
About

SessionBand Jazz 1

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
Read full description

Create professional quality Jazz tracks to your own chords in minutes with Volume 1 of the award-winning SessionBand Jazz app - the world’s only chord-based loop app. It's the ultimate Jazz play-along and the perfect tool for Jazz songwriters – wherever you are and whatever your level of ability. Jamie Cullum: "An extraordinarily useful tool for jazz musicians of any ability" James Tormé: “ Ridiculously useful. They seriously nailed it" With over 16,000 precision-cut, chord-based Jazz loops (included in the download) performed and produced for SessionBand by 4 of the world's leading jazz musicians, SessionBand Jazz instantly converts the chords you select into great-sounding Jazz audio - wherever you are and whatever your ability. Volume 1 comprises 15 diverse Jazz styles from Slow Swing, Medium Swing, Bossa Nova and Afro Jazz to Fast Latin, Up Swing and many more. And with a host of pro features like automated mixing, auto-transpose, one-touch live recording, real-time tempo shift and Audiobus compatibility, it has never been easier or quicker to create your own studio quality Jazz - even if you can't play a note! SessionBand Jazz Volume 1 is a professional app - essential for anyone learning Jazz and perfect for Jazz musicians looking for the ultimate play-along. But equally, it's simple and quick enough for non-musicians who love jazz to create their own great-sounding, royalty-free music and share it with the world. SessionBand Jazz Volume 1 has reached Top 5 in the paid music app charts in no fewer than 59 countries since launch. Watch the video at sessionbandapp.com The fastest way to create studio-quality Jazz... • Simply pick one of 15 Jazz styles • Choose your chords • Stretch or shorten loops in seconds • Build up your track in minutes • Instantly hear your track across other different Jazz styles and tempos • Auto-transpose your entire track (not electronic pitch shift!) • Mix your track (manual or automated) • Adjust track tempo (+/- 15%) • Record direct to audio • Copy straight to other music apps (if you want to) • Share with the world! SessionBand gets 4 of the world's top Jazz musicians playing on your tracks... Drums – Ralph Salmins (Wynton Marsalis, Burt Bacharach, Elton John, Madonna, Robbie Williams, Quincy Jones...) Saxes / Flutes – Andy Panayi (Peter Erskine, Freddie Hubbard, Wynton Marsalis, Paul McCartney...) Bass - Geoff Gascoyne (Georgie Fame, Michel Legrand, Sting, Van Morrison...) Piano – Tom Cawley (Jack DeJohnette, Charlie Watts, Jane Monheit, Stacey Kent, Yaron Herman, Guy Barker, Peter Gabriel...) The ultimate mobile practice tool for Jazz students... • Practice with your very own world class Jazz quartet • Loop markers let you focus on specific sections • Mute/Solo instrument channels (manual and automated) • Transpose your whole track instantly But you don't have to be a musician to create seriously good Jazz tracks and release them royalty-free... • Simple, intuitive interface • Audition loops as you go • 'Track Builder' makes building a full track quick and easy • Intuitive mixing and record functions • Hugely educational Detailed Product Information • 15 diverse popular Jazz styles in tempo order: Ballad; 12/8; Slow Swing (2 feel); Slow Swing (4 feel); Medium Swing (2 feel); Medium Swing (4 feel); Bossa Nova; Shuffle; Medium 3 /4; Afro Jazz; Medium Up Swing (2 feel); Medium Up Swing (4 feel); Fast Latin; Up Swing (2 feel); Up Swing (4 feel) • Tempos from 60bpm to 220bpm • 10 chord variations for every root note in all 15 styles: maj7(9); maj7(#11); 7(13); 7(b9); 7(#5,#9); 7sus(13); m7(9); m7(b5); m(maj7); dim • The exclusive musical content in this app is not duplicated in any other SessionBand app • All loops are offered royalty-free and can be used freely in your own works

About

RealPlay

Practice music with authentic backing tracks performed by professional musicians. Customize tempo, key, and mix for focused learning. Features over 100 standard chord progressions with an expanding library.

Highlights
  • Authentic backing tracks
  • 100+ standard chord progressions
  • Real-time tempo adjustment
  • Instrument isolation and mixing
  • Instant transposition to all keys
Features
Read full description

RealPlay lets you practice with real music—not midi tracks, AI, or loops. Play along with authentic backing tracks performed by world-class rhythm sections, featuring an expanding library of over 100 essential standard chord progressions. Easily customize your practice with real-time controls for tempo, key, and mix—so you can focus on exactly what you need. Features: • World-class rhythm sections • 100+ essential jazz standards and chord progressions (expanding library) • Real-time tempo adjustment • Instrument isolation and mixing (ideal for rhythm section players) • Instant transposition to all 12 keys Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

SessionBand Jazz 14 screens
RealPlay4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: RealPlay at Free against SessionBand Jazz 1's $8.99. RealPlay also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 4 months) and rating (4.8 vs 4.4). SessionBand Jazz 1's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). On review sentiment, ratings volume, 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

RealPlay is free to download; SessionBand Jazz 1 costs $8.99 up front. RealPlay sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.29 per month. SessionBand Jazz 1 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

RealPlay holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 69 and 176 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of SessionBand Jazz 1's written reviews are positive against 73% of RealPlay's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SessionBand Jazz 1 ships an update every 4 months, RealPlay every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
SessionBand Jazz 1 versus RealPlay: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSessionBand Jazz 1RealPlay
Price$8.99Free — better
Rating4.4 (69 ratings)4.8 (176 ratings) — better
Positive reviews69.9% of reviews73.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings69176 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size860 MB113 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUK Music Apps LtdRealPlay LLC

Customer experience

SessionBand Jazz 1

All ratings69 ratings
Positive88.4%
Neutral2.9%
Negative8.7%
Written reviews166 reviews
Positive69.9%
Neutral7.8%
Negative22.3%

RealPlay

All ratings164 ratings
Positive93.9%
Neutral2.4%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews41 reviews
Positive73.2%
Neutral12.2%
Negative14.6%

Bugs and requests

SessionBand Jazz 1

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • 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)
Show 6 more
  • Chord data lost when switching styles
  • Compatibility issues with older iOS devices
  • Audiobus feature doesn't work
  • App stuck on single chord with no controls displayed
  • Erratic starting behavior and background mode issues
  • Performance degradation with many saved tracks

Requested features

15 requests
  • 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
Show 10 more
  • Ability to loop sections for set number of times
  • Larger hit boxes for chord insertion
  • Guitar chord charts
  • More looper markings
  • Sustain button with stop functionality
  • Smoother tempo shifting
  • More tunes and song selections
  • Audiobus integration
  • GarageBand compatibility
  • Larger chord selection overall

RealPlay

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

SessionBand Jazz 1

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

RealPlay

Subscriptions2
  • RealPlay Pro Monthly$3.291 Month
  • RealPlay Pro Yearly$21.991 Year

Questions

Is SessionBand Jazz 1 free?
SessionBand Jazz 1 costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is RealPlay free?
RealPlay is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SessionBand Jazz 1 or RealPlay?
RealPlay is rated higher. SessionBand Jazz 1 averages 4.4 out of 5 from 69 ratings, while RealPlay averages 4.8 from 176 ratings.
Do SessionBand Jazz 1 or RealPlay have ads?
Neither SessionBand Jazz 1 nor RealPlay shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SessionBand Jazz 1 or RealPlay?
SessionBand Jazz 1 ships an update every 4 months, and RealPlay every 5 days. Most recently, SessionBand Jazz 1 was updated on November 6, 2026 and RealPlay on November 9, 2026.

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