Comparison

StrumLab Jam vs SUS4 Backing Tracks

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

Head to head
About

StrumLab Jam

Enhance your guitar practice with a vast library of YouTube backing tracks. Visualize your fretboard in real-time, filter by genre and key, and receive practice reminders. Unlock over 1000 tracks and advanced features with a premium subscription.

Highlights
  • 100+ free backing tracks
  • 1000+ premium tracks
  • Real-time fretboard visualization
  • Genre, key, and scale filtering
  • Scheduled practice reminders
  • Full fretboard view (0-12 frets)
Features
Read full description

StrumLab Jam turns practice into a full-band experience. Jam along with over 100 free backing tracks, or unlock 1,000+ with Premium. Filter by style, mode and key, so you're always playing exactly what you want to play. Premium also lets you jam over generated songs. A full band plays a fresh chord progression in your chosen key, scale and genre, and each chord lights up as it plays. WHAT'S INSIDE • 1,000+ jam tracks across rock, funk, blues and more • Filter by style, from Rock and Funk to Blues and beyond • Filter by mode, from Major and Minor to Dorian and beyond • Filter by key • Generated songs with a full band, swing feels and slash chords • A scale fretboard showing the notes that fit, with root notes highlighted • Play the scale or a pentatonic run, and jump between positions • Choose your fret range, from open position to the 24th fret • Left-handed fretboard and a choice of wood finishes • Streaks and badges to track your progress • Practice reminders to keep you consistent Whether you're working on scales, learning a new mode, or just want to play instead of practising alone, StrumLab Jam gives you a band that's always ready, and the visual feedback to build real improvisational confidence. This is where skills become music. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.strumlab.app/privacy-policy

About

SUS4 Backing Tracks

Features
Read full description

A drum, bass and keys band to improvise over, in the style and key you pick. Blues, jazz ii-V-I, funk, gospel, hip-hop, Latin, R&B, reggae and more, generated on your phone, so it works with no signal. Fully on-device: no cloud, no account. Choose a style and a key, set the tempo, and play. Use Solo Me to drop a part out and play it yourself: take the bass out and you are the bass player. Write a chord progression in the editor when the library does not have the changes you need. • Tracks by style, each labeled with its key and tempo • Change key and tempo • Solo Me: mute a part and play it • A chord progression editor for other changes • Loop a section to work on it For guitarists, bassists and keyboard players learning to solo, and anyone who wants to practice with a band instead of a metronome. Pro, or SUS4 All-Access across the whole range, opens the full track library, key and tempo changes, looping and stem export. Made in the UK by working musicians. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

StrumLab Jam4 screens
SUS4 Backing Tracks4 screens

Verdict

The call

StrumLab Jam and SUS4 Backing Tracks are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. StrumLab Jam sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per year and SUS4 Backing Tracks sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
StrumLab Jam versus SUS4 Backing Tracks: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStrumLab JamSUS4 Backing Tracks
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS16.016.0
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB45 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGary HarknessThePaulSmith

In-app purchases

3 purchases

StrumLab Jam

Subscriptions3
  • Pro Plan7 Days trial$2.991 Year
  • StrumLab Jam Pro1 Year trial$24.991 Year
  • StrumLab All Access1 Year trial$49.991 Year
3 purchases

SUS4 Backing Tracks

Subscriptions2
  • SUS4 Backing Tracks Pro Monthl7 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • SUS4 All-Access7 Days trial$4.991 Month
One-time1
  • SUS4 Backing Tracks Lifetime$59.99

Questions

Is StrumLab Jam free?
StrumLab Jam is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SUS4 Backing Tracks free?
SUS4 Backing Tracks is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do StrumLab Jam or SUS4 Backing Tracks have ads?
Neither StrumLab Jam nor SUS4 Backing Tracks shows ads.
Which is updated more often, StrumLab Jam or SUS4 Backing Tracks?
StrumLab Jam ships an update fortnightly, and SUS4 Backing Tracks fortnightly. Most recently, StrumLab Jam was updated on October 22, 2026 and SUS4 Backing Tracks on October 19, 2026.

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