Grothm vs BackingBand
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side ā with what reviewers say about each.
Grothm
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Grothm is a structured practice tracker with a professional metronome built in. Plan sessions, automate tempo changes, and track time, BPM, goals, and progress over time. TRAIN WITH A PLAN Build focused routines for warm-ups, rudiments, speed, technique, and repertoire. AUTOMATE TEMPO TRAINING Use multiple automatic tempo modes to develop speed without adjusting the metronome by hand. TRACK EVERY SESSION Automatically record practice time, tempo, goals, and completion history. SEE YOUR PROGRESS Review growth curves and time-range reports to understand how your practice develops. PROFESSIONAL METRONOME Train with precise timing, advanced subdivisions, dotted notes, automatic tempo changes, and speeds up to 350 BPM. FOCUSED CYBERPUNK DESIGN A clear, immersive interface built for focused practice. PRIVATE AND DISTRACTION-FREE No account. No ads. No internet required. Your data stays on your device. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
BackingBand
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Your own band, ready to play whatever you're working on. BackingBand turns a chord chart into a real-sounding rhythm section: drums, bass, keys and guitar that actually groove. Pick a chart, press play, and practice with a band behind you instead of a metronome. WHAT YOU CAN DO ⢠Start from a curated library of ready-to-play tunes, or build your own: enter the chords, arrange your sections (intro, verse, chorus, bridge, solo, outro), and the band plays them back. ⢠Import charts from iReal Pro: paste a link or choose an exported file, and the band picks a matching style for supported charts. ⢠Pick from 38 styles: swing, jazz waltz, bebop, modal jazz, bossa nova, samba, shuffle and slow blues, classic and hard rock, funk, disco, neo-soul, reggae, ska, K-pop, second line, Afro and more. Switch styles anytime and the whole band re-arranges. ⢠Make it yours: set the tempo and key, reshape the groove section by section, and balance, mute, solo or swap instruments in the mixer. ⢠Practice with purpose: loop any passage with A-B repeat, count yourself in, and follow the chart as it scrolls with the music. A BAND THAT BREATHES, NOT A STIFF LOOP Real intros and endings, fills between sections, and a rhythm section that lifts behind your solo instead of repeating the same bar. Whether you're shedding ii-V-I changes, grinding the 12-bar blues or running a pop tune, the backing feels like players in a room. READS LIKE A REAL LEAD SHEET Clean chord symbols in jazz shorthand or spelled out, Roman numerals under every chord, colors by chord quality, and 2 or 4 bars per row. On iPad the chart grows with the screen, in portrait or landscape, and works in Split View and Stage Manager. GENRES Jazz · Blues · Pop · Rock · Funk · Soul/R&B · Latin · Reggae FOR EVERY PLAYER Guitarists, pianists, horn and reed players, bassists, singers, students and teachers: anyone who learns faster with a band behind them. Available in English and Simplified Chinese. FREE TO START, PRO ONCE Start free and save up to 5 charts. BackingBand Pro is a one-time purchase, no subscription: ⢠Save unlimited charts ⢠Play any chart in all 12 keys ⢠The full chord palette: sus, color chords and every 7th beyond the dominant 7th ⢠Create charts in 3/4, 6/8 and 12/8, and change individual bars to supported meters, including 2/4 PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account or ads. Your charts stay on your device, and the band keeps playing in the background. Usage analytics helps us improve the app; you can turn it off in Settings. We do not send your chart contents or audio to analytics. Download BackingBand and never practice to silence again.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: BackingBand at weekly against Grothm's every 3 weeks. BackingBand also leads on iOS requirement (16.6 vs 18). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Grothm sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and BackingBand sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Grothm ships an update every 3 weeks, BackingBand weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Grothm | BackingBand |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Weekly ā better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad ā better |
| Requires iOS | 18 | 16.6 ā better |
| Further details ā not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 411 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | éę é | ęå±± é |
In-app purchases
Grothm
- Grothm Pro$2.99
BackingBand
- Backing Buddy Pro$14.99
Questions
Is Grothm free?
Is BackingBand free?
Do Grothm or BackingBand have ads?
Which is updated more often, Grothm or BackingBand?
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