Comparison

RealPlay vs Essentially Ellington 2027

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

Head to head
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/

About

Essentially Ellington 2027

Explore jazz performances with interactive features. Isolate instruments, change camera angles, and engage with orchestral music in a new way. This app offers an immersive learning experience for musicians and enthusiasts.

Highlights
  • Isolate and mute individual instruments
  • Explore multiple camera angles
  • Zoom in on orchestra members
  • Interactive learning experience
  • Responsive media format
Features
Read full description

Experience The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra on the Myxstem Responsive Media format (formerly known as Tutti Music Player). Interact with members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra as they perform each of this year’s charts. With the free Essentially Ellington App, you can: * Zoom in on each member of the orchestra * Solo and mute individual parts and combine sections together * Explore multiple camera angles and perspectives The Myxstem format transforms rehearsal into an engaging, immersive learning experience for directors, students, and ensembles everywhere. Now available as a free native app on: * iPhone * iPad * Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or later) * Apple Vision Pro Bring the rehearsal room into your classroom, practice space, or home, and connect directly with the music. Download for free from the Apple App Store.

Screenshots

RealPlay4 screens
Essentially Ellington 20274 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Essentially Ellington 2027 at none against RealPlay's 2. Essentially Ellington 2027 also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and device support (4 vs 2). RealPlay's advantage is ratings volume (171 vs 2) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, ads and iOS requirement 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. RealPlay sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.29 per month. Essentially Ellington 2027 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Essentially Ellington 2027 holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RealPlay has 171 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RealPlay ships an update every 5 days, Essentially Ellington 2027 every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
RealPlay versus Essentially Ellington 2027: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRealPlayEssentially Ellington 2027
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (171 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews73.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings171 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size113 MB41 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRealPlay LLCMyxstem

Customer experience

RealPlay

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

Essentially Ellington 2027

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

RealPlay

Subscriptions2
  • RealPlay Pro Monthly$3.291 Month
  • RealPlay Pro Yearly$21.991 Year
None

Essentially Ellington 2027

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is RealPlay free?
RealPlay is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Essentially Ellington 2027 free?
Essentially Ellington 2027 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, RealPlay or Essentially Ellington 2027?
Essentially Ellington 2027 is rated higher. RealPlay averages 4.8 out of 5 from 171 ratings, while Essentially Ellington 2027 averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do RealPlay or Essentially Ellington 2027 have ads?
Neither RealPlay nor Essentially Ellington 2027 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RealPlay or Essentially Ellington 2027?
RealPlay ships an update every 5 days, and Essentially Ellington 2027 every 3 weeks. Most recently, RealPlay was updated on October 31, 2026 and Essentially Ellington 2027 on November 1, 2026.

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