Comparison

SongStems vs Riffloop

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

Head to head
About

SongStems

This app uses AI to separate any song into individual stems like vocals, drums, and bass, all processed locally for privacy. It allows users to loop, slow down, remix, and export these stems for practice or creative projects.

Highlights
  • AI stem separation
  • Vocal removal
  • Instrument isolation
  • On-device processing
  • Looping and practice
  • Remixing tools
  • Export stems
Features
Read full description

SongStems uses AI-powered stem separation to break any song into individual tracks — vocals, drums, bass, and more. Everything runs on your device, so your music library stays completely private. Whether you're a singer creating instant backing tracks or a musician drilling a tough passage, SongStems helps you learn faster. REMOVE VOCALS & ISOLATE STEMS Strip out vocals to create karaoke-style backing tracks in seconds. Isolate drums, bass, or other instruments so you can focus on the part that matters to you. 100% ON-DEVICE — YOUR MUSIC STAYS PRIVATE All stem separation happens locally on your iPhone or iPad. Nothing is uploaded, nothing is shared. Your music is yours. LOOP & PRACTICE Set loop points around any section of a song and repeat it until it's second nature. Slow it down without changing the pitch — perfect for mastering difficult riffs, solos, or vocal runs. REMIX YOUR LOOPS Slice any loop on the beat and rearrange it into something new. Smart Roll builds musical phrases that keep the downbeat where it belongs, or shuffle, scramble, and build your own pattern by hand. Add reverse, stutter, gate, and tape-stop effects to any slice, then jam the slices live on a pad grid and punch them into the sequence. Every remix follows your song's stems, speed, and pitch. BUILD PLAYLISTS Organize your practice sessions by creating playlists of songs and stems. Queue up your setlist, group songs by key or difficulty, or build a warm-up routine — whatever fits your workflow. EXPORT YOUR STEMS Save separated tracks to use however you like — bring them into your DAW, share them with bandmates, or keep them for practice on the go. FREE TO START Try stem separation free, and preview remixing before you buy. UNLOCK EVERYTHING A single in-app purchase unlocks unlimited stem separations and unlimited saved remixes — no subscriptions, no hidden fees.

About

Riffloop

Features
Read full description

Riffloop is a stem splitter and vocal remover for musicians. It pulls a song apart so you can hear the part you are trying to learn, then loop it and slow it down. Add a song and Riffloop splits it into vocals, drums, bass, guitar, piano and everything else. Mute the guitar and play it yourself. Remove the vocals and sing karaoke. Solo the bass and work out what it is doing. Separation runs on your iPhone, so your audio is never uploaded. YOUR FIRST SONG IS FREE, IN FULL Your first split is the whole song, every part, at no cost. Hear what Riffloop does with your own music before you decide anything. STEM SPLITTER • 4 or 6 stems: vocals, drums, bass, other, plus guitar and piano • Vocal remover and acapella: drop the vocals for karaoke, or keep only the vocals • Backing tracks: mute the parts you play and keep the band • Choose the section you are working on, or the whole song • Add songs from Files, from your videos, or from a link to a file, up to 10 minutes • Or capture audio playing on your iPhone PRACTICE • A fader for every stem, with mute and solo • Loop any A to B section and save the loops you come back to • Slow down music to half speed or speed it up to 1.5x, without changing the pitch • Key changer: move the pitch up or down by as much as 12 semitones • A metronome that follows the song's own beat CHORDS • See the chords as the song plays, with guitar shapes in easy or barre form • The song's key and tempo, read from the audio EXPORT • Save your mix, every stem as its own file, or a single part • MP3 and M4A, plus lossless WAV on Pro START WITH THE DEMO A short song comes already split, with a quick walkthrough of the mixer, so you can try everything before you add your own. ONE ACCOUNT Sign in with Apple, Google or email. Your plan and saved loops follow you to Riffloop on the web. FREE AND PRO Free: your first song in full, then five separations a day, sections up to 60 seconds, 4 stems, Standard quality, three saved loops per song, chords and metronome for the first 30 seconds, and 60-second MP3 or M4A exports. Pro: whole songs, 6 stems, Best quality, unlimited separations and loops, chords and metronome for the whole song, and full-length exports including WAV. Pro is available as a monthly or yearly subscription, or as a one-time lifetime purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and payment is charged to your Apple Account. Manage or cancel in your App Store account settings. Riffloop is for personal practice and study. Use it with music you have the right to use. Terms of Use: https://riffloop.app/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://riffloop.app/privacy/

Screenshots

SongStems4 screens
Riffloop4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Riffloop at every 3 days against SongStems's monthly. SongStems's advantage is iOS requirement (18.1 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. SongStems sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Riffloop sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SongStems ships an update monthly, Riffloop every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
SongStems versus Riffloop: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSongStemsRiffloop
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.1 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size181 MB55 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMARK CLYMER RICKSENImportify Limited

In-app purchases

1 purchases

SongStems

One-time1
  • SongStems Pro$9.99
4 purchases

Riffloop

Subscriptions2
  • Riffloop Pro Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Riffloop Pro Yearly$39.001 Year
One-time2
  • Lifetime Pro: Welcome Offer$49.99
  • Riffloop Pro Lifetime$99.00

Questions

Is SongStems free?
SongStems is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Riffloop free?
Riffloop is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SongStems or Riffloop have ads?
Neither SongStems nor Riffloop shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SongStems or Riffloop?
SongStems ships an update monthly, and Riffloop every 3 days. Most recently, SongStems was updated on October 28, 2026 and Riffloop on October 29, 2026.

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