BackingBand vs Loopie Sessions
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
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 β’ 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. β’ Import charts from iReal Pro: paste a link or choose an exported file, and the band picks a matching style for supported charts. β’ 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. β’ Make it yours: set the tempo and key, reshape the groove section by section, and balance, mute, solo or swap instruments in the mixer. β’ 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 Β· Blues Β· Pop Β· Rock Β· Funk Β· Soul/R&B Β· Latin Β· 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: β’ Save unlimited charts β’ Play any chart in all 12 keys β’ The full chord palette: sus, color chords and every 7th beyond the dominant 7th β’ 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.
Loopie Sessions
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Practice, create and share West African rhythms with a global drumming community. PLAY Practice your favourite West African rhythms and discover new ones, with a shared library from drummers around the world and options to visualise ballet-style duns. CREATE Build and save your own solos, accompaniments and variations with flexible time signatures and more control over parts. COLLABORATE Share rhythms, variations, and solos with the Loopie community, discover what others have published, and star and comment on other playersβ creations. β CORE FUNCTIONALITY Loopie gives you everything you need to learn, practise and play West African rhythms with confidence: β Play djembe, dundun, sangban, kenkeni and bell parts β Follow clear, interactive notation as each rhythm plays β Tap through variations, adjust tempos and loop rhythms for focused practice β Enjoy high-quality, realistic percussive sound β Explore a growing library of traditional rhythms β Save favourites and your own rhythms for easy access β Access the app and all its content free, with no subscriptions or paywalls β Enjoy an ad-free experience with no third-party trackers or analytics.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Loopie Sessions at none against BackingBand's 1. Loopie Sessions also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. BackingBand sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Loopie Sessions asks for nothing beyond the download.
BackingBand ships an update weekly, Loopie Sessions every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BackingBand | Loopie Sessions |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Every 2 days β better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No β better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod β better |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 15.0 β better |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 411 MB | 25 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ζε±± ι | Lukas Steiner |
In-app purchases
BackingBand
- Backing Buddy Pro$14.99
Loopie Sessions
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is BackingBand free?
Is Loopie Sessions free?
Do BackingBand or Loopie Sessions have ads?
Which is updated more often, BackingBand or Loopie Sessions?
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