String Ledger vs Bander
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
String Ledger
Organize your music instruments and gear with detailed logging, maintenance tracking, and gig list creation. Generate insurance-ready reports and assign beneficiaries for your collection.
- Catalog instruments and gear
- Track strings and maintenance
- Create gig lists
- Generate insurance reports
- Assign beneficiaries
- Log purchase and current value
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String Ledger is the complete management app for musicians who take their instruments and gear seriously. Whether you own two guitars or a full touring rig, String Ledger keeps everything organized, documented, and protected. CATALOG YOUR COLLECTION Add every instrument and piece of gear you own. Log brand, model, nickname, year, serial number, color, country of origin, storage location, purchase price, and current value. Attach multiple photos to each instrument, pinch to zoom in on details, and save any photo back to your library. TRACK STRINGS & MAINTENANCE Never lose track of when you last changed your strings. Set a custom change interval, log every restring with brand and gauge, and receive push notification reminders when it's time — with a one-tap reorder link for your string brand. Double-neck guitars track each neck separately. Build a complete service history for every instrument. GEAR LIST Track all your gear too — amps, pedals, cables, microphones, audio interfaces, and more, with serial numbers, values, and service history. SETLISTS & GIG LISTS Build setlists and assign a specific guitar to each song, then print a stage-ready copy with or without the guitar names. Duplicate and rename setlists to reuse them. Build a gear list for every gig, and sort or reorder your setlists and gigs any way you like. INSURANCE-READY REPORTS Generate a professional PDF of your entire collection — serial numbers, prices, values, and service history — grouped by location. Export to a CSV spreadsheet too. Essential for insurance claims, theft recovery, or estate planning. BACKUP & RESTORE Export your whole collection, including photos, to a single backup file you can save to Files or iCloud Drive — then restore it anytime or move it to another device. BENEFICIARY RECORDS Assign a personal beneficiary to each instrument — who you want it to go to, their contact information, and any notes. WORKS YOUR WAY Choose from 40 currencies, search and sort your collection, and switch to a larger list view. PLANS The free plan supports up to 5 items. Collector unlocks unlimited instruments, gear, and reports. Pro adds Gigs and Setlists on top. Collector: $2.99/month or $24.99/year. Pro: $4.99/month or $39.99/year. Cancel anytime. Privacy Policy: https://stringledger.com/privacy Terms of Use: https://stringledger.com/terms
Bander
This app transforms solo guitar playing into a dynamic jam session. It listens to your rhythm and feel, joining in organically without a fixed backing track. Explore riffs and rehearse with a responsive virtual bandmate.
- AI-powered bandmate
- Listens to rhythm and feel
- Follows tempo and dynamics
- Organic jam sessions
- Solo practice tool
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Your guitar. Your groove. A bandmate who listens. Bander turns solo playing into a live jam. Pick up your guitar and start playing. Bander listens for your rhythm, feels for the groove, and joins in when the moment is right. Jam when inspiration strikes. Rehearse without pressure. Explore a riff until it becomes something new. Ready when you are. https://bander.live/tos https://bander.live/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Bander at none against String Ledger's shown. Bander also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.4) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). String Ledger's advantage is iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.5). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. String Ledger sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Bander sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Bander holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bander has 84 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 80% of String Ledger's written reviews are positive against 78% of Bander's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
String Ledger ships an update fortnightly, Bander every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 15, 2026.
| Parameter | String Ledger | Bander |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (5 ratings) | 4.8 (84 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews — better | 77.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 5 | 84 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 — better | 18.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 61 MB | 156 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Larry Riker | WT PUBLISHING LTD |
Customer experience
String Ledger
Bander
In-app purchases
String Ledger
- String Ledger Collector$2.991 Month
- Pro Monthly (Loyalty)$2.991 Month
- String Ledger Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
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- Collector Annual$24.991 Year
- Pro Annual (Loyalty)$29.991 Year
- String Ledger Pro Annual$39.991 Year
Bander
- Bander Monthly$9.991 Month
- Bander Yearly$59.991 Year
Questions
Is String Ledger free?
Is Bander free?
Which has better reviews, String Ledger or Bander?
Do String Ledger or Bander have ads?
Which is updated more often, String Ledger or Bander?
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