Comparison

SideBand vs JustChords

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

Head to head
About

SideBand

This app helps musicians learn songs by ear. It allows users to slow down music, loop sections, and change the key to match their voice or instrument. Import music from various sources like the Music app or iCloud.

Highlights
  • Adjust tempo
  • Transpose key
  • Change tuning
  • Loop sections
  • Import unprotected music
  • Supports iPhone and iPad
Features
Read full description

Learn tunes by ear - slow down and loop sections of a tune. Change the key to fit your voice or instrument. Import any unprotected music from the Music app, from the iCloud Files application or drag tunes from your desktop. Support for all iPhone screen sizes as well as iPad. Use slide-over while listening to your Music files to quickly import on iPad Use split screen to listen while viewing music • Adjust tempo - change the speed from half-speed to double speed • Transpose - change the key by semi-tones up to an octave higher or lower • Change the tuning - Adjust the pitch of an out-of-tune recording • Import from any other app that can export an audio file - wav, mp3 and AAC files are supported.

About

JustChords

Organize your song library with chord charts and lyrics. Create or import songs, sync across devices, and build setlists for live performances. Supports various music notations and audio playback.

Highlights
  • Chord chart and lyric editor
  • Import songs from online sources
  • iCloud device syncing
  • Setlist creation and sharing
  • AirPlay lyric projection
  • Audio player and recorder
  • Support for multiple music notations
Read full description

JustChords is your complete tool for cataloging chord charts and lyrics. Create charts from scratch, import them from files, or pull them from online sources — building a library that's always with you, synced across iPhone, iPad and Mac via iCloud. Use JustChords standalone or as an AUv3 plugin in your favorite DAW. FEATURES • Setlists, with sharing and collaboration • Song editor is based on ChordPro and supports chords & lyrics, note sheets (PDF), chord beats, guitar tabs and ABC notation • Change Key, Capo, Piano Transpose, Rewrite into key • Metronome & Tuner • Autoscroll • Guitar, ukulele and piano chord diagrams, including alternate tunings • Audio player & recorder. Attach your tracks from Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, URL or local file • Project lyrics or a dedicated stage display via AirPlay, with rich configuration options • Bluetooth / MIDI pedal support • Chord Beats — visualize chord duration right in your chords & lyrics, send chord notes over MIDI as they play, and trigger predefined MIDI messages on section changes • Tonic Pad — an ambient backing pad matched to your song's key • PlayTogether — keep your whole band in sync live, hands-free

Screenshots

SideBand4 screens
JustChords4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: JustChords at Free against SideBand's $2.99. JustChords also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.0) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 22 months). SideBand's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.5). On ads 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

JustChords is free to download; SideBand costs $2.99 up front. JustChords sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. SideBand asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

JustChords holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: JustChords has 348 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of SideBand's written reviews are positive against 94% of JustChords's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SideBand ships an update every 22 months, JustChords every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
SideBand versus JustChords: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSideBandJustChords
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.0 (5 ratings)4.9 (348 ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews94.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5348 — better
Update frequencyEvery 22 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.5
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB65 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWil MacaulayMarek Palka

Customer experience

SideBand

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

JustChords

All ratings348 ratings
Positive98.6%
Neutral1.1%
Negative0.3%
Written reviews103 reviews
Positive94.2%
Neutral1.9%
Negative3.9%

Bugs and requests

SideBand

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

JustChords

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • App crashes when importing songs from online sources
  • Pinch zoom feature stopped working
  • Songs disappearing from library
  • App unable to load songs from library in certain conditions
  • Multi-column view not functioning on iPad
Show 6 more
  • PDF export inconsistently includes/excludes metadata
  • Control+S keyboard shortcut non-functional on iPad and desktop
  • Choppy scrolling between songs
  • Tagging system filters incorrectly (excludes songs with multiple tags)
  • Songs won't open when tapped (reported on iPhone 8 with iOS 16.7.4)
  • Sticky notes placement requires manual adjustment

Requested features

8 requests
  • Apple Pencil direct annotation with eraser capability
  • Standard tag filtering logic (show songs with selected tags)
  • Bluetooth pedal support for song navigation without touching device
  • Web-based editor for songs
  • Direct in-app sharing to other users
Show 3 more
  • Improved documentation and user manual
  • Smoother song-to-song scrolling transitions
  • Dark mode option

In-app purchases

None

SideBand

No in-app purchases

7 purchases

JustChords

One-time7
  • Buy me a coffee$0.99
  • Nice Chords!$2.99
  • Buy me a pineapple$4.99
Show 4 more
  • Rock On!$6.99
  • Buy me a book$7.99
  • Big Thanks!$17.99
  • Legendary Support!$44.99

Questions

Is SideBand free?
SideBand costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is JustChords free?
JustChords is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SideBand or JustChords?
JustChords is rated higher. SideBand averages 4.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while JustChords averages 4.9 from 348 ratings.
Do SideBand or JustChords have ads?
Neither SideBand nor JustChords shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SideBand or JustChords?
SideBand ships an update every 22 months, and JustChords every 2 weeks. Most recently, SideBand was updated on September 25, 2026 and JustChords on September 26, 2026.

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