Comparison

BAND BOY vs ARPJAM

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

Head to head
About

BAND BOY

Enhance your instrument practice with a versatile tool that offers vocal, LR, and bass cuts for karaoke-style sessions. Adjust key and speed, integrate with other audio apps, and utilize various effects and recording capabilities.

Highlights
  • Vocal/LR/Bass Cut
  • Key and Speed Control
  • Inter App Audio Integration
  • Microphone/Guitar Input
  • Various Effectors
  • Recording Functionality
Features
Read full description

BAND BOY is the BEST tool for instrument practice with plenty of awesome features! BAND BOY will absolutely help you practice instruments in lots of ways. [VOCAL/LR/BASS CUT] Use Vocal Cut for a vocal practice like KARAOKE! Play a part of your favorite band with a guitar/piano-reduced sound by LR cut or a bass-reduced sound by Bass cut! [KEY/SPEED CONTROL] You can change the key and the speed. Control the key and the speed freely as you like for the practice! [INTER APP AUDIO] You can use effect applications of Inter App Audio such as "Amplitube". Moreover this application is available on other applications such as "Garage Band" as sound sources of Inter App Audio. [MICROPHONE(LINE) INPUT/VARIOUS EFFECTORS] Connect to a microphone or a guitar through an audio interface with a 3.5mm 4 pole plug!*2 Reverb, EQ etc. various effectors are available.*3 You can also switch effectors using "iReg Blueboard". (Please execute pairing of it and an iOS device by iRig Blueboard app, and change the setting to "CONTROL CHANGE MODE".) [RECORDING] Recording system is certainly equipped!*4 You can take out the recording file through iTunes. There are plenty of other useful functions on BAND BOY. Surely brings you a marvelous experience, download BAND BOY now! *1 Download add-on within the application. *2 Interfaces using a DOCK connector are not available. Internal microphone is effective when normal stereo earphones are connected. *3 To use more than two effectors at the same time, purchase "Release Effector Restriction". *4 To record longer than 20 seconds, purchase "Release Recording Time Restriction".

About

ARPJAM

This app generates evolving ambient music using two independent arpeggio engines. It features a generative drum machine, sound design tools, and external instrument synchronization. Save and recall your favorite musical setups.

Highlights
  • Dual arpeggio engines
  • Generative drum machine
  • Sound design controls
  • External instrument sync (Ableton Link, MIDI Clock)
  • Save and recall presets
  • Built-in timer
Features
Read full description

ARPJAM is an arpeggio synthesizer that generates ever-evolving ambient music. Layer two independent arpeggio engines, each with its own waveform, scale, and pattern, and let the app weave an endless soundscape that shifts and breathes on its own. ■ Two Arpeggio Engines ARP A and ARP B run simultaneously, each with its own mode, scale, range, waveform, filter, and envelope. Five pattern modes: Random & Chord, Repeat, Random Single, Skank, and Drone. ■ Generative Drums A probability-based drum machine. Tune the firing density, double-hit chance, and open/closed hi-hat ratio for kick, snare, and hihat to create rhythms that evolve naturally alongside the arpeggio. ■ Sound Design Four waveforms — sine, triangle, sawtooth, square. Adjust the low-pass filter, attack, and overdrive per engine. Add depth with ping-pong delay and reverb. ■ Sync with External Instruments [NEW in v1.4] Ableton Link support — wirelessly sync tempo and bar phase with Ableton Move, Live, Koala, and other Link-enabled instruments on the same Wi-Fi network. USB-C MIDI Clock reception is also supported. Sample-accurate timing alignment, with a fine-tune Offset slider for each setup. ■ Redesigned Settings Panel [v1.4] Settings are now organized into five colored sections — Oscillator, Filter, Envelope, Algorithm, and Effects. Each section collapses individually or in bulk, and the state persists between launches. Jump directly to any section via the side rail (iPad) or sticky bar (iPhone). Clear square ON/OFF switches and vivid theme colors — orange for ARP A, lime for ARP B, cyan for Drums — make the whole panel far easier to navigate. ■ Save & Recall Four start presets (Default + SAVE 1/2/3) let you recall your favorite setups with a single tap from the start screen. Presets can be exported and imported as .arpjam files to share with other ARPJAM users. ■ Built-in Timer Choose countdown or infinite mode. The timer fades out with a gentle resolving chord — perfect as a sleep timer or as a companion to meditation. • 8 scales including pentatonic modes • 12 keys (Just Intonation / Equal Temperament switchable) • Groove control for swing feel • BPM 30–200 • English / Japanese language support • Ableton Link / MIDI Clock sync

Screenshots

BAND BOY3 screens
ARPJAM4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: ARPJAM at daily against BAND BOY's every 5 months. ARPJAM also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). BAND BOY's advantage is review sentiment (50% vs 33%) and iOS requirement (7.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. BAND BOY sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and ARPJAM sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for BAND BOY against 5.0 for ARPJAM. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 50% of BAND BOY's written reviews are positive against 33% of ARPJAM's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BAND BOY ships an update every 5 months, ARPJAM daily. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
BAND BOY versus ARPJAM: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBAND BOYARPJAM
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS7.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHiroaki IwaiTakashi Tsunoda

Customer experience

BAND BOY

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

ARPJAM

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

BAND BOY

One-time4
  • Release Effector Restrictions$0.99
  • Release Recording Time Restrictions$0.99
  • Release Advertisement$0.99
Show 1 more
  • Release All$1.99
1 purchases

ARPJAM

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$0.99

Questions

Is BAND BOY free?
BAND BOY is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ARPJAM free?
ARPJAM is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, BAND BOY or ARPJAM?
BAND BOY and ARPJAM are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do BAND BOY or ARPJAM have ads?
Neither BAND BOY nor ARPJAM shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BAND BOY or ARPJAM?
BAND BOY ships an update every 5 months, and ARPJAM daily. Most recently, BAND BOY was updated on November 1, 2026 and ARPJAM on October 31, 2026.

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