Anytune is a strong practice tool with a very wide speed range — 0.3×–2.5×, or 0.05×–4.0× with the Studio pack — unlimited Audiomarks, a Loop Trainer and pedal support, bought once rather than rented. What it is not is a library: it opens one file at a time. JamCrate is the library — whole folders, every track matched to the same loudness, each song carrying its own tab and markers, plus a phone player. It gives up the extremes of speed to be that.
What Anytune is good at
Anytune is a well-built practice tool with an unusually wide speed range: 0.3× to 2.5× in the core app, and 0.05× to 4.0× with the Studio pack. Its markers (Audiomarks) are unlimited on the Mac and Pro+ versions, it can scroll lyrics and text tabs in time with the music, it has a Loop Trainer that raises the tempo for you, and it supports MIDI and foot-pedal control. On Apple platforms it is a one-time purchase — $34.99 for the Mac app, $14.99 for Anytune Pro+ on iOS — with no account required.
That it is a purchase rather than a subscription, in a category that has drifted towards subscriptions, is worth saying out loud.
Where it stops fitting
There is no Windows version — the vendor says it is planned but not near. It does not detect chords automatically, so the lyrics and tab view is only as good as the text you supply. Its instrument isolation is a solo/mute of vocals or instruments rather than separated stems you can export. And it is still one file at a time: no library, no folder of songs, no normalisation between tracks.
Foot-pedal support on the Mac is narrower than you might expect — the vendor notes that AirTurn devices are not supported on Anytune Mac yet.
What JamCrate does instead
- The whole folder is the unit. Import a directory of backing tracks and it becomes a library with bands, songs and setlists — not a list of recently opened files.
- Everything about a song in one folder: audio, tab, markers, notes. Move it to another Mac or a USB stick and it still works.
- Automatic loudness matching, so a quiet home recording and a loud commercial backing track sit at the same level.
- A phone player that needs no app store and no second purchase — the set opens in the phone's browser, with transport and solo loops on the phone screen.
Where JamCrate loses: Anytune goes far slower and far faster (0.05×–4.0× against 0.5×–1.0×), it has a Loop Trainer that speeds up for you, and it supports foot pedals. If those matter, Anytune is the better tool.
Side by side
| Anytune | JamCrate | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $34.99 one-time for Mac, $14.99 for Anytune Pro+ on iOS (no subscription) | free beta |
| Platforms | macOS, iOS, Android — no Windows | macOS 14+, phone via browser |
| Speed range | 0.3×–2.5×; 0.05×–4.0× with the Studio pack | 0.5×–1.0×, pitch preserved |
| Markers | Audiomarks, unlimited on Mac and Pro+ | markers, In/Out fragments, setlists |
| Tempo trainer | Loop Trainer raises the tempo for you | no |
| Tab / chord view | scrolls lyrics and text tabs you supply; no chord detection | txt, chordpro, PDF, Guitar Pro, auto-scroll |
| Foot pedal / MIDI | yes, but AirTurn is not supported on Mac yet | not yet |
| Library | one file at a time | whole folder, with loudness matching |
Facts about the other tools come from their own sites: Anytune Mac on the App Store · feature comparison · Anytune on Windows
Which should you pick?
Pick Anytune if you need to go below 0.5×, if you want a tempo trainer that pushes you, or if you need foot-pedal control now. It is a one-time purchase, which is rare in this category.
Pick JamCrate if the problem is the pile of files rather than the single hard solo: one library, everything at the same volume, tabs and markers in the song's own folder, and the phone in the practice room without a second purchase.
Questions
Is Anytune a subscription?
No — on Apple platforms Anytune is a one-time purchase: $34.99 for the Mac app and $14.99 for Anytune Pro+ on iOS, with add-ons sold separately. On Android the vendor offers Pro as either a one-time purchase or a subscription.
Why is JamCrate limited to 0.5×?
Below half speed the stretching artefacts become loud enough that you start learning the smearing rather than the notes. Tools that go to 0.05× are useful for working a part out; for playing along, half speed is usually as far as you want to go.
Can I use my Anytune Audiomarks in JamCrate?
Not automatically — the marker formats are unrelated. You can re-mark a song in JamCrate in a few seconds while it plays, and after that the markers live in the song's folder and travel with it.
Try it on a track you already own
JamCrate is a free beta for macOS 14+. Import a folder, mark the hard bars, take the tempo down to 0.5× and keep the key.
Download for Mac Try the player in your browser
About 20 MB · Universal build · signed and notarized by Apple · no account, nothing leaves your Mac.
Prefer Homebrew? brew install --cask vitas/jamcrate/jamcrate