The best apps to slow down music for practice in 2026

Disclosure: I build StemConsole, one of the tools below. Apps change their features and prices often, so check each one’s own site or app store listing before you pay.

At a glance

How slow-down apps work, and what to listen for

Every app here uses time-stretching: it changes the speed without changing the pitch. The amount of audible smearing depends on the algorithm, recording and playback speed. Test with the fastest passage you actually need to learn, on headphones, before you pay for anything.

1. Transcribe!: best for serious transcription on a computer

Transcribe! has been the standard desktop tool for working out parts for years. It slows audio precisely, loops named sections, shows a spectrum view that helps you identify notes, guesses chords and plays video. It is a one-off licence on Windows, Mac and Linux. There is no phone version and it does not separate stems.

Official reference: Transcribe! features and platforms.

2. Anytune: best on iPhone and iPad

Anytune offers very slow playback, shifts pitch over a wide range, and has flexible marks and loops, all working offline. It is a one-off purchase on Apple devices. There is no Windows or web version; see Anytune alternatives if that rules it out, or StemConsole vs Anytune for the head to head.

Official reference: Anytune platforms and features.

3. Amazing Slow Downer: simplest cross-platform option

Amazing Slow Downer does slow-down, key change and loops on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android without much else to learn. It is a one-off purchase per platform and works on your own audio files.

Official reference: Amazing Slow Downer platforms.

4. Moises: stems and chords in one app

Moises combines AI stem separation with chord detection, speed and pitch controls and a metronome, on the web and in mobile apps. It combines separation and practice tools, with additional features on paid plans.

Official reference: Moises stem separation.

5. Capo: best for learning chords by ear

Capo is built around detecting the chords in a song while you slow it down and loop it. It is Apple only. If chord detection is what you need most, Capo or Moises will serve you better than a pure slow-downer.

Official reference: Capo features and supported devices.

6. StemConsole: best for hearing one instrument while slowed down

StemConsole has a free speed and key player in the browser. Open a song and it plays the whole track from 50% to 150% speed with the pitch kept, moves the key up to 12 semitones either way, and loops a passage with an A/B loop on the waveform. It needs no account, and nothing uploads: the song plays on your device. With a free account, Download MP3 saves the whole song at your speed and key as an MP3, made on your device.

To hear one instrument while it is slowed down, StemConsole separates the song into stems, so you can solo the part you are learning, or mute your own instrument and play along. Pro changes speed and key on the separate stems and adds named loops, tap tempo and count-in. It works on any device with a browser, and every split song stays in your library with a share link. It does not go slower than 50%, does not detect chords, and needs an internet connection.

StemConsole plans: free covers vocal removal and a 4-stem split (vocals, drums, bass, other), 5 splits a month, the live mixer, a basic A/B loop, a saved library, share links, key and BPM analysis, song-following click, manual BPM and tap tempo, and a speed and key player that plays a whole song at any speed from 50% to 150% or moves its key up or down 12 semitones in the browser, and saves the result as an MP3 with a free account. Pro is US$6.99 a month or US$49 a year and adds 6 stems with guitar and piano, WAV, 100 splits a month, and the practice room tools on the separated stems: speed from 50% to 150% without changing pitch, key change up or down 12 semitones, multiple named loops and count-in. A US$1.99 credit buys one 6-stem split with MP3 downloads and basic A/B looping. WAV, speed and key change on stems, and multiple named loops require Pro.

7. AudioStretch: wide speed range on a phone

AudioStretch is a lightweight iPhone and Android app with a very wide speed range and a free Lite version on iOS. A good budget choice if all you need is slow playback on your phone.

Official reference: AudioStretch versions.

8. YouTube playback speed: free and instant

The playback speed setting on YouTube slows a video without changing its pitch, for free. It is fine for a quick listen, but it has no proper A/B loop without a browser extension, and the audio gets washy at low speeds.

How to choose

• You transcribe seriously on a computer: Transcribe!.
• You practise on an iPhone or iPad: Anytune.
• You want one simple app on every device: Amazing Slow Downer.
• You want chords shown for you: Moises, or Capo on Apple devices.
• You want it free in a browser, with nothing to install or upload: StemConsole’s speed and key player.
• The part is buried in the mix and you need to hear it alone: StemConsole.
• You just need a quick listen to a YouTube video: YouTube’s playback speed.

Frequently asked questions

Dan Murtagh is a Melbourne mixing and mastering engineer with 20 years making records and a decade teaching audio. He built StemConsole as a practice tool for his students. More about Dan.

Using Transcribe! and want something for your phone or a free option? See the best Transcribe! alternatives.

More practice tools compared: looping part of a song, changing a song’s key, making a backing track and learning songs by ear.

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