Comparison

Mandolin Chords Compass vs ChordAid

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

Head to head
About

Mandolin Chords Compass

Access a vast library of mandolin chords with a virtual fretboard and authentic sound. Perfect for beginners and experienced players, it offers offline functionality and supports multiple mandolin family instruments. Master any song with this comprehensive practice and composition tool.

Highlights
  • Massive chord library
  • Virtual fretboard visualization
  • Authentic chord sound playback
  • Supports Mandolin, Mandola, Mandocello
  • Offline functionality
  • Left-handed mode
  • One-time purchase
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Take your mandolin playing to the next level. Whether you're a complete beginner or a seasoned musician, Mandolin Chords Compass gives you instant access to a massive library of chords across the entire fretboard—accurate, intuitive, and easy to explore. Master 24,000 Chords With Precision And Simplicity:
 Quickly find the right voicing by selecting the chord root, type and addition and explore the options with just a few clicks. View each chord on a virtual fretboard and hear its authentic sound. It supports Mandolin, Mandola and Mandocello! All-in-One Professional Tool for Players and Creators: + Visualize chords in 17 fretboard positions + Listen to chord sounds + Left-handed mode, retina graphics, and adjustable volume + Designed for offline use, no internet or subscriptions required Built for Practice, Composition, and Teaching:
 Ideal for self-taught learners, classroom instructors, or songwriters creating custom progressions. Whether you're developing skills or composing original music, this app is your complete mandolin companion! Get Full Access with a One-Time Purchase:
 No subscriptions. No recurring fees. Just powerful features you own forever. Across all of your Apple devices —iPhone, iPad and Mac! Elevate your music and master the mandolin today! Get Mandolin Chords Compass and start playing with confidence!

About

ChordAid

This app serves as a comprehensive chord reference and finder for various stringed instruments. It supports numerous tunings and chord types, allowing users to compare, practice, and customize chord shapes. Features include a reverse chord finder and the ability to translate chords between instruments.

Highlights
  • Chord reference and finder
  • Supports standard and alternate tunings
  • Over 45 chord types including slash chords
  • Adjustable chord shape complexity
  • Reverse chord finder mode
  • Translate chords between instruments
  • Favorite chord marking
Features
Read full description

Chord reference and chord finder for guitar, bass, banjo, ukulele, mandolin and bouzouki. Supports standard and alternate tunings and includes more than forty-five chord types: both simple and complicated ones used in jazz music, including slash chords. You can display, compare and practice several different chords at once. They may be the chords of a song or different variations of the same chord. You can adjust the complexity of the chord shapes shown according to your skill. In addition to the usual chord shapes, ChordAid lets you choose among more difficult chord shapes with two barres and big stretching between fingers. Several strumming options or finger-picking style are available. Supports left handed players. You can translate chords from one instrument to another. You can mark individual chord shapes as favorites. Then you can switch to a display mode that shows you favorite shapes only. In this way you can build a chord library of your own. In a "Reverse Chord Finder" mode, you can select a few notes on the fretboard and the app will show you the names of the chords that match. You can then add the chord to the chord list and the app will show other fingerings. Here is a list of the currently supported instruments and tunings: • Guitar 6 strings - Standard - Open C, D, G, A, B, E, C#, D minor, G minor - Modal D, G - Drop C, D, B - Tenor (Mandola) • Bass guitar 4 strings - Standard - Drop C, D • Bass guitar 5 strings - Standard - Tenor • Ukulele - Concert, Concert low G - D - Canadian - Baritone - Bass • Mandolin - Standard - Mandola • Bouzouki - Three, four courses - Irish - Octave mandolin - Open D, G • Guitalele • Banjo 5 strings - Open G, D, A - Drop C, Double C, Old time D, Sawmill • Banjo 4 strings - Standard(CGDA), Celtic, Chicago, Plectrum • Waldzither Please visit our support page if you have questions about using the application or if you have any issues. Drop us a line if you do not see your favourite feature or if you have suggestions for improvement. Follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook to get notified for new releases and updates. http://emsi.eu/chord-aid https://www.facebook.com/chordaid https://twitter.com/altichord Happy playing!

Screenshots

Mandolin Chords Compass4 screens
ChordAid4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ChordAid at Free against Mandolin Chords Compass's $4.99. ChordAid also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.8) and review sentiment (49% vs 17%). Mandolin Chords Compass's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and chart position (#160 vs unranked). 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

ChordAid is free to download; Mandolin Chords Compass costs $4.99 up front. ChordAid sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Mandolin Chords Compass asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ChordAid holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ChordAid has 270 ratings behind it against 31, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 17% of Mandolin Chords Compass's written reviews are positive against 49% of ChordAid's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mandolin Chords Compass ships an update every 64 months, ChordAid every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Mandolin Chords Compass versus ChordAid: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMandolin Chords CompassChordAid
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating3.8 (31 ratings)4.6 (270 ratings) — better
Positive reviews16.7% of reviews48.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings31270 — better
Update frequencyEvery 64 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#160 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.010.3 — better
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB76 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMax SchleeEMSI SOFT

Customer experience

Mandolin Chords Compass

All ratings31 ratings
Positive71.0%
Neutral3.2%
Negative25.8%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive16.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative83.3%

ChordAid

All ratings270 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral4.4%
Negative6.7%
Written reviews37 reviews
Positive48.6%
Neutral2.7%
Negative48.6%

Bugs and requests

Mandolin Chords Compass

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

ChordAid

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Total fail on SMS confirmation
  • Chords disappear after a couple of days
  • Tutorial not working
  • Cannot get it to display any chords

Requested features

10 requests
  • Flow view or print out for favorited chords
  • Make chords flow down like responsive web
  • Add finger numbers
  • Add slash chords
  • Add support for banjo
Show 5 more
  • Display chord progressions
  • Display power chords
  • Add YouTube additions
  • Add more advanced features for beginners
  • Improve tutorial

In-app purchases

None

Mandolin Chords Compass

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

ChordAid

One-time3
  • All Chords$4.99
  • All Tunings$4.99
  • All Chords and Tunings$7.99

Questions

Is Mandolin Chords Compass free?
Mandolin Chords Compass costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ChordAid free?
ChordAid is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Mandolin Chords Compass or ChordAid?
ChordAid is rated higher. Mandolin Chords Compass averages 3.8 out of 5 from 31 ratings, while ChordAid averages 4.6 from 270 ratings.
Do Mandolin Chords Compass or ChordAid have ads?
Neither Mandolin Chords Compass nor ChordAid shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mandolin Chords Compass or ChordAid?
Mandolin Chords Compass ships an update every 64 months, and ChordAid every 3 weeks. Most recently, Mandolin Chords Compass was updated on October 11, 2026 and ChordAid on October 13, 2026.

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