Comparison

Mandolin Chords Compass vs Strum Machine

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

Strum Machine

Generate realistic backing tracks for practice with real instrument audio. Customize chord progressions, keys, and tempo. Features a large song library, song editor, and band customization options. Works offline and syncs across devices.

Highlights
  • Realistic instrument audio backing tracks
  • Customizable chord progressions, keys, and tempo
  • Extensive song library
  • Simple song editor
  • Band and instrument customization
  • Cross-platform syncing and offline mode
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Elevate your music practice with customizable backing tracks generated with audio from real instruments (guitar, mandolin, and standup bass). Strum Machine can play any chord progression, in any key, at any speed. It's the only backing-track app built specifically for players of bluegrass, old-time, fiddle tunes, and other such genres. (Although it works pretty good for some jazz/swing now, too!) Why musicians of all levels love Strum Machine: • Realistic Sound: Backing tracks are assembled in real time from studio-quality instrument recordings. • Quick Adjustments: Instantly adjust the speed/tempo, change the key, loop part of a song, etc. • Auto-Speedup: Gradually increase the BPM at the end of every repetition for training purposes. • Chord Reference: Clean, beautiful chord charts, which can be displayed in letters or numbers (i.e. "1-4-5"). • Extensive Library: Over 1,300 songs (mostly from bluegrass and old-time) ready to go, with thousands more posted on the community forum. • Simple Song Editor: Add your own songs (or edit existing ones) in minutes. Almost every chord you can play on a guitar is available for use. • Customize the Band: Choose from a variety of built-in band styles, then optionally customize each instrument individually – adjust the strumming pattern, add automatic bass runs, and more. • Organize & Share: Create song lists for practicing or even performing, and share them with your friends or on the community forum. • Cross-Platform: Sync your custom songs, lists, and preferences with any device you use Strum Machine on: phone, tablet, or computer. (It works offline, too!) • Responsive Support: If you run into any problems or have questions, write us an email or post a message on the forum and someone will get back to you within a few days! Strum Machine is under active development and we're always working on ways to make the app even more useful to our users... while keeping it uncluttered and intuitive first and foremost. Discover how Strum Machine can improve your music practice today! Download Strum Machine and play a handful of demo songs instantly, without signing up. For the full experience, including access to all built-in songs and the ability to create your own, start a free trial. Terms of Use: https://strummachine.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://strummachine.com/privacy

Screenshots

Mandolin Chords Compass4 screens
Strum Machine4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Strum Machine at 89% against Mandolin Chords Compass's 17%. Strum Machine also leads on price (Free vs $4.99) and rating (4.7 vs 3.8). Mandolin Chords Compass's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On ads, chart position, device support and iOS requirement 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

Strum Machine is free to download; Mandolin Chords Compass costs $4.99 up front. Strum Machine sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Mandolin Chords Compass asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Strum Machine holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 31 and 118 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 17% of Mandolin Chords Compass's written reviews are positive against 89% of Strum Machine's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mandolin Chords Compass ships an update every 64 months, Strum Machine fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Mandolin Chords Compass versus Strum Machine: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMandolin Chords CompassStrum Machine
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating3.8 (31 ratings)4.7 (118 ratings) — better
Positive reviews16.7% of reviews88.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings31118 — better
Update frequencyEvery 64 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#133 — better#151
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.4
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB77 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMax SchleeLuke Abbott LLC

Customer experience

Mandolin Chords Compass

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

Strum Machine

All ratings118 ratings
Positive93.2%
Neutral0.8%
Negative5.9%
Written reviews61 reviews
Positive88.5%
Neutral3.3%
Negative8.2%

In-app purchases

None

Mandolin Chords Compass

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Strum Machine

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly Subscription14 Days trial$4.991 Month

Questions

Is Mandolin Chords Compass free?
Mandolin Chords Compass costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Strum Machine free?
Strum Machine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Mandolin Chords Compass or Strum Machine?
Strum Machine is rated higher. Mandolin Chords Compass averages 3.8 out of 5 from 31 ratings, while Strum Machine averages 4.7 from 118 ratings.
Do Mandolin Chords Compass or Strum Machine have ads?
Neither Mandolin Chords Compass nor Strum Machine shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mandolin Chords Compass or Strum Machine?
Mandolin Chords Compass ships an update every 64 months, and Strum Machine fortnightly. Most recently, Mandolin Chords Compass was updated on September 26, 2026 and Strum Machine on September 24, 2026.
Which is more popular, Mandolin Chords Compass or Strum Machine?
Mandolin Chords Compass currently peaks at #133 in the App Store charts, and Strum Machine at #151. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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