ChordsVault vs FretBuilder
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ChordsVault
Create, design, and share guitar and instrument chords and songs. This app offers flexibility for transcribers and performers, allowing on-the-fly chord design, reuse, sharing, and transposition to different keys, tunings, and instruments.
- Create and design chords
- Share songs and chords
- Reuse chords between songs
- Transpose songs to different keys
- Support for various instruments and tunings
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ChordsVault is the mobile entry into the ChordsVault portal for creating, designing and sharing guitar (and other instruments) chords and songs. ChordsVault is easy to use but provides great flexibility for songs transcribers and song readers / performers. Unlike many other sites, ChordsVault lets you design chords on the fly, reuse chords between songs, share songs and chords, and transpose songs to different keys, tunings and instruments.
FretBuilder
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Grow as a musician by visualizing notes on your instrument's fretboard. With this app, you can view some (or all) of your instrument's fretboard, tap to hear pitches at any string/fret, and use overlays to help you quickly identify pitches. The app supports multiple fretted string instruments, including guitar, bass guitar, and ukulele. It also features some of the most common preset tunings. Some advanced features of the app are enabled with a subscription, including custom fretboard designs (via photo library selection), custom instrument tunings, and a special overlay mode that lets you tap any position on the fretboard to see the individual pitch! More features are planned, so keep your eyes peeled and your instruments tuned! Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ChordsVault at none against FretBuilder's 2. ChordsVault also leads on update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 15 months) and iOS requirement (6.0 vs 17.6). On price, 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
Both are free to download. FretBuilder sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. ChordsVault asks for nothing beyond the download.
ChordsVault ships an update every 6 weeks, FretBuilder every 15 months. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ChordsVault | FretBuilder |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 15 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 6.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 16 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Volicsoftware, Inc. | Brandon Fraune |
In-app purchases
ChordsVault
No in-app purchases
FretBuilder
- Monthly premium$1.991 Month
- Yearly premium$19.991 Year
