ChordUp vs SAND
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ChordUp
This app is a musical instrument and MIDI controller that lets you play common chords instantly with a single touch. It offers multiple playing surfaces for chords, single notes, or strumming, and can control other music apps on the same or different devices.
- Instant chord selection with single touch
- Play full chords, single notes, or strum
- Control other music apps via MIDI
- 108 available chords
- 10 embedded instruments
- Smart sustain and chord locking
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ChordUp is a musical instrument and MIDI controller that allows you to play almost any common chord instantly. No need to configure presets for each song. Just grab ChordUp and start playing. SELECT CHORDS WITH A SINGLE TOUCH Unique chord selector allows you to play any available chord instantly. You don't need to make any pre-configurations or presets. Just tap on the key button and slide your finger to the required chord type. With a little practice you will be able to select any chord in a fraction of a second. PLAY FULL CHORDS, SINGLE NOTES OR STRUM Three playing surfaces allows you to easily play any rhythm pattern: full chords, bass and chord, strumming or arpeggios. CONTROL OTHER APPS ON THE SAME DEVICE You can use ChordUp to control your favourite soft or hard synthesizer through Core MIDI connection or though Audiobus 3 MIDI ports. CONTROL APPS ON ANOTHER IOS DEVICE OR YOUR MAC ChordUp can send MIDI notes to another iOS device through a Bluetooth MIDI connection. If you want to control an App running on your Mac you can connect through Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or USB. FEATURES • 108 available chords (9 chord types for each of the 12 notes). • 10 embedded instruments: Acoustic Piano, Electric Piano, Guitar, Organ, Accordion, Vibraphone, Strings, 3 synth sounds. • 12 pads surface (for piano like parts) • 6 strings surface (for guitar strumming, power chords and arpeggios) • Expression pad surface (allows to play full chords and control an expression parameter at the same time) • Smart sustain. With the sustain enabled, when you switch chords, only the notes of the current chord that don't belong to the next chord are muted. • Octave transposition. • Chord locking. You can lock one chord type for a chord button. • Buttons size adjustment on iPad. • CoreMIDI support. • Audiobus support (Audio sender port, MIDI sender port)
SAND
This app is a grid-based music sequencer that allows users to create compositions using AUv3 plugins and external MIDI devices. It offers extensive tools for arranging clips, editing notes, automating parameters, and routing MIDI.
- Grid-based MIDI sequencing
- AUv3 plugin hosting
- External MIDI device support
- Advanced clip editing
- Track and effect management
- Song mode for arrangement
- MIDI routing and mapping
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Have SAND in your pocket. Create music anywhere. Sketch your ideas, compose with MIDI and audio clips, host your favorite plugins. All designed for creative flow, whether you're at home or on the go. SAND is a music sketchpad for AUv3, MIDI, and audio clips—built so you can try ideas quickly, without setup getting in the way. Please note: SAND does not generate sound on its own—it relies on AUv3 plugins you can find on the App Store. Try SAND free for 14 days; in-app purchases unlock features after the trial. GRID SEQUENCER Arrange MIDI and audio clips on a grid to build your ideas. Copy, duplicate, merge, combine, and drag-and-drop clips to shape your project. Quick clip tools: quantize, length, legato, transpose from the clip menu. Render MIDI clips as audio by dropping them onto an audio track. MIDI TRACKS Work with instrument and MIDI tracks in your projects. Load an instrument and unlimited audio and MIDI effects on each track. Hide tracks and assign custom icons to keep sessions organized. Save tracks as templates for future projects. Edit MIDI in a piano-roll clip editor: quantize, legato, split, duplicate, copy, and paste. Build chords with the chord selector. Adjust note position, pitch, duration, and velocity. Handle bars edit position and pitch on the note. Use an adjustable grid or free placement. Scale highlighting helps you stay in key. Record with an optional count-in or from the first note. Quantize recordings for tighter timing. AUDIO TRACKS Add dedicated audio tracks alongside your MIDI material. Import audio into clips from other apps or the clip import flow, with preview before committing. Record audio into clips with per-track input settings and track arming. Set loop or one-shot playback, beat-aligned or immediate start, and optional clip BPM. Looping clips follow project tempo. The audio editor supports copy, paste, crop, gain adjustment, normalize, silence, fades, reverse, pitch, stretch, and split. With automatic or manual preview. PLUGIN HOST Host AUv3 instruments, audio effects, and MIDI processors. Control parameters and presets, and save default states for new instances. Record notes and MIDI from plugin interfaces, and capture output from MIDI plugins. Mark plugins as favorites for faster access. SONG MODE Arrange clips in sections with independent lengths, played back seamlessly in order. Launch every clip in a section at once, sections work as scene launchers. Set a different time signature per section when needed. AUTOMATION Automate volume, pan, effect parameters, and MIDI for dynamic changes across your tracks. MASTER TRACK Apply effects globally across the project. Use the master track's clip to generate bass lines and chord progressions. MIDI ROUTING Record from external MIDI devices, including hardware synths. Send MIDI out for real-time playback and route MIDI between tracks. Use SAND as a virtual MIDI input and output. MIDI MAPPING Map a MIDI controller to control the app with a flexible, customizable layout. "Shift" mappings extend what a single controller surface can do. PROJECT VERSIONS Save and restore named snapshots of a project—experiment freely, then return to an earlier state. PROJECT MANAGEMENT Rename projects and branch copies with Save As…. (iOS 18+) Start new work from project templates. (iOS 18+) SYNC Sync with other apps and DAWs using Ableton Link. ON-SCREEN KEYBOARD AND PADS Record with a velocity-sensitive on-screen keyboard. Choose scale and root to limit keys to a scale, and adjust visible keys to match how you play. Play and record beats with on-screen drum pads. IMPORT / EXPORT Export clips as audio or MIDI. Export projects as Ableton Live sets. Record performances and export audio, including stems for separate processing.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: SAND at Free against ChordUp's $5.99. SAND also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.4). ChordUp's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and review sentiment (94% vs 79%). On ratings volume, ads, 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
SAND is free to download; ChordUp costs $5.99 up front. SAND sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. ChordUp asks for nothing beyond the download.
SAND holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 41 and 89 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 94% of ChordUp's written reviews are positive against 79% of SAND's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
ChordUp ships an update every 3 weeks, SAND every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ChordUp | SAND |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $5.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.4 (41 ratings) | 4.6 (89 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 94.3% of reviews — better | 79.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 41 | 89 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #182 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 30 MB | 54 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Dmitrii Klochkov | Matteo Caldari |
Customer experience
ChordUp
SAND
Bugs and requests
ChordUp
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
SAND
Reported bugs
27 issues- Record function always starts when entering Midi Instrument or FX
- Sand not opening in overview
- Integration with other apps seems off
- Record does not pick up data
- Cannot save ideas from one app to another
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- Auv3 interfaces don't scale well
- Note editing, snapping/quantization awkward and buggy
- Sand won't run within AUM anymore
- Sand not recognized within AUM
- Sand wouldn't recognize other apps as host
- Rendering issues
- Editing notes in pitch grid flies up
- Entering note values difficult
- Changing note length has issues
- Bugs not worked out, more brought in
- Clips out of sync when manually triggered
- Unpredictability for creating new notes
- Selecting notes for editing difficult
- Synchronizing between tracks problematic
- Occasional crashes
- Notes editing/selection/moving process is a pain
- No BT headphone support
- Less than 50% of synths/plugins show up
- Many plugins don't work properly
- App prompts for purchase again after buying
- Pattern length adjustment by 1 is crazy
- No snapping for note length stretch
Requested features
58 requests- Sand always open in overview
- Long press in sequence track window
- Random/chance abilities in clips (Polyend Play style)
- Semi-generative function or scale-based patterns/sequences
- Save AUv3 presets
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- Audio integration with audio quantization
- Audio clips
- Return to zero button
- More clip actions for performance (fire clip/scene, count in, repeat, single shot)
- Trigger sequences not just on bars
- Packaged as a MIDI AUv3 processor
- Sequencer for patterns and automation curves
- Triplet time signatures (3/4, 6/8)
- MIDI channels for instruments
- Export to MIDI file
- Deep piano roll note editing
- Song mode
- Stem support
- Automation
- Lower OS requirement
- Selection of multiple notes in sequencer
- Separate lane for MIDI control of FX plugins
- Proper mixer view
- Support for Bluetooth headphones
- More clip actions for performance
- MIDI AUv3 processor
- Sequencer for patterns and automation curves
- Triplet Time Signatures
- MIDI channels for instruments
- Export to MIDI file
- Deep piano roll note editing
- Song mode
- Stem support
- Automation
- Lower OS requirement
- Selection of multiple notes in sequencer
- Separate lane for MIDI control of FX plugins
- Proper mixer view
- Support for Bluetooth headphones
- Pattern length adjustment in note editor
- Snapping for note length stretch
- More clip actions for performance
- MIDI AUv3 processor
- Sequencer for patterns and automation curves
- Triplet Time Signatures
- MIDI channels for instruments
- Export to MIDI file
- Deep piano roll note editing
- Song mode
- Stem support
- Automation
- Lower OS requirement
- Selection of multiple notes in sequencer
- Separate lane for MIDI control of FX plugins
- Proper mixer view
- Support for Bluetooth headphones
- Pattern length adjustment in note editor
- Snapping for note length stretch
In-app purchases
ChordUp
No in-app purchases
SAND
- 14-day trialFree
- 14 Days TrialFree
- Unlock$9.99
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Audio Tracks$9.99









