ChordMaps2 vs Chords Player
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ChordMaps2
This music app allows musicians, songwriters, educators, and students to explore and improvise chord progressions, melody, and bass lines. It utilizes "Musical Maps" for intuitive chord exploration and can function as a MIDI controller for external synth apps.
- Explore chord progressions on Musical Maps
- Improvise melody and bass lines
- Supports major and minor keys
- MIDI controller functionality
- Demonstrate music theory concepts
- Create ear-training exercises
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ChordMaps2 is a music app for iPad which allows musicians, songwriters, music educators, and students to explore and improvise chord progressions, melody lines, and bass lines, in both major and minor keys, most of the time tapping with just one or two fingers. The most powerful feature of ChordMaps2 is that users can explore and play common chord progressions by touching chord locations on "Musical Maps." You can work with ChordMaps2 as a... Songwriter - to explore melody lines, bass lines, and chord progressions when you are away from your guitar or keyboard. Music Educator - to demonstrate principles of music theory, (including major and minor scales, diatonic and secondary chords, common chord progressions like IV-V-I, ii-V-I, I-vi-IV-V, I-V-vi-IV, etc.) You can also create spontaneous ear-training exercises, and explore melodic lines and chord progressions with students in an interactive environment. MIDI Musician - to tap out chord sequences and hear them played by one or more of the synth apps on your iPad, or you can send the MIDI information out through a MIDI interface to a computer running a digital audio workstation (DAW) like GarageBand or Logic Pro. How ChordMaps2 Works... ChordMaps2 is a MIDI controller. It works by being paired with a synthesizer app that generates sound. (Example synth apps include ThumbJam, SampleTank, bs-16i, iM1, and many more.) ChordMaps2 sends the MIDI signal; the synth app responds to the MIDI information and creates the audio. Video demonstrations of ChordMaps2 are found at the website. (Click the Developer Website link or visit Mugglinworks.com/ChordMaps2).
Chords Player
Compose, practice, and perform music by creating unique chord sequences. This app offers various playback styles and time signatures, allowing you to build custom songs and exercises. It's a valuable tool for musicians of all levels, including teachers.
- Compose chord sequences
- Multiple playback styles
- Various time signatures
- Loop mode for practice
- Transpose chords
- Save and share settings
- Included mixer
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„COMPOSE, PRACTICE, PERFORM.“ ** Chords Player is a standalone subpart of our app ‚Improvisation Trainer‘. Feel free to try the features of Chords Player using the free version of Improvisation Trainer. ** CHORDS PLAYER will play back your chord sequences in many different styles and time signatures! With it’s built in features, you can CREATE TRULY UNIQUE SONGS and EXERCISES. CHORDS PLAYER is a great practicing companion for both beginners and professionals in music out of every music field. CHORDS PLAYER is a indispensable tool for music teachers and provides an ultimate platform for practicing harmonic and melodic instruments. Just get started with one of our presets to give you an idea about the endless possibilities the app can do! DIFFERENT PLAYBACK STYLES INCLUDED • Blues-Shuffle • Bossa Nova • Country (Trainbeat) • Country • Disco • Dico-Funk • Funk • Hip-Hop • Pop • Reggae • Rock’n’Roll • Rock • Samba • Ska • Swing-Ballad • Swing DIFFERENT TIME SIGNATURES • 4/4 • 3/4 • 5/4 • 7/8 • 9/8 LOOP MODE • hear your ideas in a loop • transpose your chords in any key you want SAVE AND SHARE YOUR SETTINGS • you can save all your custom settings to get started quickly • you can easily share the settings with friends, students or other people using e-mail MIXER INCLUDED • with the included mixer, you can decide to only hear chords, bass, or drums and create your unique mix!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: ChordMaps2 at 4.1 against Chords Player's 3.7. ChordMaps2 also leads on ratings volume (26 vs 3). Chords Player's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $9.99) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 6 months). On ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
ChordMaps2 costs $9.99 and Chords Player $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
ChordMaps2 holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ChordMaps2 has 26 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.
ChordMaps2 ships an update every 6 months, Chords Player every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ChordMaps2 | Chords Player |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | $2.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.1 (26 ratings) — better | 3.7 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 82.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 26 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 12.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 70 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Malcolm Mugglin | AppicDesign |
Customer experience
ChordMaps2
Chords Player
In-app purchases
ChordMaps2
No in-app purchases
Chords Player
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is ChordMaps2 free?
Is Chords Player free?
Which has better reviews, ChordMaps2 or Chords Player?
Do ChordMaps2 or Chords Player have ads?
Which is updated more often, ChordMaps2 or Chords Player?
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