# ChordMaps2 vs AudioLayer

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ChordMaps2 at none against AudioLayer's 1. ChordMaps2 also leads on review sentiment (82% vs 56%) and price ($9.99 vs $12.99). AudioLayer's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 months) and rating (4.4 vs 4.1). On ads there is nothing between them.

ChordMaps2 costs $9.99 and AudioLayer $12.99 up front. AudioLayer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. ChordMaps2 asks for nothing beyond the download.

AudioLayer holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AudioLayer has 179 ratings behind it against 26, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 82% of ChordMaps2's written reviews are positive against 56% of AudioLayer's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

ChordMaps2 ships an update every 6 months, AudioLayer fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ChordMaps2 | AudioLayer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$9.99** | $12.99 |
| Rating | [4.1 (26 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chordmaps2/id1098330720/reviews) | **[4.4 (179 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/audiolayer/id1381478666/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 26 | **179** |
| Positive reviews | **82.1% of reviews** | 55.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 9 MB | 242 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Malcolm Mugglin](https://appshunter.io/developer/533859939) | [Harry Gohs](https://appshunter.io/developer/382428644) |

## What reviewers say

### ChordMaps2

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chordmaps2/id1098330720)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**In-app purchases:** none


### AudioLayer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/audiolayer/id1381478666)

This app is a powerful mobile multi-sampler for music production, offering advanced features for creating and manipulating complex instruments. It integrates seamlessly with iOS production environments and supports iCloud for easy collaboration and storage.

**Highlights:** Streaming Sample Engine (SSE), Hierarchical Layer and Zone editing, Seamless Instrument Switching (SIS), Integrated audio sample recorder, Auto Sampler for hardware synths, AUv3 AudioUnit integration, iCloud storage and collaboration

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| SoundFont Import | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎹 Powerful multi-layer sampling capabilities
- 📥 EXS24 and SFZ file import support
- 🎯 Round-robin functionality for realistic instruments
- ⚡ Efficient performance on older devices
- 🎚️ Comprehensive effects rack with quality sound

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes across multiple iOS versions
- ⚠️ Stability issues in AUM and other hosts
- 🔌 High CPU/DSP usage causing performance spikes
- 🔋 Battery drain and device heating
- ❌ Missing undo function

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on startup (splash screen)
- Reverb and chorus effects cause sound to disappear
- Pitch resets to -24 after stopping Logic Pro playback
- Layer voice polyphony controls not working properly
- SFZ batch import distributes samples incorrectly across layers

**Requested features**

- Time-stretching/pitch-shifting capability
- Program Change MIDI support
- Undo/Redo functionality
- GigaSampler .gig library support
- Soundfont SF2 import (now paid feature)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ChordMaps2 free?

ChordMaps2 costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is AudioLayer free?

AudioLayer costs $12.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, ChordMaps2 or AudioLayer?

AudioLayer is rated higher. ChordMaps2 averages 4.1 out of 5 from 26 ratings, while AudioLayer averages 4.4 from 179 ratings.

### Do ChordMaps2 or AudioLayer have ads?

Neither ChordMaps2 nor AudioLayer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ChordMaps2 or AudioLayer?

ChordMaps2 ships an update every 6 months, and AudioLayer fortnightly. Most recently, ChordMaps2 was updated on September 22, 2026 and AudioLayer on September 28, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*