Comparison

Guitar Notation vs Chords Compass Lite

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Guitar Notation

This app allows guitar enthusiasts to read, compose, edit, and play back guitar sheet music. It supports multi-track tabs, chord charts, and various notation elements, enabling users to create music on the go.

Highlights
  • Read, compose, and edit guitar sheet music
  • Playback functionality with high-quality sound
  • Multi-track tab support
  • Chord chart configuration
  • Export in MusicXML, MIDI, PNG, and PDF formats
  • Supports up to 8 staff for editing
Features
Read full description

A great guitar tabs and chords notation app on iOS. For any guitar music lover, Guitar Notation gives you the ability to read, compose, edit, and playback guitar sheet music scores. With it you can be a talented composer and great musician anywhere. As long as you have a little knowledge of sheet music, you can write music composition simply by touch and move. Of course it could help you to learn guitar notations. It can handle multi-track tabs, also it supports for chord chart configuration. With the help of it you could easily record the flashes of inspiration wherever they strike. Are you ready to compose music in a simple way? ----------------------- Features: -Export in the industry-popular MusicXML file format, allowing for exchanging sheet music with other software (Finale, Sibelius, Encore, MuseScore, etc). -Export MIDI file. -Export PNG image and PDF document. -High quality sound for playback. -Support editing up to 8 staff at the same time. -Support many kinds of guitar and bass instrument. ----------------------- Supported notation: *A variety of note types, from whole note to 128th note and dotted note *Chord chart configuration *A variety of time signatures *All standard key signatures *Adjustable tempo *All accidentals (sharps, flats, double sharps, double flats, and naturals) *Tie, slur, and tuplet *Many types of ornament *A wide range of dynamics ----------------------- UNLIMITED ACCESS SUBSCRIPTION - Support up to 8 staff - Config parts(add, delete, reorder) - Config chord freely - Change beat type and tempo - A wide variety of guitar types - Config sound for each part - No watermark image export - No Ads - Support 2nd voice part - Config capo for each line - Import data file - The subscriptions are $9.99 monthly - Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period - Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase - Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that service, where applicable - Terms of use: https://service.notationpad.com/terms_service.html

About

Chords Compass Lite

Explore a vast library of over 80,000 chords for various musical instruments. Visualize chords as diagrams or notes, and even listen to them. Supports multiple instruments and tunings, with options for left-handed players.

Highlights
  • 80,000+ chord library
  • Supports piano, guitar, bass, ukulele, mandolin, banjo, balalaika
  • Chord diagrams and music notes
  • Listen to chords
  • Transfer chords between instruments
  • Left-handed player support
  • Multiple instrument tunings
Features
Read full description

An extensive chord library with over 80,000 chords! Find the perfect chords for your songs on all popular music instruments! Thanks to a specially developed algorithm, Chords Compass Lite will show you chord diagrams with all possible options in all positions on the music instrument of your choice, on keyboard or fretboard. Simply select a key on the left, a chord type in the middle and a chord type addition on the right, and explore the chords with Chords Compass Lite! App features: - 80,000 chords: - Piano chords: 800 - Guitar chords: 30,000 - Bass Guitar chords: 10,000 - Ukulele chords: 10,000 - Mandolin chords: 10,000 - Banjo chords: 15,000 - Balalaika chords: 6,000 - All popular music instruments are supported: - Piano - Guitar: 6-string - Bass guitar: 4-String, 5-String, and 6-String. - Ukulele: Soprano, Tenor, Baritone, Concert, and Sopranino - Mandolin: Mandolin, Mandola, and Mandocello, - Banjo: 5-string & 4-string, - Balalaika: 3-string - All music instruments in the app are interconnected, and this gives you the ability to transfer the chords from one instrument to another! - The displayed chord type notation and chord set are fully compatible with the GarageBand smart instruments. - You can listen to each displayed chord. - You can see the chords as music notes and as chord diagrams. - Supported 56 chord types. - Authentic sound for all the 7 instruments. - Left-handed player support. - Adjustable volume. - Retina graphics. - The app includes all common music instrument tunings: - Guitar 1. Standard, 2. New standard, 3. Lute, 4. Halftone flat, 5. Whole tone flat, 6. Halftone sharp, 7. Whole tone sharp, 8. Drop B, 9. Drop C, 10. Drop D, 11. Double dropped D, 12. Celtic, DADGAD 13. DADADD, 14. Open A, 15. Open C, 16. Open D, 17. Open E, 18. Open G, 19. Slide open A, - Bass Guitar 1. Standard (4 String), 2. Standard (5 String), 3. Standard (6 String), 4. Tenor (5 String), 5. Alternative (6 String), - Ukulele 1. Soprano Standard, 2. Soprano C, 3. Sopranino Standard, 4. Sopranino New, 5. Tenor Low G, 6. Tenor New, 7. Baritone Standard, 8. Baritone Canadian, 9. Open A, 10. Open B, 11. Open C, 12. Open D, 13. Open E, 14. Open F, 15. Open G, - Mandolin 1. Mandolin Standard, 2. Mandola Standard, 3. Mandocello Standard, - Banjo 1. Open G (5 String), 2. Standard C (5 String), 3. Open D (5 String), 4. Old-Time D (5 String), 5. Open A (5 String), 6. Plectrum (4 String), 7. Chicago (4 String), 8. Tenor (4 String), - Balalaika 1. Academic 2. Traditional Note: The Lite Version offers the chords for 4 key notes. If you need the chords for the complete note set, upgrade to the Full Version!

Screenshots

Guitar Notation4 screens
Chords Compass Lite4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chords Compass Lite at none against Guitar Notation's 6. Chords Compass Lite also leads on rating (4.3 vs 4.0) and review sentiment (75% vs 58%). Guitar Notation's advantage is ratings volume (249 vs 7). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Guitar Notation sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. Chords Compass Lite asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chords Compass Lite holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Guitar Notation has 249 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of Guitar Notation's written reviews are positive against 75% of Chords Compass Lite's.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Guitar Notation versus Chords Compass Lite: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGuitar NotationChords Compass Lite
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (249 ratings)4.3 (7 ratings) — better
Positive reviews58.1% of reviews75.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings249 — better7
Update frequencyEvery 4 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS1313.0
Further details — not scored
Size153 MB27 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer嵩 张Max Schlee

Customer experience

Guitar Notation

All ratings246 ratings
Positive75.6%
Neutral4.5%
Negative19.9%
Written reviews191 reviews
Positive58.1%
Neutral6.3%
Negative35.6%

Chords Compass Lite

All ratings7 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

Bugs and requests

Guitar Notation

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Audio playback only works through Bluetooth
  • Can't create a D chord, forces barre chord
  • Freezes on login screen
  • Incompatible with older devices

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add ability to change tuning
  • Add palm muting feature
  • Add more examples
  • Add instructions/tutorial
  • Add ability to transpose
Show 1 more
  • Add ability to input chord symbols

Chords Compass Lite

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Guitar Notation

Subscriptions3
  • Unlimited Access7 Days trial$6.997 Days
  • Unlimited Access Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Unlimited Access Yearly$49.991 Year
One-time3
  • Guitar Instrument Group$0.99
  • Bass Instrument Group$0.99
  • Extras Package$14.99
None

Chords Compass Lite

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Guitar Notation free?
Guitar Notation is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chords Compass Lite free?
Chords Compass Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Guitar Notation or Chords Compass Lite?
Chords Compass Lite is rated higher. Guitar Notation averages 4.0 out of 5 from 249 ratings, while Chords Compass Lite averages 4.3 from 7 ratings.
Do Guitar Notation or Chords Compass Lite have ads?
Neither Guitar Notation nor Chords Compass Lite shows ads.

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