Comparison

Chords Player vs midiOS

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Compose chord sequences
  • Multiple playback styles
  • Various time signatures
  • Loop mode for practice
  • Transpose chords
  • Save and share settings
  • Included mixer
Features
Read full description

„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!

About

midiOS

Features
Read full description

Before installing, visit midios.app/setup for setup instructions. midiOS is a new kind of instrument. Transform your iPhone into an expressive MIDI instrument with advanced harmony, multidimensional performance control, and deep DAW integration. Play notes, chords, scales, arpeggios, modulation, and complete live performances from the device you already carry. With Offline Play, midiOS becomes a self-contained instrument. Choose from built-in sounds, create an instrument rack, record or import personal samples, and capture performances in Offline LiveGrid—without a Mac, DAW, account, or network connection. Designed for musicians, midiOS opens ready to perform. Tap pads to play notes, chords, and scales. Change keys, modes, voicings, and tonal centers without interrupting your flow. Swipe across pads to explore inversions, chord qualities, suspensions, secondary dominants, chromatic movement, and harmonic variations. Every gesture can become musical. Shape your performance with multi-touch, directional gestures, device motion, aftertouch, pitch movement, XY pads, sliders, knobs, and macros. Optional facial controls let head and expression movements influence harmony, modulation, register, and other performance destinations in real time. Performance Modes transform these inputs into coordinated musical systems. Intelligent voice leading keeps chords connected, expressive harmony controls create fluid transitions, and synchronized arpeggiation follows your DAW’s tempo and phase without restarting the pattern. Built-in modes provide focused setups for piano performance, harmony exploration, musical learning, generative flow, and Ableton control, while Custom Mode lets you create your own instrument. Save complete instruments and performance setups in the Layout Library, then switch between them quickly. Discover and install compatible instruments through the midiOS Marketplace, or transfer your own layouts securely between midiOS and the midiOS Bridge. Using the free midiOS Bridge for Mac, connect over USB or Wi-Fi for a fast, authenticated MIDI connection to your computer. midiOS works with MIDI-compatible software and offers deep Ableton Live integration, including clip and scene launching, transport, session navigation, mixer controls, macros, and real-time visual feedback on your iPhone. Rotate your device to enter LiveGrid and transform your iPhone into a live performance controller. Launch clips and scenes, navigate your session, control transport, and manage your performance from across the stage or studio. Built for live performance, midiOS combines responsive MIDI, intelligent harmony, stable note ownership, fast layout switching, haptic feedback, visual feedback, and automatic reconnection in a workflow designed to keep you focused on making music. Most MIDI apps give you buttons. midiOS gives you an instrument that responds to how you play. Learn more at midios.app.

Screenshots

Chords Player4 screens
midiOS4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Chords Player at $2.99 against midiOS's $24.99. Chords Player also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.1 vs 26.0). midiOS's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months). On ads and in-app purchases 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

Chords Player costs $2.99 and midiOS $24.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chords Player ships an update every 2 months, midiOS every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
Chords Player versus midiOS: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChords PlayermidiOS
Price$2.99 — better$24.99
Rating3.7 (3 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS12.1 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size70 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAppicDesignjason merrill

In-app purchases

None

Chords Player

No in-app purchases

None

midiOS

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chords Player free?
Chords Player costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is midiOS free?
midiOS costs $24.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Chords Player or midiOS have ads?
Neither Chords Player nor midiOS shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chords Player or midiOS?
Chords Player ships an update every 2 months, and midiOS every 3 days. Most recently, Chords Player was updated on November 11, 2026 and midiOS on November 12, 2026.

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