# Chord Calculus vs variStretch

The clearest difference is rating: variStretch at 5.0 against Chord Calculus's 3.9. variStretch also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). Chord Calculus's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 7 months) and price ($2.99 vs $5.99). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Chord Calculus costs $2.99 and variStretch $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

variStretch holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chord Calculus has 8 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Chord Calculus ships an update fortnightly, variStretch every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chord Calculus | variStretch |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$2.99** | $5.99 |
| Rating | [3.9 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chord-calculus/id1239631425/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/varistretch/id6744925479/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **8** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Size | 64 MB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Steven Pollack](https://appshunter.io/developer/1239631424) | [Satoshi Kajii](https://appshunter.io/developer/1777441634) |

## What reviewers say

### Chord Calculus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chord-calculus/id1239631425)

This app helps musicians visualize and understand chords, scales, and progressions for various fretted instruments. It allows customization of instruments, tunings, and capos, and includes a tuner. Play chords, arpeggios, and scales.

**Highlights:** Chord calculator with fingering display, Chord identifier for unknown fingerings, Scale display and playback, Chord progression player, Custom instrument and tuning creation, Capo support, Instrument tuner

**In-app purchases:** none


### variStretch

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/varistretch/id6744925479)

This app allows real-time audio speed manipulation without altering pitch. It offers three distinct playback modes and adjustable buffer settings for precise control over sound processing.

**Highlights:** Real-time speed adjustment (0.5-2.0x), Tape mode (speed & pitch change), Phase Vocoder mode (speed only), Adjustable buffer size, Buffer clear function, AUv3 host compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chord Calculus free?

Chord Calculus costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is variStretch free?

variStretch costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Chord Calculus or variStretch?

variStretch is rated higher. Chord Calculus averages 3.9 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while variStretch averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Chord Calculus or variStretch have ads?

Neither Chord Calculus nor variStretch shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Chord Calculus or variStretch?

Chord Calculus ships an update fortnightly, and variStretch every 7 months. Most recently, Chord Calculus was updated on November 2, 2026 and variStretch on October 30, 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.*