Comparison

AudioTheory Guitars vs Doris by dgApps

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

Head to head
About

AudioTheory Guitars

This app serves as a comprehensive reference for guitarists, offering interactive chord and fretboard diagrams. It simplifies music theory by allowing seamless transcription between piano and guitar, with customizable tuning and note exclusion features.

Highlights
  • Interactive chord and fretboard diagrams
  • Piano to guitar transcription
  • Customizable tuning and capo settings
  • Chord sheet playback
  • Note exclusion for playing in key
  • Left-handed mode
Features
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AudioTheory Guitars is the ultimate reference tool for guitar notes and chords. Featuring a built-in keyboard, each note reacts to your input across the customisable chord and fretboard diagrams. For anyone who's ever wished music theory was that little bit more straightforward – this is the software you need. Features: –Seamlessly transcribe between piano and guitar using a straight-forward colour coding system and notation highlighting. Play a note on the keyboard, or directly from the chord and fretboard diagrams to see where it is across all formats. –Set your tuning and capo. Everything else adjusts accordingly – no need for a chord transposition chart. –Choose your chords with open, power, barre, sus2 and dim7 chord sheets with fullscreen diagrams and playback options. –Exclude notes and never play out of key again. Your fretboard diagram now only shows the notes you need and your keyboard doesn't play the ones you don't. –Full customisation. Select the chords you want. Left-handed mode for left-handed players. Set your fretboard size, number of strings, start fret and per-string tuning.

About

Doris by dgApps

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Doris by dgApps is the app to send and receive MIDI commands from your iPhone or iPad via fully configurable touch buttons. Each Doris Project can have multiple Screens. Each Doris Screen can have multiple Buttons. Each Button can be one of nine different sizes, and each Button can be one of six different types: Note On Note Off A Button that sends Note On and Note Off MIDI commands, with the same channel and note for each command. These Buttons send a Note On command on touch and a Note Off command on the next touch, or they can be momentary, sending a Note On command on touch and a Note Off command on release. Control Change A Button that sends a Control Change MIDI command using a slider for a specific channel and specific control change number. Program Change A Button that sends a Program Change MIDI command on touch, with a configurable channel and program number. Multiple MIDI This Button type can have any number of on MIDI commands and any number of off MIDI commands. The on MIDI commands are sent on touch and the off MIDI commands are sent on a second touch, or on release if the Button is momentary. The MIDI commands can be sent all at once, or one after the other sequentially, both for the on MIDI commands and the off MIDI commands. Each MIDI command can be a Note On, Note Off, Program Change, or a Control Change command with a specified value. Flash All Buttons will flash when they receive their MIDI command, whether the command comes from another Button or from outside Doris. Flash Buttons go further in that they can be configured to flash for a specific MIDI command on a specific channel, or all MIDI commands on all channels, or any combination of commands and channels in between those two extremes. Blank Blank buttons are only visible in Edit mode. They are used to help with the layout of Buttons across the Screen. Each MIDI command is fully configurable visually: text, font, text size, text weight, text alignment, text colour, symbol, symbol colour, and background colour All configuration of Doris Projects, Screens, and Buttons is accomplished directly in the app. There’s no requirement for any other software. There is an always available MIDI screen that logs incoming MIDI commands and can send specific MIDI commands. The screen also enables MIDI using Bluetooth connections. Copious Help is available throughout Doris to explain things as you go. Doris can share DORIS files using all the usual share options, and import saved DORIS files into new Projects. Doris was successfully used with Blur at Coachella 2024, with The Script during 2024, and with Little Simz at Glastonbury 2024.

Screenshots

Doris by dgApps4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Doris by dgApps at Free against AudioTheory Guitars's $6.99. Doris by dgApps also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). AudioTheory Guitars's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.5). On ads and device support 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

Doris by dgApps is free to download; AudioTheory Guitars costs $6.99 up front. Doris by dgApps sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. AudioTheory Guitars asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AudioTheory Guitars ships an update every 3 months, Doris by dgApps every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 4 level
AudioTheory Guitars versus Doris by dgApps: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAudioTheory GuitarsDoris by dgApps
Price$6.99Free — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews—
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPad, MaciPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.5
Further details — not scored
Size412 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFraser MackenziedgApps

In-app purchases

None

AudioTheory Guitars

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Doris by dgApps

Subscriptions2
  • Doris Monthly Subscription$8.991 Month
  • Doris Annual Subscription$89.991 Year

Questions

Is AudioTheory Guitars free?
AudioTheory Guitars costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Doris by dgApps free?
Doris by dgApps is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do AudioTheory Guitars or Doris by dgApps have ads?
Neither AudioTheory Guitars nor Doris by dgApps shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AudioTheory Guitars or Doris by dgApps?
AudioTheory Guitars ships an update every 3 months, and Doris by dgApps every 3 weeks. Most recently, AudioTheory Guitars was updated on October 29, 2026 and Doris by dgApps on October 29, 2026.

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