Comparison

Chord vs Synth Brain

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

Head to head
About

Chord

Unlock musical creativity with a suite of tools for composing and practicing. Generate chord progressions, practice notation, train your ear, and even use your device as a MIDI keyboard. Includes a macOS version for seamless integration.

Highlights
  • Chord progression generation with inversions and extensions
  • Live playback as piano or synth
  • MIDI output to macOS
  • Guitar chord finder
  • Notation reading practice
  • Ear training for intervals and voice
  • macOS version included
Features
Read full description

This app plus your ears equals complete freedom in writing music! A comprehensive set of tools for any musician: * Chord Progression: Create beautiful chord progressions with full flexibility - use inversions, sus2, sus4, 7th, 9th, and more. Enjoy live playback as piano or synth, or send MIDI directly to your macOS computer! * Guitar Chords - helps you find and browse guitar chords. * MIDI Keyboard: Transform your phone into a MIDI keyboard for your macOS computer (compatible with macOS Catalina and newer). * Notation Practice: Practice reading notes in both treble and bass clefs. * Chord Calculation: Help you learn how to calculate chords and progressions. * Interval Practice: Practice recognizing and comparing musical intervals by ear. * Voice & Ear Training: Simple, effective tools for voice practice and ear training. * Harmonic Match - helps you mix tracks in key while DJing. * Guitar tuner - helps you tune your guitar to the most popular tunings. * Modulation Pad - Helps when using a compact MIDI keyboard without built-in pitch and modulation controls. Also includes a sustain pedal (compatible with macOS Catalina and newer). Plus, enjoy the macOS version included with your purchase!

About

Synth Brain

Features
Read full description

Learn synthesis by connecting what you see, hear, and change. Synth Brain is a step-by-step learning app for understanding synthesizers and sound design through concise visual lessons, A/B listening, hands-on patch labs, and focused ear training. Memorizing knob names is not enough. Synth Brain connects every control you change with the result you hear. Listen to a target, shape the sound yourself, and check the difference by ear. Follow one structured path from the fundamentals to advanced synthesis techniques. HOW YOU LEARN • Concise visual lessons organize the signal flow and the role of each parameter • A/B comparisons help separate loudness differences from timbral differences • Hands-on labs let you move the controls toward a target sound • Ear-training quizzes develop recognition of brightness, attack, beating, modulation, and more • A built-in synth playground lets you explore each technique freely CURRICULUM HIGHLIGHTS • Pitch, loudness, timbre, harmonics, and gain staging • Basic waveforms, noise, octaves, detuning, beating, and PWM • Low-pass, high-pass, and band-pass filters; cutoff, resonance, and key tracking • Amp and filter envelopes, including ADSR • LFO routing, vibrato, tremolo, wah, and modulation depth • Patch design for basses, leads, pads, plucks, and drums • Layering, chorus, delay, and reverb • FM, hard sync, ring modulation, and additive synthesis SYNTH BRAIN IS FOR YOU IF YOU WANT TO • Understand what the controls on a synthesizer actually do • Move beyond presets and build sounds yourself • Train your ears for music production and sound design • Learn foundations that transfer between hardware and software synthesizers MORE FEATURES • Japanese and English • Designed for iPhone and iPad • No account required • Learning progress stored on your device • A safety limiter that reduces sudden output peaks Protect your hearing and begin at a low listening level. For subtle comparisons, use headphones or wired earphones at a comfortable level. Turn visible controls into knowledge you can hear. Start shaping sound with Synth Brain.

Screenshots

Chord4 screens
Synth Brain4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Chord at $3.99 against Synth Brain's $14.99. Chord also leads on device support (5 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). 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

Chord costs $3.99 and Synth Brain $14.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Chord versus Synth Brain: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChordSynth Brain
Price$3.99 — better$14.99
Rating4.8 (81 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews57.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings81 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size46 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRoman SevastyanovCode and DESIGN inc.

In-app purchases

None

Chord

No in-app purchases

None

Synth Brain

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chord free?
Chord costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Synth Brain free?
Synth Brain costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Chord or Synth Brain have ads?
Neither Chord nor Synth Brain shows ads.

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