Chord vs Synth Brain
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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!
Synth Brain
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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
Verdict
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
Chord costs $3.99 and Synth Brain $14.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | Chord | Synth Brain |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 — better | $14.99 |
| Rating | 4.8 (81 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 57.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 81 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 46 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Roman Sevastyanov | Code and DESIGN inc. |
In-app purchases
Chord
No in-app purchases
Synth Brain
No in-app purchases









