InstaChord vs Chord Memo
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
InstaChord
This app offers an innovative electronic musical instrument for instant music performance and learning chord progressions. It features intuitive controls for playing chords like a guitar or piano, with options to switch between interfaces and play various chord types. It also supports MIDI connections for expanded musical possibilities.
- Instant music performance
- Guitar and piano interfaces
- Play various chord types
- Learn chord progressions
- MIDI connection support
- Set key for any song
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InstaChord-i is an easy-to-play musical instrument, a learning tool for chord progressions, and an auxiliary tool for composing. You can experience an innovative electronic musical instrument "InstaChord", which has raised about $770,000 by crowdfunding with this app. https://instachord.com (This app was developed under the supervision of Mr. Yuichi Nagata, the developer of "InstaChord".) ■ Features ◆ Can perform music instantly You can enjoy playing like a guitar or piano by tapping and swiping the pads while holding down the buttons with the chord symbols (C, Dm, etc.). There are fundamental chords based on music theory on the screen, so you can make a song just by choosing buttons loosely. ◆ Guitar or Piano You can choose from two types of interfaces, "guitar strings" and "piano keyboards". ◆ Play various chords If you press "~" (swap button) at the same time, the major and minor of the chord will be switched. (Ex: "F" + "~" → "Fm", "Em" + "~" → "E") You can also play various chords by pressing the chord buttons (7, M7, sus4, etc.) at the same time. * Some functions are paid options ◆ You can play any song When you set the Key setting to the key of a song, the fundamental chords (diatonic chords) used for that song are assigned to the buttons on the screen, so you can easily play songs with any key. Since numerals (scale degree) is written on the screen, it is ideal for learning chord progressions. ◆ MIDI Connection - Virtual MIDI: Control ohter Virtual MIDI compatible synth app on your device. * GarageBand doesn't support Virtual MIDI input. - Wi-Fi: Send MIDI notes to PC or Mac via Wi-Fi. * Windows PC requires connection software such as rtpMIDI. - BLE MIDI: Send MIDI notes to Mac or other iOS device via Bluetooth. ■ Playable chords major, minor, 7, M7, m7, mM7, add9, m9, sus4, dim, aug, m7-5 * Some chords are paid options ■ Built-in 28 Sounds * It is different from the built-in sound of the hardware version of InstaChord. * Some sound sources are paid options Ac.Guitar E-Gt.Jazz E-Gt.Clean E-Gt.Dist Sitar Koto Ac.Piano E.Piano Vibraphone Marimba Agogo Lead Synth Polysynth Brightness Rock Organ Church Organ Accordion Strings Synth Strings Voice Oohs Trumpet Synth Brass Flute Whistle Warm Pad Bowed Grass Metal Pad Rain FX ■ InstaChord-i website https://instachord.com/app
Chord Memo
Compose and arrange music by writing and playing back chords. Practice singing or instruments like guitar and piano with this tool. It offers features for fine-tuning timing, exporting to MIDI, and changing instruments.
- Enter chords with dedicated keyboard
- Control tempo, beat, and modulation
- Playback entered chords
- Display chords as degree names
- Save notes with name and description
- Export MIDI file
- Change instrument
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It's an app that lets you write chords and play them right back! Use it for composing and arranging music, as well as for practicing singing, guitar, piano, etc. Functions: - Enter chords with the dedicated keyboard (including slash and tension chords) - Control tempo, beat, and modulation - Playback the entered chords - Display chords as degree name (I, VI, ...) - Save notes with name and description - Playback with swing - Export MIDI file - Change instrument - Playback with metronome - Place chords fine timings - Copy/paste chords - Zoom score
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chord Memo at none against InstaChord's 3. InstaChord's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.7) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 7 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. InstaChord sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Chord Memo asks for nothing beyond the download.
InstaChord holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: InstaChord has 16 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 87% of InstaChord's written reviews are positive against 78% of Chord Memo's.
InstaChord ships an update every 3 months, Chord Memo every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | InstaChord | Chord Memo |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (16 ratings) — better | 4.7 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 86.7% of reviews — better | 77.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 16 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 7 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 27 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Loop-Sessions.LLC. | Kiichi Ito |
Customer experience
InstaChord
Chord Memo
In-app purchases
InstaChord
- Available All Chords$1.99
- All sounds are available$1.99
- Available sending MIDI message$4.99
Chord Memo
No in-app purchases









