Comparison

InstaChord vs Random Drum Phrases

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Instant music performance
  • Guitar and piano interfaces
  • Play various chord types
  • Learn chord progressions
  • MIDI connection support
  • Set key for any song
Read full description

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

About

Random Drum Phrases

Features
Read full description

Give your next practice session a fresh rhythm. Random Drum Phrases creates drum notation from the settings you choose. Read the score, listen at your own tempo, tap notes to change accents, and save phrases you want to practice again. Use it for rhythm reading, exploring new ideas, or preparing drum lessons. CHOOSE YOUR PHRASE - Set 1-12 beats per bar and 1-8 bars. - Choose note values from whole notes to thirty-second notes, plus triplets and sextuplets. - Adjust the amount of rests and choose Easy, Normal, or Hard difficulty. BUILD YOUR KIT - Select snare, kick, high tom, low tom, floor tom, hi-hat, ride, and crash. - Optionally layer cymbal hits with kick or snare using your selected instruments. READ, LISTEN, AND EDIT - Follow the drum notation and instrument-position guide. - Play phrases at 40-240 BPM. - Add a one-bar count-in and a click during playback. - Tap notes to toggle accents, and scroll through longer bars. KEEP YOUR FAVORITES - Give phrases your own names. - Save them to your library and reopen them for another practice session. Available in Japanese and English on iPhone and iPad. The interface follows your preferred language, and saved phrase names stay as you entered them. Generating, editing, playing, and saving phrases are free. The app includes ads; an optional one-time in-app purchase removes them.

Screenshots

InstaChord4 screens
Random Drum Phrases4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Random Drum Phrases at none against InstaChord's 3. Random Drum Phrases also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months). InstaChord's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. InstaChord sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Random Drum Phrases asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

InstaChord ships an update every 3 months, Random Drum Phrases weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
InstaChord versus Random Drum Phrases: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterInstaChordRandom Drum Phrases
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (16 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews86.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings16 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLoop-Sessions.LLC.susumu watanabe

In-app purchases

3 purchases

InstaChord

One-time3
  • Available All Chords$1.99
  • All sounds are available$1.99
  • Available sending MIDI message$4.99
None

Random Drum Phrases

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is InstaChord free?
InstaChord is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Random Drum Phrases free?
Random Drum Phrases is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do InstaChord or Random Drum Phrases have ads?
Random Drum Phrases shows ads; InstaChord does not.
Which is updated more often, InstaChord or Random Drum Phrases?
InstaChord ships an update every 3 months, and Random Drum Phrases weekly. Most recently, InstaChord was updated on October 29, 2026 and Random Drum Phrases on October 26, 2026.

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