ChordShapes vs Basic Guitar Chords
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ChordShapes
Explore countless ways to play chords on your guitar, ukulele, and other stringed instruments. Discover classic shapes, variations, and even reverse lookup unknown chords. Create and export custom chord sheets with support for alternate tunings.
- Extensive chord shape library
- Reverse chord lookup
- Diatonic chord finder by scale
- Customizable chord sheet creation
- PDF export of chord sheets
- Support for alternate tunings
- Interactive chord strumming
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This powerful app shows you in beautiful detail the numerous ways you can play chords on your guitar, your ukulele, and other plucked string instruments. Here you will find the classic chord shapes, but also every possible variation on the fretboard. You'll be amazed how many different ways you can play the chords of your songs. The app supports over 50 different chord types; slash chords are also supported. In total, there are over 7,500 chords. Swipe a chord diagram with your finger to strum the chord on the instrument. The chord will be strummed according to the speed and direction of your finger. For a more accurate sound, you can select either steel strings or nylon strings. Do a long press on a diagram to see it bigger. You discovered an interesting chord but you don't know what it's called? You can use our Reverse Lookup tool to find out. Pick the scale of your choice; the app will show you the diatonic chords for that scale. Create rich chord sheets with the chords of your choice. Save your work to a file, then export your chord sheets as PDF. Interested in alternate tunings? You're covered. Pick your tuning from our catalog and we'll show you how to play all your chords in that particular configuration. You can also create your own custom tuning, with 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 strings. Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Basic Guitar Chords
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Basic Guitar Chords is a fast, no-nonsense chord reference for guitarists who are practicing on a real instrument — not a virtual one. Look up any chord, see exactly where your fingers go, and hear what it's supposed to sound like. That's it. No lessons, no scores, no gamification — just a clean chord book that fits in your pocket. What's inside: • 144 chords — every root note (C through B) across 12 chord types: major, minor, 7, m7, maj7, dim, dim7, aug, sus2, sus4, 7sus4, and power chords • Realistic fretboard diagrams — proper string gauges, fret markers, barre chords shown correctly, and open chords displayed the way beginners actually learn them • Reference sound — a plucked-string tone for every note and a one-tap Strum to hear the full chord • Auto mode — repeats the chord every few seconds on its own, so you can keep both hands on your guitar instead of tapping the screen • Key transpose & Drop D — shift any chord shape up or down to match your voice, or drop the low string a whole step Built for players who already know their way around a guitar and just need a quick, accurate reference — not another app trying to teach you music theory.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Basic Guitar Chords at none against ChordShapes's 4. Basic Guitar Chords also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). ChordShapes's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 56 months) and ratings volume (141 vs 1). On price, 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
Both are free to download. ChordShapes sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Basic Guitar Chords asks for nothing beyond the download.
Basic Guitar Chords holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ChordShapes has 141 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
ChordShapes ships an update monthly, Basic Guitar Chords every 56 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | ChordShapes | Basic Guitar Chords |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (141 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 79.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 141 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 56 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 46 MB | 24 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Mathieu Routhier | Chotika Towmontree |
In-app purchases
ChordShapes
- Monthly Subscription$3.991 Month
- macOS Key$12.99
- iOS Key$12.99
- Universal Key$19.99
Basic Guitar Chords
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is ChordShapes free?
Is Basic Guitar Chords free?
Which has better reviews, ChordShapes or Basic Guitar Chords?
Do ChordShapes or Basic Guitar Chords have ads?
Which is updated more often, ChordShapes or Basic Guitar Chords?
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