Comparison

ChordShapes vs Basic Guitar Chords

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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/

About

Basic Guitar Chords

Features
Read full description

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

ChordShapes4 screens
Basic Guitar Chords4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ChordShapes ships an update monthly, Basic Guitar Chords every 56 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
ChordShapes versus Basic Guitar Chords: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChordShapesBasic Guitar Chords
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (141 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews79.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings141 — better1
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 56 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size46 MB24 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperMathieu RouthierChotika Towmontree

In-app purchases

4 purchases

ChordShapes

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly Subscription$3.991 Month
One-time3
  • macOS Key$12.99
  • iOS Key$12.99
  • Universal Key$19.99
None

Basic Guitar Chords

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ChordShapes free?
ChordShapes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Basic Guitar Chords free?
Basic Guitar Chords is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ChordShapes or Basic Guitar Chords?
Basic Guitar Chords is rated higher. ChordShapes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 141 ratings, while Basic Guitar Chords averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do ChordShapes or Basic Guitar Chords have ads?
Neither ChordShapes nor Basic Guitar Chords shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ChordShapes or Basic Guitar Chords?
ChordShapes ships an update monthly, and Basic Guitar Chords every 56 months. Most recently, ChordShapes was updated on October 24, 2026 and Basic Guitar Chords on October 24, 2026.

Other comparisons