# ChordShapes vs Basic Guitar Chords

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.

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. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ChordShapes | Basic Guitar Chords |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (141 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chordshapes-guitar-chords/id1570684582/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/basic-guitar-chords/id1598732928/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **141** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 79.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 56 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 46 MB | 24 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Mathieu Routhier](https://appshunter.io/developer/369283978) | [Chotika Towmontree](https://appshunter.io/developer/1575086311) |

## What reviewers say

### ChordShapes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chordshapes-guitar-chords/id1570684582)

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:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $3.99 | per month |
| macOS Key | $12.99 | one-time |
| iOS Key | $12.99 | one-time |
| Universal Key | $19.99 | one-time |


### Basic Guitar Chords

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/basic-guitar-chords/id1598732928)

This app provides a quick and accurate chord reference for guitarists. It features realistic fretboard diagrams, reference sounds for each chord, and auto-play functionality. Designed for players who need a handy pocket chord book.

**Highlights:** 144 chords across 12 types, Realistic fretboard diagrams, Reference sound for each chord, Auto-play mode, Key transpose and Drop D tuning

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked 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 27, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*