Comparison

JustChords vs ChordMate 4

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

Head to head
About

JustChords

Organize your song library with chord charts and lyrics. Create or import songs, sync across devices, and build setlists for live performances. Supports various music notations and audio playback.

Highlights
  • Chord chart and lyric editor
  • Import songs from online sources
  • iCloud device syncing
  • Setlist creation and sharing
  • AirPlay lyric projection
  • Audio player and recorder
  • Support for multiple music notations
Read full description

JustChords is your complete tool for cataloging chord charts and lyrics. Create charts from scratch, import them from files, or pull them from online sources — building a library that's always with you, synced across iPhone, iPad and Mac via iCloud. Use JustChords standalone or as an AUv3 plugin in your favorite DAW. FEATURES • Setlists, with sharing and collaboration • Song editor is based on ChordPro and supports chords & lyrics, note sheets (PDF), chord beats, guitar tabs and ABC notation • Change Key, Capo, Piano Transpose, Rewrite into key • Metronome & Tuner • Autoscroll • Guitar, ukulele and piano chord diagrams, including alternate tunings • Audio player & recorder. Attach your tracks from Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, URL or local file • Project lyrics or a dedicated stage display via AirPlay, with rich configuration options • Bluetooth / MIDI pedal support • Chord Beats — visualize chord duration right in your chords & lyrics, send chord notes over MIDI as they play, and trigger predefined MIDI messages on section changes • Tonic Pad — an ambient backing pad matched to your song's key • PlayTogether — keep your whole band in sync live, hands-free

About

ChordMate 4

Create unique guitar chord progressions and explore new sounds. This app offers advanced filtering for chord voicings, suggestions for chord substitutions, and the ability to add custom chords. It also supports alternate tunings and exporting diagrams.

Highlights
  • Create chord progressions
  • Discover new chord voicings
  • Chord substitution suggestions
  • Add custom chord voicings
  • Export chord diagrams
  • Alternate tuning support
Features
Read full description

The right chords can transform a song. ChordMate will help you create interesting guitar chord progressions and discover new sounds. - find the perfect chord voicing with filters to specify the top and bass note, location on the fretboard, etc. - get suggestions for the next and previous chord in a chord progression and for chord substitution - add your own chord voicings and get automatic name suggestions - export chord diagrams to other programs - use alternate tunings. ChordMate comes with the most common tunings, and you can add your own.

Screenshots

JustChords4 screens
ChordMate 44 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: JustChords at Free against ChordMate 4's $9.99. JustChords also leads on review sentiment (95% vs 67%) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). ChordMate 4's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7). On ads 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

JustChords is free to download; ChordMate 4 costs $9.99 up front. JustChords sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. ChordMate 4 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

JustChords holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: JustChords has 356 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 95% of JustChords's written reviews are positive against 67% of ChordMate 4's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

JustChords ships an update every 2 weeks, ChordMate 4 every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
JustChords versus ChordMate 4: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJustChordsChordMate 4
PriceFree — better$9.99
Rating4.9 (356 ratings) — better4.6 (9 ratings)
Positive reviews95.2% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings356 — better9
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.5 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size66 MB20 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerget started s. r. o.Ilya Belenkiy

Customer experience

JustChords

All ratings349 ratings
Positive98.6%
Neutral1.1%
Negative0.3%
Written reviews104 reviews
Positive95.2%
Neutral1.9%
Negative2.9%

ChordMate 4

All ratings9 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral22.2%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral22.2%
Negative11.1%

Bugs and requests

JustChords

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • App crashes when importing songs from online sources
  • Pinch zoom feature stopped working
  • Songs disappearing from library
  • App unable to load songs from library in certain conditions
  • Multi-column view not functioning on iPad
Show 6 more
  • PDF export inconsistently includes/excludes metadata
  • Control+S keyboard shortcut non-functional on iPad and desktop
  • Choppy scrolling between songs
  • Tagging system filters incorrectly (excludes songs with multiple tags)
  • Songs won't open when tapped (reported on iPhone 8 with iOS 16.7.4)
  • Sticky notes placement requires manual adjustment

Requested features

8 requests
  • Apple Pencil direct annotation with eraser capability
  • Standard tag filtering logic (show songs with selected tags)
  • Bluetooth pedal support for song navigation without touching device
  • Web-based editor for songs
  • Direct in-app sharing to other users
Show 3 more
  • Improved documentation and user manual
  • Smoother song-to-song scrolling transitions
  • Dark mode option

ChordMate 4

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

7 purchases

JustChords

One-time7
  • Buy me a coffee$0.99
  • Nice Chords!$2.99
  • Buy me a pineapple$4.99
Show 4 more
  • Rock On!$6.99
  • Buy me a book$7.99
  • Big Thanks!$17.99
  • Legendary Support!$44.99
None

ChordMate 4

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is JustChords free?
JustChords is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ChordMate 4 free?
ChordMate 4 costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, JustChords or ChordMate 4?
JustChords is rated higher. JustChords averages 4.9 out of 5 from 356 ratings, while ChordMate 4 averages 4.6 from 9 ratings.
Do JustChords or ChordMate 4 have ads?
Neither JustChords nor ChordMate 4 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, JustChords or ChordMate 4?
JustChords ships an update every 2 weeks, and ChordMate 4 every 3 months. Most recently, JustChords was updated on November 3, 2026 and ChordMate 4 on October 27, 2026.

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