Comparison

JustChords vs Ear Drone

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

Ear Drone

Master musical intervals, chords, and scales with interactive exercises and reference drones. Learn solfege hand signs and practice with various instrument sounds or MIDI controllers. This app offers customizable training for musicians of all levels.

Highlights
  • Interactive ear training exercises
  • Reference drones for pitch accuracy
  • Multiple instrument sounds
  • MIDI instrument support
  • Customizable exercises
  • Solfege hand sign learning
Read full description

Master your musical ear with the ultimate ear training app! Elevate your musical skills with our powerful and intuitive ear trainer application, designed to help musicians of all levels improve their ear training through immersive, interactive exercises and reference drones. Whether you're learning scales, modes, triads, or solfege hand signs (also known as Kodály or Curwen hand signs), this app has everything you need to master your musical ear with precision. Three Interactive Modes: Input mode: Dive deep into ear training with full user interaction. Listen to intervals, chords, and scales, then test yourself by inputting your answers. Listen mode: Improve your ear training without lifting a finger! Simply listen to the exercises and absorb the musical information hands-free. Great for passive learning, this mode is ideal for training your ear while you're on the go or in situations where interaction isn’t possible. Free play mode: Unleash your creativity with Free Play Mode! Choose your preferred instrument and explore its range of sounds in the app’s instrument views. Experiment with melodies, harmonies, and scales, using this mode for both practice and inspiration. Key Features: Background Reference Drones: Develop pitch accuracy and tonal memory using customizable reference drones. These steady tones provide a constant pitch foundation, improving your ability to match and recognize notes across exercises. Multiple Instrument Sounds: Train your ear in a wide range of musical environments by choosing from different instrument sounds, including keyed, stringed, wind, and synth instruments. MIDI Instrument Support: Expand your learning experience by integrating external MIDI instruments. Whether you prefer a digital keyboard or a MIDI controller, this feature allows you to practice ear training with the tactile feedback of your instrument of choice. Customizable Ear Training Exercises: Design your own ear training sessions to focus on specific intervals, scales, modes, or triads. The app supports a wide range of musical scales, from basic major and minor scales to more advanced scales such as Lydian, Phrygian, and Mixolydian. Build exercises that cater to your unique needs and push your ear training to the next level. Learn Solfege Hand Signs (Kodály/Curwen): Perfect your ability to visualize and sing pitches using solfege hand signs, an excellent method for enhancing sight-singing, pitch recognition, and tonal awareness. Who is This App For? - Musicians and music students who want to sharpen their ear for intervals, chords, scales, and modes. - Teachers looking for a comprehensive tool to assist students in learning music theory and solfege. - Instrumentalists who wish to improve their pitch recognition and tone matching skills. - Singers who want to master solfege hand signs and enhance their sight-singing abilities. - Producers and composers aiming to sharpen their tonal awareness across different instrument sounds, from piano and guitar to synths and wind instruments. Keywords: ear trainer, ear training, music practice, drones, instrument, piano, guitar, synth, MIDI, triads, scales, modes, solfege Hand Signs, Kodály, Curwen, hand signs, musical ear development. Download the app today and start your journey toward mastering your musical ear. Whether you're practicing with hands-on exercises, passively listening, or engaging in free play, you'll have all the tools you need to become a well-rounded musician!

Screenshots

JustChords4 screens
Ear Drone4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Ear Drone at free against JustChords's free with in-app purchases. JustChords's advantage is ratings volume (348 vs 1) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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. JustChords sells 7 one-off in-app purchases and Ear Drone sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for JustChords against 5.0 for Ear Drone. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: JustChords has 348 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 94% of JustChords's written reviews are positive against 100% of Ear Drone's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

JustChords ships an update fortnightly, Ear Drone every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and June 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
JustChords versus Ear Drone: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJustChordsEar Drone
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (348 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews94.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings348 — better1
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision ProiPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro
Requires iOS17.517.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size65 MB919 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMarek PalkaJason Fleischer

Customer experience

JustChords

All ratings348 ratings
Positive98.6%
Neutral1.1%
Negative0.3%
Written reviews103 reviews
Positive94.2%
Neutral1.9%
Negative3.9%

Ear Drone

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Ear Drone

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
3 purchases

Ear Drone

One-time3
  • Fully Unlocked$1.99
  • Generously Fully Unlocked$3.99
  • Very Generously Fully Unlocked$6.99

Questions

Is JustChords free?
JustChords is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ear Drone free?
Ear Drone is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, JustChords or Ear Drone?
Ear Drone is rated higher. JustChords averages 4.9 out of 5 from 348 ratings, while Ear Drone averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do JustChords or Ear Drone have ads?
Neither JustChords nor Ear Drone shows ads.
Which is updated more often, JustChords or Ear Drone?
JustChords ships an update fortnightly, and Ear Drone every 2 months. Most recently, JustChords was updated on September 21, 2026 and Ear Drone on June 7, 2026.

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